How to Recover a PostgreSQL Database After Power Loss and Checkpoint Corruption

Problem

After a power outage, the PostgreSQL database fails to start, showing the error “psql: could not connect to server: No such file or directory”.

Background Analysis

The database runs as a single‑node deployment on Kubernetes. Two clusters shared overlapping pod CIDRs, causing occasional IP conflicts. After adjusting the pod network and restarting all pods, the PostgreSQL pod could not start. Container logs indicated the issue.

Solution Process

1. Check whether the Unix domain socket file exists: kubectl exec -it -n namespace containerId /bin/sh Inside the container, /var/run/postgresql/.s.PGSQL.5432 was missing, confirming the PostgreSQL process was not running.

2. Verify the main PID file: cat /var/lib/postgresql/11/main/master.pid The PID file contains several fields (e.g., PID 154, data directory, start time, port 5432, socket directory). The PostgreSQL process was not present in the system.

3. Attempt to start PostgreSQL:

/usr/lib/postgresql/11/bin/pg_ctl -D /var/lib/postgresql/11/main start

The output included “invalid primary checkpoint record”, indicating checkpoint corruption.

4. Repair the checkpoint using the built‑in tool:

/usr/lib/postgresql/11/bin/pg_resetwal -D /var/lib/postgresql/11/main

After running pg_resetwal, start the server again:

/usr/lib/postgresql/11/bin/pg_ctl -D /var/lib/postgresql/11/main start

The database starts successfully and can be accessed with client tools such as Navicat.

Summary

Root cause: Power loss or abnormal restart corrupted data files, causing an invalid checkpoint that prevented PostgreSQL from starting.

Resolution: Use pg_resetwal to repair the checkpoint, then restart the PostgreSQL service.