Quickstart: 5-Minute Tutorial

This short tutorial shows you how to access your hosted PostGIS database, create your first spatial table, connect it to QGIS, and start editing features, all in just a few steps.

Step 1: Access Your Database

pgAdmin is the web interface included with every hosted PostGIS instance. It lets you explore your database, create spatial tables, and run SQL queries.

1. From the GSH Dashboard, open your instance’s Product Details page.

2. Under pgAdmin, click Get Password to copy your login credentials.

   • Username: Your account email address.
   • Password: Copied from page.

   
   

3. Click the pgAdmin link to open the interface.

4. Paste your credentials and click Login.

5. After logging in, you’ll see the Object Explorer tree in the left-hand panel.

6. Expand Geospatialhosting Databases → your-server → Databases.

7. Select kartoza_postgis.

This is your preconfigured database for adding tables, geometry fields, and managing spatial data.

Image credit: pgAdmin

Step 2: Create Your Spatial Table

Now you’ll create a simple table called places and define its geometry and SRID.

1. In pgAdmin, navigate to kartoza_postgis → Schemas → public → Tables.

2. Right-click Tables, and select Create → Table.

3. On the General tab fill in the following:

   
   

   Property	Value
   Name	places
   Owner	kartoza_postgis
   Schema	public
   Tablespace	pg_default

   
   

4. Open the Columns tab and add:

   
   

   Name	Data Type	Length	Not Null?	Primary Key?
   id	integer	—	x	x
   name	character	256	x
   geometry	geometry	—	x

   
   

5. Click Save.

6. Click the Query Tool from the top toolbar.

7. Run the following command into the SQL Editor:

   
   

   ALTER TABLE places
   ALTER COLUMN geometry TYPE geometry(Point, 4326)
   USING ST_SetSRID(geometry, 4326);
   

   
   

You’ve now created a spatial table in your database that can store point-based geographic features.

Image credit: pgAdmin

Step 3: Connect to QGIS

Once your spatial tables are created in pgAdmin, you can connect your hosted PostGIS database to QGIS.

1. In QGIS, click the Open Data Source Manager.

2. Select PostgreSQL and click New.

3. Fill in the connection details:

   
   

   Property	Value
   Name	my-postgis
   Host	your-product-name.sta.geospatialhosting.com
   Port	5432
   Database	kartoza_postgis
   SSL Mode	Require

   
   

4. Under Authentication, click the + button and fill in the following:

   
   

   Property	Value
   Name	my-postgis
   Username	kartoza_postgis
   Password	Copy from the Product Details page

   
   

5. Click Test Connection and OK.

Image credit: pgAdmin

Step 4: Load Your Layer in QGIS

Now that your connection is configured, you can add spatial layers from your PostGIS database into QGIS.

1. In the PostgreSQL panel, select your my-postgis connection.

2. Click Connect.

3. Expand the public schema.

4. Select the places layer and click Add.

Your PostGIS layer now appears in the QGIS Layers Panel and can be styled, queried, or edited like any other layer.

Image credit: pgAdmin

Step 5: Add Your First Feature

You can now start adding and editing features directly from your map.

1. Select the places layer.

2. Click the Toggle Editing button (pencil icon).

3. Click the Add Point Feature tool (map marker icon).

4. Click anywhere on the map to place a point.

5. Fill in the Attribute Form and click OK.

6. Click Toggle Editing again and Save.

Your new point is now safely stored in your hosted PostGIS database.

Image credit: pgAdmin

Step 6: Verify Your Data

You can now confirm that your new features have been successfully added to your database.

1. Return to pgAdmin.

2. Expand kartoza_postgis → Schemas → public → Tables → places.

3. Right-click places and select View/Edit Data → All Rows.

You’ll see the features you added from QGIS.

Image credit: pgAdmin

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Next up: Discover how to navigate and use the pgAdmin interface to enhance your user experience.