How to Set Up Amazon Redshift on macOS in PostgreSQL

What do I need before installing Redshift tools on macOS?

Have Homebrew, AWS CLI, and either Java (for JDBC) or iODBC (for ODBC). Create a Redshift cluster in the AWS console and note the endpoint, port 5439, database name, and master username.

How do I install the Amazon Redshift JDBC driver?

Run brew install --cask amazon-redshift-jdbc. The JAR is placed in /Library/Java/Extensions/.For apps like Galaxy or IntelliJ, add this JAR to your JDBC driver list.

How do I install the ODBC driver?

Download the DMG from AWS, then run sudo installer -pkg AmazonRedshiftODBC*.pkg -target /. Configure /usr/local/etc/odbc.ini with your cluster details.

How do I connect from psql?

Install PostgreSQL client: brew install libpq && echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/libpq/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc.Then connect:

psql \
--host=example-cluster.cle2hixxxxx.us-east-1.redshift.amazonaws.com \
--port=5439 \
--username=dev_user \
--dbname=dev

How do I create ecommerce tables in Redshift?

Run standard PostgreSQL DDL; Redshift supports it.

CREATE TABLE Customers (
id INTEGER IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
name VARCHAR(100),
email VARCHAR(255),
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);
CREATE TABLE Orders (
id INTEGER IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
customer_id INTEGER REFERENCES Customers(id),
order_date DATE,
total_amount DECIMAL(12,2)
);
CREATE TABLE Products (
id INTEGER IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
name VARCHAR(150),
price DECIMAL(10,2),
stock INTEGER
);
CREATE TABLE OrderItems (
id INTEGER IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY,
order_id INTEGER REFERENCES Orders(id),
product_id INTEGER REFERENCES Products(id),
quantity INTEGER
);

How do I load local CSVs into Redshift?

Stage files in S3, grant IAMA_ROLE to the cluster, then execute:

COPY Customers
FROM 's3://my-bucket/customers/'
IAM_ROLE 'arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/RedshiftRole'
FORMAT AS CSV IGNOREHEADER 1;

What best practices should Mac users follow?

Use SSL in connection strings, store credentials in ~/.aws/credentials, and prefer COPY over single-row INSERT.Monitor query performance with STL_QUERY views.

Common mistakes to avoid

Port 5439 closed: Open it in the cluster’s security group; otherwise the Mac client cannot reach Redshift.

Driver mismatch: Use the current JDBC/ODBC driver version that matches your Redshift cluster version to prevent SSL handshake errors.

Need help quickly?

Galaxy’s AI Copilot lets you paste your Redshift endpoint and autogenerates connection strings, sample DDL, and optimized queries in seconds.

.