What You Need

This tutorial assumes Ubuntu (or close) and a local PostgreSQL. Other platforms and databases work — the Pony code doesn’t change.

End state: a DSN named psqlred. Every sample defaults to that name and accepts an override as argv[1].

Install the driver manager

sudo apt install unixodbc unixodbc-dev

unixodbc-dev provides the libodbc.so.2 that use "lib:odbc" links against.

Install the PostgreSQL driver

sudo apt install odbc-postgresql

On Ubuntu 24.04 this installs psqlodbca.so at /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/odbc/ — confirm with dpkg -L odbc-postgresql.

Create a user and database

We’ll use role red and database red. Adjust to taste, but keep them consistent with the DSN below.

sudo -u postgres createuser -h 127.0.0.1 --interactive -P red
sudo -u postgres createdb -h 127.0.0.1 -O red red

Confirm with the native client:

psql -h 127.0.0.1 -U red red

A red=> prompt means you’re set.

Configure the DSN

Add to ~/.odbc.ini:

[psqlred]
Description = ODBC tutorial database
Driver      = /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/odbc/psqlodbca.so
Servername  = 127.0.0.1
Database    = red
UserName    = red
Password    = your-password-here

Test with isql:

isql psqlred

If it prints Connected! and select 1; runs, your driver manager, driver, database, user, and DSN are all wired up.

!!! note “Different databases, same shape” For MariaDB: odbc-mariadb and point Driver at its .so. For SQLite: libsqliteodbc (zero-server). The Pony API is identical across drivers; only SQL dialect and some error messages differ.

Now install the library.