Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure the following requirements are met:

• Docker is installed on your system.
• The Docker service is running.

Verify your Docker installation:

docker --version

If Docker is not installed, follow the official Docker installation guide for your operating system:

Docker Engine Installation Guide:
https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/

After installing Docker, verify that it is running correctly before continuing with the next steps.

Step 1: Create a Docker Volume

Create a Docker volume to store pgAdmin data.

docker volume create pgadmin-data

This volume stores:

• Saved server connections
• User preferences
• Configuration
• Other pgAdmin data

Because the data is stored in a Docker volume, it is preserved even if the container is stopped or removed.

Step 2: Run the pgAdmin Container

Replace the default email address and password with your own values.

Note

If your password contains special characters such as:

( ) ; $ & ! \ " '

wrap it in single quotes when passing it to Docker.

docker run -d \
  --name pgadmin \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 5050:80 \
  -e PGADMIN_DEFAULT_EMAIL="your-email@example.com" \
  -e PGADMIN_DEFAULT_PASSWORD='your-secure-password' \
  -v pgadmin-data:/var/lib/pgadmin \
  dpage/pgadmin4

Step 3: Open pgAdmin

Open your browser and visit:

http://localhost:5050

Log in using the email address and password you configured.

Login Screen

Stop the Container

docker stop pgadmin

Stopping the container does not delete your data.

Start the Container Again

docker start pgadmin

All your saved connections and settings will still be available.

Restart Policy

This guide uses:

--restart unless-stopped

This means:

• The container starts automatically after a system reboot.
• The container restarts automatically if it crashes.
• The container does not restart if you manually stop it using docker stop.
• Start it again manually whenever you need it.

Verify the Docker Volume

List all Docker volumes:

docker volume ls

Expected output:

DRIVER    VOLUME NAME
local     pgadmin-data

Useful Docker Commands

Check running containers:

docker ps

Check all containers:

docker ps -a

View container logs:

docker logs pgadmin

Restart the container:

docker restart pgadmin

Conclusion

Running pgAdmin with Docker is a simple and reliable way to manage PostgreSQL databases. Using a Docker volume keeps your saved connections and settings safe, while the unless-stopped restart policy ensures the container starts automatically after a reboot but stays stopped when you intentionally stop it.

This approach works well for local development, learning environments, and personal database management.