Use PolarPlus to connect to databases - PolarDB:PolarPlus

PolarPlus is a command-line interface (CLI) for PolarDB for PostgreSQL (Compatible with Oracle). It lets you run SQL statements, PL/SQL anonymous blocks, functions, and stored procedures directly from the terminal without installing a database client.

With PolarPlus, you can:

Query database objects
Execute stored procedures
Format SQL output
Run batch processing scripts
Run OS commands
Record session output

To manage PolarDB clusters with a more fully integrated toolset, use PolarDB-Tools. Its psql tool supports Oracle-compatible PL/SQL anonymous blocks, functions, and stored procedures.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.8 for 64-bit operating systems
OpenSSL 1.1 for 64-bit operating systems
A Linux environment (PolarPlus runs on Linux only)

Download PolarPlus

PolarPlus ships as a no-install package. Download and decompress it — no installation step is needed.

wget https://help-static-aliyun-doc.aliyuncs.com/file-manage-files/en-US/20241204/eozaey/polarplus_release.tar.gz
tar -xzf polarplus_release.tar.gz

After decompression, the directory looks like this:

polarplus_release
├── polarplus -> ./polarplus.sh
├── polarplus.sh
├── polarplus.jar
├── login.sql
├── etc
│   └── sysconfig
├── help
└── lib

The polarplus file is the executable entry point. To run it from anywhere, add polarplus_release/ to your PATH:

export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/polarplus_release"

Configure PolarPlus

Before starting PolarPlus, set the base path in the startup script:

Open polarplus.sh.
Find the line export base="{pwd}/polarplus" and replace {pwd} with the absolute path to the polarplus file.

Connect to a database

Startup syntax

Start PolarPlus with the following command:

polarplus [-S[ILENT]] [<login> | /NOLOG] [@<scriptfile>[.<ext>]]

The three components map to distinct modes of operation:

Options

Option	Description
`-S[ILENT]`	Suppresses the logon banner and connection messages.

Logon

<username>[/<password>][@{<connectstring> | <variable>}]

Parameter	Description
`username`	The database account name.
`password`	The database account password.
`connectstring`	The connection string. See Connection string format.
`variable`	A variable defined in `login.sql`. This file stores your connection string and loads automatically on startup.

Start (script file)

@<scriptfile>[.<ext>]

PolarPlus runs the SQL statements and commands in this file automatically on startup.

Parameter	Description
`scriptfile`	A script file in the current working directory. If the file extension is `.sql`, you can omit it. Files without an extension are treated as `.sql`. Name your script files as `<filename>.<extension>` — PolarPlus cannot access files that have no extension in the filename.

`/NOLOG`

Use /NOLOG to start PolarPlus without connecting to a database. This is useful when you want to edit scripts or run PolarPlus commands before establishing a connection. To connect after startup, run the CONNECT command.

Connection string format

<host>[:<port>][/<dbname>][?ssl={true|false}]

Parameter	Description
`host`	The hostname or IP address of the database server. Defaults to the on-premises host if omitted.
`port`	The port the database server listens on. Defaults to `5444` if omitted.
`dbname`	The name of the database to connect to. Defaults to `polardb` if omitted.
`?ssl=true`	Enables SSL. Must be used together with `host:port`.

For IPv6 addresses, wrap the address in brackets:

polarplus polardb/password@[fe80::20c:29ff:fe7c:78b2]:5444/polardb

Connect to a PolarDB database

polarplus polardb/password@pc-bp1zxxxxxxxxxxx.o.polardb.rds.aliyuncs.com:1521/polardb

Version compatibility

PolarPlus connects to PolarDB for PostgreSQL (Compatible with Oracle) 1.0 clusters only. Use PolarPlus2 for 2.0 clusters.

Cluster version	Client	Download
PolarDB for PostgreSQL (Compatible with Oracle) 1.0	PolarPlus	polarplus_release.tar.gz
PolarDB for PostgreSQL (Compatible with Oracle) 2.0	PolarPlus2	polarplus2_release.tar.gz

PolarPlus2 has the same directory structure and usage as PolarPlus. Replace polarplus with polarplus2 in all paths and commands.