# bonjour_name

> bonjour_name is the PostgreSQL setting that defines the Bonjour service name.
---

> [!NOTE]
> **Fact — official short description:** “Sets the Bonjour service name.”

## Identity {#identity}

| Field | Value | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Type | `string` | Upstream pg_settings type |
| Context | `postmaster` | Requires a server restart |
| Unit | — | Raw unit |
| Range | — | Raw limits in the last observed version |
| Enum values | — | — for non-enum types |
| Category | Connections and Authentication / Connection Settings | Upstream classification |
| Latest boot value | `""` | empty string |
{.fields meta="-"}

## Lifecycle {#lifecycle}

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| First observed | PG9.0 (research boundary) |
| Present in | PG9.0–19 Beta 3 |
| Removed in | No |
| Introduction commit | Not asserted: predates the PG9.0 research boundary |
| Commit date | — |
| Discussion | — |

## Default history {#default-history}

| Versions | Raw `boot_val` | Unit | Human value |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PG9.0–19 Beta 3 | `""` | — | empty string |
{.full-width caption="Measured PG9.0–19 Beta 3 boot defaults"}

## How it works {#mechanism}

bonjour_name sets the Bonjour service name. An empty string means use the computer name. An empty value derives the advertised service name from the computer name, and the setting matters only when Bonjour advertisement is enabled.

bonjour_name is a POSTMASTER-context setting: PostgreSQL reads it during server startup, and a configuration reload or session SET cannot activate a new value.

Bonjour advertisement depends on platform support and publishes the listener as metadata; listen_addresses, port, pg_hba.conf, TLS, and firewalls still define actual reachability and trust.

## Tuning advice {#tuning-advice}

> [!TIP]
> **Advice.** These are workload-specific starting points and must be validated with measurements.

| Workload | Guidance |
| --- | --- |
| OLTP | Enable bonjour_name only when clients deliberately use Bonjour/mDNS on a trusted local network. Treat it as discovery metadata, never as authentication or a highly available service registry. |
| OLAP | Analytical workload shape does not justify different bonjour_name behavior; use the same reviewed discovery policy and stable service identity. |
| Small nodes | Leave bonjour_name off or empty unless local zero-configuration discovery is an explicit requirement; it does not improve database capacity. |
{.full-width}

## Pigsty {#pigsty}

Values use the fixed 8-vCPU, 32-GiB, 100-GiB SSD fixture and render the current Pigsty templates for PG19 Beta 3; this does not assert current Pigsty support for that historical or beta release.

| Template | Effective value | Versus upstream boot | Source expression |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OLTP | Unmodified | — | — |
| OLAP | Unmodified | — | — |
| CRIT | Unmodified | — | — |
| TINY | Unmodified | — | — |
{.full-width}

> [!CAUTION]
> **Advice — pending human review.** Fact from the current Pigsty template projection: OLTP: PG9.0–19 Beta 3 unmodified; OLAP: PG9.0–19 Beta 3 unmodified; CRIT: PG9.0–19 Beta 3 unmodified; TINY: PG9.0–19 Beta 3 unmodified. No Pigsty-specific rationale is inferred from an absent override.

## Common pitfalls {#common-pitfalls}

- Expecting a reload or SET to activate bonjour_name, although it requires a controlled server restart.
- Treating an mDNS advertisement as an access-control, authentication, or high-availability mechanism.
- Publishing an unexpected service name or endpoint on an untrusted broadcast domain.
- Changing bonjour_name globally without a rollback plan and a client or operational compatibility test.

## Related parameters {#related-parameters}

[`listen_addresses`](/parameters/listen-addresses/) · [`port`](/parameters/port/) · [`max_connections`](/parameters/max-connections/) · [`reserved_connections`](/parameters/reserved-connections/) · [`superuser_reserved_connections`](/parameters/superuser-reserved-connections/) · [`unix_socket_directories`](/parameters/unix-socket-directories/)

## References {#references}

- [PostgreSQL 19 Beta 3 — bonjour_name](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/19/runtime-config-connection.html#GUC-BONJOUR-NAME)
- [PostgreSQL 19 release notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/19/release-19.html)
- [Machine-readable GUC export](/data/guc.jsonl)