Securing PostgreSQL Databases with Host-Based Authentication

Securing your database is the most critical step in protecting sensitive application data from unauthorized access. This text-based course provides a clear, step-by-step path to safeguarding your PostgreSQL installations using robust access control and modern authentication standards. You will transition from default database setups to hardened, production-ready configurations. By understanding how connection requests are filtered and verified, you will be able to confidently prevent unauthorized external access and enforce the principle of least privilege. What you'll learn: - Understand PostgreSQL security architecture and foundational access control concepts - Configure host-based authentication rules in the pg_hba.conf file with precision - Implement modern, secure password hashing using the scram-sha-256 protocol - Restrict database access by specific IP addresses, networks, and user roles - Configure SSL settings to encrypt database connections in transit - Audit connection attempts and troubleshoot authentication failures using database logs. The course begins with essential database security terminology and foundational concepts before guiding you through practical configuration scenarios, rule syntax, and encryption setups. This course is designed for beginner database administrators, system administrators, and backend developers who want to secure their data stores with no prior database security experience required. Start building a secure foundation for your database infrastructure today.