How to time SQL queries using psql?

Hello,

One of the most straightforward ways to time a query is to use the following:

• First, connect to the database using psql:

psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U postgres

Note that you would need to have the psql command installed on your machine:

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-postgresql-on-ubuntu-20-04-quickstart

• Then you can run the following statement to enable query timing:

\timing

• Once you’ve executed the above statement, you can run the query you want to time.

SELECT * FROM users;

Output:

Time: 0.120 ms

This is going to be enabled for your current session only. Once you open a new session, the query timing will be disabled, so you will have to enable it again.

Hope that this helps!

Best,

Bobby