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Redshift speaks the PostgreSQL wire protocol and uses the same bundled libpq driver, so the PostgreSQL page covers the form and the URL. This page covers where a columnar warehouse differs: distribution style and sort keys in table info, external schemas, and a read-only structure tab.

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Connection settings

Fill in the form and click Save & Connect. New connections default to SSL mode Preferred, and there is no version gate: any cluster AWS still runs will connect.
AWS IAM authentication is not available for Redshift connections, unlike MySQL and PostgreSQL. Use a database username and password. For a cluster that is not publicly reachable, put it behind an SSH tunnel on a bastion in the VPC.

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Connection URL

See Connection URL Reference.

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Schemas and metadata

The default schema is public, and table metadata comes from svv_table_info: distribution style, sort keys, and table size. dev is listed like any other database; only padb_harvest is marked as a system database. A tab bound to a database other than the connection’s active one opens a second connection for it, exactly as on PostgreSQL. Table DDL includes DISTKEY, SORTKEY, DISTSTYLE, and ENCODE directives. Foreign keys are shown but not enforced by the server.
Redshift table info showing distribution style and sort keys

Distribution style and sort keys in table info

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External schemas

Schemas created with CREATE EXTERNAL SCHEMA are listed beside regular ones and marked External, with an external icon on their tables. Spectrum over S3, federated query, cross-database references, and datashare consumers all land here. Their tables are read-only: Redshift takes no UPDATE or DELETE on them and they carry no primary key, so cell editing, adding rows, and deleting rows are off. Browsing, filtering, sorting, and export work as usual.

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Backup

Backup Dump and Restore Dump run pg_dump and pg_restore against Redshift, the only engine besides PostgreSQL where they are offered. See Backup & Restore.

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Limitations

  • No structure editing. The structure tab is read-only for Redshift; run ALTER TABLE in the SQL editor.
  • No indexes, enums, sequences, or triggers. DISTKEY and SORTKEY do the work indexes would.
  • Foreign keys are informational only. Nothing stops a row that violates one; validate in the load job.
  • No Maintenance menu. Run VACUUM and ANALYZE from the SQL editor.
  • External tables show no row count, and their column types come through as the external catalog reports them, such as varchar(65535) or array<varchar(20)>.

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Troubleshooting

Connection refused: check the security group allows port 5439, the cluster is publicly accessible or reachable through a tunnel, and it is not paused. FATAL: password authentication failed for user ”…”: the cluster rejected the credentials. Verify the master username and password in the AWS Console, and that the user exists in this database. Slow queries: check distribution with SELECT * FROM svv_table_info WHERE "table" = 'your_table', run ANALYZE to refresh stats, and match SORTKEY to the predicates you filter and join on.