PostgreSQL: 2. The lifecycle script
This documentation is part of the GitHub Actions & GitLab CI guide. View the full guide here: Spin up a real PostgreSQL service from your GitHub Actions or GitLab CI pipeline, run your tests against it, and tear it down automatically.
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Here is a complete example script that manages the full service lifecycle. It demonstrates how little setup is required, just a few commands. You can copy the ready-made YAML for your platform from the sections below.
#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail
# STACKHERO_TOKEN is supplied by the CI secret, the CLI picks it up automatically.
stackName="ci-postgresql-$$" # Unique stack name for each run
serviceStore="postgresql" # The PostgreSQL service store
instance="10G" # Change this as needed (see step 3)
region="europe" # Region name (see stackhero regions-list)
# 1. Install the CLI on the runner
curl -fsSL https://www.stackhero.io/install.sh | sh
# 2. Install the client required for smoke testing (jq + curl are the baseline)
apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends jq curl postgresql-client
# 3. Create a dedicated stack for this run
stackId=$(stackhero --format=script stack-create --name="$stackName")
echo "Stack created: $stackId"
# 4. Add PostgreSQL and capture its service id
serviceId=$(stackhero --format=script service-add \
--stack="$stackId" \
--service-store="$serviceStore" \
--instance="$instance" \
--region="$region")
echo "Service added: $serviceId"
# 5. Wait until the service is running (this may take a couple of minutes)
stackhero service-wait-for --service="$serviceId"
# 6. Read the configuration (contains the generated credentials)
config=$(stackhero service-configuration-get --service="$serviceId" --format=json)
# 7. Extract the credentials you need
host=$(echo "$config" | jq -r '.configuration.domain')
password=$(echo "$config" | jq -r '.configuration.password')
# 8. Smoke test: Run a trivial query against the database.
PGPASSWORD="$password" psql "host=$host port=5432 user=admin dbname=admin sslmode=require" -c "SELECT 1;"
echo "✅ PostgreSQL is reachable from CI."
The teardown step, which deletes the service, waits for its removal, and then deletes the stack, is handled in the platform-specific sections below. This approach makes sure cleanup always happens, even if a smoke test fails.
A stack can only be deleted once it is empty. Always delete the service first and wait for its removal, then delete the stack. The
service-wait-forcommand ensures the service is either running or deleted before proceeding, making it the right tool for deletion waits too.