How to fix sudden POSTGRES database server connectivity issue and failing restart

Question

How to fix sudden POSTGRES database server connectivity issue and failing restart

InnovativeBPS 0

My database server suddenly began refusing all connections, even in Azure portal. I tried to restart it through the portal UI and the operation failed. I then stopped the server and now it is stuck in "starting" for the last 30 minutes. This is a production-impacting outage. Please escalate under Developer Support plan.

Azar 31,610 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2025-11-05T00:43:57.38+00:00

Hi there InnovativeBPS

Thanks for using QandA platform

This mightt happen when the Flexible Server hits a backend maintenance or scaling fault — once it gets stuck in “Starting,” the normal restart/stop options won't fix it. check the Activity Log in your resource group to see if a maintenance or storage operation is still in progress; those can hang. You can also try a forced restart from CLI (az postgres flexible-server restart …), which sometimes works even when the portal doesn’t. If it's a production workload and this has been stuck for a while, you’ll need to open a support ticket so Azure can unlock the server on the backend side — it’s not something you can clear from your end. For future protection, consider enabling HA to avoid this kind of single-instance recovery delay.

If this helps kindly accept the answer thanks much.
Kalyani Kondavaradala 4,595 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-06T15:43:49.6166667+00:00

Hi InnovativeBPS,

If you are still facing the issue, can you please provide the requested details over private messaging to investigate further on this.
Kalyani Kondavaradala 4,595 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-10T08:49:34.82+00:00

Hi InnovativeBPS,

we haven't received a response from you regarding the last update. If you've found a resolution, we’d greatly appreciate it if you could share it with the community, as it might benefit others. If not, please let us know, and we’ll provide further details and do our best to assist you.
Sina Salam 26,661 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2025-11-10T13:37:25.0033333+00:00
Hello InnovativeBPS ,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A and thank you for posting your questions here.

I understand that you are having issues to fix POSTGRES database server connectivity issue and failing restart.

Follow the steps below:

Check Server status via CLI using bash command: az postgres flexible-server show --resource-group <your-rg> --name <your-server> Look for state, storage, and sku.

Check activity logs too: az monitor activity-log list --resource-group <your-rg> --status Failed

Check for Management Locks: az resource lock list --resource-group <your-rg>

Check Storage exhaustion, if storage is at 100%, server may fail to restart. You can try: az postgres flexible-server update --resource-group <your-rg> --name <your-server> --storage-size <larger-size>

You can escalate under Developer Support Plan by open Support Ticket via your Azure Portal https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_Azure_Support/HelpAndSupportBlade If Portal Fails use https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request or use Priority Customer Support - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/priority-community-support

I hope this is helpful! Do not hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or clarifications.

Please don't forget to close up the thread here by upvoting and accept it as an answer if it is helpful.

1 answer

Your answer

Azar 31,610 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2025-11-05T00:43:57.38+00:00

Hi there InnovativeBPS

Thanks for using QandA platform

This mightt happen when the Flexible Server hits a backend maintenance or scaling fault — once it gets stuck in “Starting,” the normal restart/stop options won't fix it. check the Activity Log in your resource group to see if a maintenance or storage operation is still in progress; those can hang. You can also try a forced restart from CLI (az postgres flexible-server restart …), which sometimes works even when the portal doesn’t. If it's a production workload and this has been stuck for a while, you’ll need to open a support ticket so Azure can unlock the server on the backend side — it’s not something you can clear from your end. For future protection, consider enabling HA to avoid this kind of single-instance recovery delay.

If this helps kindly accept the answer thanks much.
Kalyani Kondavaradala 4,595 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-06T15:43:49.6166667+00:00

Hi InnovativeBPS,

If you are still facing the issue, can you please provide the requested details over private messaging to investigate further on this.
Kalyani Kondavaradala 4,595 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-10T08:49:34.82+00:00

Hi InnovativeBPS,

we haven't received a response from you regarding the last update. If you've found a resolution, we’d greatly appreciate it if you could share it with the community, as it might benefit others. If not, please let us know, and we’ll provide further details and do our best to assist you.
Sina Salam 26,661 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2025-11-10T13:37:25.0033333+00:00

Hello InnovativeBPS ,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A and thank you for posting your questions here.

I understand that you are having issues to fix POSTGRES database server connectivity issue and failing restart.

Follow the steps below:

Check Server status via CLI using bash command: az postgres flexible-server show --resource-group <your-rg> --name <your-server> Look for state, storage, and sku.

Check activity logs too: az monitor activity-log list --resource-group <your-rg> --status Failed

Check for Management Locks: az resource lock list --resource-group <your-rg>

Check Storage exhaustion, if storage is at 100%, server may fail to restart. You can try: az postgres flexible-server update --resource-group <your-rg> --name <your-server> --storage-size <larger-size>

You can escalate under Developer Support Plan by open Support Ticket via your Azure Portal https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_Azure_Support/HelpAndSupportBlade If Portal Fails use https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request or use Priority Customer Support - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/priority-community-support

I hope this is helpful! Do not hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or clarifications.

Please don't forget to close up the thread here by upvoting and accept it as an answer if it is helpful.

Answer 1

Hi InnovativeBPS,

If issue still persists can try to restart from Azure CLI:

Attempt a Forced Restart via CLI: If the portal isn't responding, you can try to perform a forced restart using the Azure CLI:
```
   az postgres flexible-server restart --resource-group <resource_group> --name <server_name>
```
This can sometimes succeed even if the portal options are failing.
Resource Health: Determine if your server is facing a maintenance operation or resource exhaustion by checking:
- Resource Health in the Azure portal to see if there are any issues.
- Resource metrics (CPU, Memory, Storage) to check if any resource is maxed out.
Upgrade/Downgrade SKU: If you suspect performance issues due to your current SKU, consider upgrading to a General Purpose or Memory Optimized SKU for better resources.

We need the server details to move further on this please provide over Private messaging.

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How to fix sudden POSTGRES database server connectivity issue and failing restart

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