# phpman > man > SET_ROLE(7)

SET [ROLE(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ROLE/7/markdown)                        PostgreSQL 14.23 Documentation                        SET [ROLE(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ROLE/7/markdown)



## NAME
       SET_ROLE - set the current user identifier of the current session

## SYNOPSIS
       SET [ SESSION | LOCAL ] ROLE _role_name_
       SET [ SESSION | LOCAL ] ROLE NONE
       RESET ROLE

## DESCRIPTION
       This command sets the current user identifier of the current SQL session to be _role_name_. The
       role name can be written as either an identifier or a string literal. After **SET** **ROLE**,
       permissions checking for SQL commands is carried out as though the named role were the one
       that had logged in originally.

       The specified _role_name_ must be a role that the current session user is a member of. (If the
       session user is a superuser, any role can be selected.)

       The SESSION and LOCAL modifiers act the same as for the regular **SET** command.

       SET ROLE NONE sets the current user identifier to the current session user identifier, as
       returned by **session**___**user**.  RESET ROLE sets the current user identifier to the connection-time
       setting specified by the command-line options, **ALTER** **ROLE**, or **ALTER** **DATABASE**, if any such
       settings exist. Otherwise, RESET ROLE sets the current user identifier to the current session
       user identifier. These forms can be executed by any user.

## NOTES
       Using this command, it is possible to either add privileges or restrict one's privileges. If
       the session user role has the INHERIT attribute, then it automatically has all the privileges
       of every role that it could **SET** **ROLE** to; in this case **SET** **ROLE** effectively drops all the
       privileges assigned directly to the session user and to the other roles it is a member of,
       leaving only the privileges available to the named role. On the other hand, if the session
       user role has the NOINHERIT attribute, **SET** **ROLE** drops the privileges assigned directly to the
       session user and instead acquires the privileges available to the named role.

       In particular, when a superuser chooses to **SET** **ROLE** to a non-superuser role, they lose their
       superuser privileges.

       **SET** **ROLE** has effects comparable to **SET** **SESSION** **AUTHORIZATION**, but the privilege checks
       involved are quite different. Also, **SET** **SESSION** **AUTHORIZATION** determines which roles are
       allowable for later **SET** **ROLE** commands, whereas changing roles with **SET** **ROLE** does not change
       the set of roles allowed to a later **SET** **ROLE**.

       **SET** **ROLE** does not process session variables as specified by the role's **ALTER** **ROLE** settings;
       this only happens during login.

       **SET** **ROLE** cannot be used within a SECURITY DEFINER function.

## EXAMPLES
           SELECT SESSION_USER, CURRENT_USER;

            session_user | current_user
           --------------+--------------
            peter        | peter

           SET ROLE 'paul';

           SELECT SESSION_USER, CURRENT_USER;

            session_user | current_user
           --------------+--------------
            peter        | paul

## COMPATIBILITY
       PostgreSQL allows identifier syntax ("_rolename_"), while the SQL standard requires the role
       name to be written as a string literal. SQL does not allow this command during a transaction;
       PostgreSQL does not make this restriction because there is no reason to. The SESSION and
       LOCAL modifiers are a PostgreSQL extension, as is the RESET syntax.

## SEE ALSO
       SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION (**SET**___**SESSION**___**[AUTHORIZATION**(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/AUTHORIZATION/7/markdown))



PostgreSQL 14.23                                2026                                     SET [ROLE(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ROLE/7/markdown)