Why does my app fail to connect to my Managed PostgreSQL cluster with "no pg_hba.conf entry"?

Question

I created a Managed PostgreSQL cluster on DigitalOcean and I can connect fine with psql from my laptop. But my app running on a Droplet fails to connect with this error:

FATAL: no pg_hba.conf entry for host "203.0.113.10", user "doadmin", database "defaultdb", no encryption

I copied the same host, port, user and password from the connection details page. I have not edited any pg_hba.conf, and I thought I could not even access that file on a managed database. What is this error really telling me, and what should I change in my app?

Bobby · Answer

Hi there, That error means your app connected without TLS. Managed PostgreSQL clusters require TLS for all connections, so a plain connection has no matching rule. You can’t edit pg_hba.conf on a managed cluster, and you don’t need to. The fix is on the app side. Your laptop works because psql tries TLS by default. Many app drivers do not. If you copied only the host, port, user and password, you also lost the sslmode=require part that the connection string in the control panel includes. The simplest fix is to use the full connection string from the control panel as it is, including the query part: DATABASE_URL="postgresql://doadmin:@:/defaultdb?sslmode=require" If your app builds the connection from separate variables, set sslmode to require in your driver settings instead. The exact setting depends on the driver. You can confirm the cause from the Droplet. This one asks for your password and should connect: PGSSLMODE=require psql -h -p -U doadmin -d defaultdb This one skips TLS and should give you the same error as your app: PGSSLMODE=disable psql -h -p -U doadmin -d defaultdb Two more things to know: require only encrypts the connection. For production, use sslmode=verify-full so your app also checks that it is talking to your cluster. On Standard Edition clusters you download the CA certificate from the control panel and point sslrootcert at it. The docs are here: How to Connect to PostgreSQL Database Clusters and How to Secure PostgreSQL Managed Database Clusters If you get a timeout instead of this error, check the cluster’s trusted sources and add your Droplet there. If you want to see why this error shows up before any password check, this PostgreSQL wire protocol simulator steps through the SSL request, the startup message and the SCRAM login in order.

Become a contributor for community

DigitalOcean Documentation

Resources for startups and AI-native businesses

The developer cloud

Start building today

Report this

Why does my app fail to connect to my Managed PostgreSQL cluster with "no pg_hba.conf entry"?

Related questions

How do I find out why one query is slow on my Managed PostgreSQL cluster?

Should I use a Managed Database or run PostgreSQL on a Droplet?

Should I use Managed PostgreSQL or just run Postgres on my Droplet?

App Platform - update DB pool without detach

Upgrading to postgres 18 with postgis installed

Postgres 18 availability?

How to create a schema in a Dev Database?

When can we expect Postgres 15.14 Managed Database support to be available?

Postgres - Database extension pg_stat_statement is activ but table doesn't exists

How do I automatically back up a DigitalOcean Managed PostgreSQL database to Spaces?

Trying to connect to postgresql on droplet programmatically via python and pg8000/psycopg2

Further PostgreSQL Extension Support Roadmap

Report this

Why does my app fail to connect to my Managed PostgreSQL cluster with "no pg_hba.conf entry"?

Related questions

How do I find out why one query is slow on my Managed PostgreSQL cluster?

Should I use a Managed Database or run PostgreSQL on a Droplet?

Should I use Managed PostgreSQL or just run Postgres on my Droplet?

App Platform - update DB pool without detach

Upgrading to postgres 18 with postgis installed

Postgres 18 availability?

How to create a schema in a Dev Database?

When can we expect Postgres 15.14 Managed Database support to be available?

Postgres - Database extension pg_stat_statement is activ but table doesn't exists

How do I automatically back up a DigitalOcean Managed PostgreSQL database to Spaces?

Trying to connect to postgresql on droplet programmatically via python and pg8000/psycopg2

Further PostgreSQL Extension Support Roadmap