On Thursday, January 2, 2020, PG Doc comments form <
noreply@postgresql.org> wrote:
The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:
Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/creating-cluster.html
Description:
In 18.2, a database cluster is said to be "a database storage area on disk",
and then shortly afterward is is defined as "a collection of databases that
is managed by a single instance of a running database server". Those seem
very different things. Sometimes in the manual I can't tell which usage is
intended.
A garage is a “car storage area for a house”. A garage can (typically) store multiple cars just as a database cluster can store multiple databases. The files are only useful if there is a running instance and all databases stored in the cluster are managed by a single shared instance. You will need to better explain your confusion because the documentation is describing a complex system accurately but in parts that are related - two sides of the same coin, if you will.
David J.