Unable to start the Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server

Hi CardyaiDevops,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A. You’re experiencing difficulties starting your Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server and encountering the error message: ‘An error occurred starting the PostgreSQL server.’ Below are some steps you can follow to troubleshoot this problem:

1. Check Server Status via CLI

bash

 az postgres flexible-server show --name <server-name> --resource-group <resource-group>

Look for the state property to confirm the status.

2. Attempt a Manual Restart

bash

az postgres flexible-server restart --name <server-name> --resource-group <resource-group>

3. Inspect for Resource Locks

bash

az resource lock list --resource-name <server-name> --resource-group <resource-group> --resource-type "Microsoft.DBforPostgreSQL/flexibleServers"

If locks are found, remove them:

bash

az resource lock delete --ids <lock-id>

 
4. Scale Up Temporarily (if resource exhaustion is suspected)

bash

az postgres flexible-server update --name <server-name> --resource-group <resource-group> --sku-name GP_Gen5_4

5. Check for Blocking Queries Once the server is responsive, connect via psql and run:

sql

SELECT pid, state, query FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE state != 'idle';SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pid) FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE state != 'idle';

6. Review Azure Monitor Logs Use Azure Monitor to check for errors or blockers that may be affecting server operations.
7. Confirm Platform Health Visit Azure Status to ensure there are no ongoing outages in your region.

If these steps don’t resolve the issue, please send us a private message section with:

• Server name
• subscription id:
• Tenant id:
• Your registered email id:
• Resource URI of the server:
• Region:
• Country:
• Time zone:
• Locale:
• Resource type:
• Resource group name:
• Virtual Machine name:

We will investigate further and help get your server unstuck 

Thanks,
Vrishabh

Hi CardyaiDevops,

We haven't heard back from you. Please reply if you have any questions in this matter and we will gladly continue the discussion.

Thanks,
Vrishabh