PostgreSQL SQLSTATE 08000 connection_exception signals that the client cannot establish, maintain, or resume a database session.
connection_exception (SQLSTATE 08000) means PostgreSQL rejected or lost the client session, often due to network issues, authentication failure, or server resource limits. Check pg_hba.conf, credentials, network reachability, and max_connections to restore connectivity.
connection_exception
PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE class 08000 connection_exception when a client session cannot be opened, maintained, or resumed. The notice may appear as ERROR: 08000: connection_exception in application logs or psql.
The error covers several subclasses such as connection_does_not_exist (08003) and connection_failure (08006). Regardless of subclass, PostgreSQL refuses or drops the session, preventing any SQL from running until connectivity is re-established.
Network interruptions between client and server time out TCP or SSL handshakes, triggering connection_exception immediately after or during login.
Misconfigured authentication rules in pg_hba.conf deny the client address or user, generating a generic 08000 rather than a more specific auth code in older drivers.
Server resource exhaustion - hitting max_connections, running out of memory, or exhausting file descriptors - forces PostgreSQL to reject new sessions with a connection_exception.
Firewall or VPN rules that drop idle connections without sending FIN reset can produce the error on the next query attempt.
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First isolate scope: attempt a psql login from the same host. If psql fails, the issue is server side or network. If psql succeeds, check the client application and driver versions.
Verify PostgreSQL is running: sudo systemctl status postgresql or pg_ctl status. Restart if down.
Inspect pg_hba.conf for a matching rule.
Add or widen a host all all 10.0.0.0/16 md5 line, reload with SELECT pg_reload_conf();.
Check max_connections and current usage: SELECT max_conn, used_conn FROM pg_stat_database_conflicts; Raise max_connections in postgresql.conf if saturation appears.
Test network reachability with ping and psql -h db_host -p 5432. Fix DNS or firewall rules if packets drop.
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Docker container restarts lose persistent sockets - configure pooled connections and healthchecks.
RDS force-closes long-idle sessions - reduce keep-alive timeout or use connection pooling.
Kubernetes rolling deploy briefly blocks service endpoints - implement retry logic with exponential back-off.
Use PgBouncer or PGPool to recycle idle sessions and cap connection spikes.
Set tcp_keepalives_idle, tcp_keepalives_interval, and tcp_keepalives_count to keep NAT gateways from silently dropping connections.
Monitor max_connections, wait_events, and log_connections in Galaxy’s query runner to catch saturation before failures.
08003 connection_does_not_exist - occurs when using a closed connection; re-establish the session.
08006 connection_failure - signals a mid-transaction drop; commit frequently and enable retries.
57P01 admin_shutdown - server going down for restart; design application to reconnect automatically.
No. The server may be up but refusing the client due to authentication or connection limits.
Only if the server has spare CPU and memory. Use a connection pool to scale safely.
Yes. Mismatched sslmode or certificate validation failure can abort the handshake and raise connection_exception.
Galaxy pools and reuses connections, monitors saturation, and surfaces pg_hba.conf misconfigurations in the editor.
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