PostgreSQL flexible server stuck in starting sate

Question

PostgreSQL flexible server stuck in starting sate

David Waterson 20

Hi, our PostgreSQL server ran out of storage space recently (we're not sure why, it happened quickly over a few days, and we've not been able to access it since so the reason unknown at this time). We now can't access the server, and having stopped it the other day, it now is stuck in the starting state (still, after 48 hours).

Can you advise how we resolve this issue?

Thanks, David.

Kalyani Kondavaradala 1,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-01T10:21:21.6033333+00:00

Hello David Waterson,

Thanks for sharing your query on Microsoft Q&A!

Could you please share the details requested in the private message for further investigation.

If possible, could you please share screenshots for better understanding? In case the information is sensitive, you may share them via private message instead of comments

Thanks!

Kalyani
David Waterson 20 Reputation points

2025-09-01T12:25:38.4466667+00:00

Hi,

We tried previously to configure a larger storage size however this ran for a while then failed (timeout error if I recall correctly).

After this we tried stopping and starting the service however it has been stuck in the starting state for some time (many days).

The options to change the storage size are currently unavailable, with a banner message saying "Some operations are disabled and some information may be missing, because the server isn't in Ready state."

I can't see a way to expand the storage at this time?

Kind regards, David.
Kalyani Kondavaradala 1,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-01T13:00:10.9133333+00:00

Hi David Waterson,

Thanks for your reply, were you able to restart the server or not? And can you also provide details in private messaging so that we can investigate more on this.

Thanks!
David Waterson 20 Reputation points

2025-09-01T16:00:30.92+00:00

HI Kalyani,

Sorry, just seen the private message, I'll do that shortly.

We were able to stop the service (which took a long time), we have since tried to start the service again, this has not been successful and is still showing as "Status: Starting" (and has been for in excess of 2 days).

Kind regards, David
Kalyani Kondavaradala 1,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-01T16:35:20.5866667+00:00

Thank you for providing the details David Waterson, i will work on it and get back to you with an update. Thanks!

Accepted answer

1 additional answer

Your answer

Kalyani Kondavaradala 1,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-01T10:21:21.6033333+00:00

Hello David Waterson,

Thanks for sharing your query on Microsoft Q&A!

Could you please share the details requested in the private message for further investigation.

If possible, could you please share screenshots for better understanding? In case the information is sensitive, you may share them via private message instead of comments

Thanks!

Kalyani
David Waterson 20 Reputation points

2025-09-01T12:25:38.4466667+00:00

Hi,

We tried previously to configure a larger storage size however this ran for a while then failed (timeout error if I recall correctly).

After this we tried stopping and starting the service however it has been stuck in the starting state for some time (many days).

The options to change the storage size are currently unavailable, with a banner message saying "Some operations are disabled and some information may be missing, because the server isn't in Ready state."

I can't see a way to expand the storage at this time?

Kind regards, David.
Kalyani Kondavaradala 1,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-01T13:00:10.9133333+00:00

Hi David Waterson,

Thanks for your reply, were you able to restart the server or not? And can you also provide details in private messaging so that we can investigate more on this.

Thanks!
David Waterson 20 Reputation points

2025-09-01T16:00:30.92+00:00

HI Kalyani,

Sorry, just seen the private message, I'll do that shortly.

We were able to stop the service (which took a long time), we have since tried to start the service again, this has not been successful and is still showing as "Status: Starting" (and has been for in excess of 2 days).

Kind regards, David
Kalyani Kondavaradala 1,735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-01T16:35:20.5866667+00:00

Thank you for providing the details David Waterson, i will work on it and get back to you with an update. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi David Waterson,

Following up on this, the Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server in the Azure portal was earlier stuck in the Starting state. During our investigation, we applied mitigation steps, and the server is now back online. The issue was caused by 100% CPU utilization. The backend team identified a reserved space file, removed it, and reset the SAS key, which brought the server back online

I hope this has been helpful!

Your feedback is important so please take a moment to accept answers. If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.

If this answers your query, please click Accept Answer and Upvote for was this answer helpful.

Thanks,

Kalyani

Answer 2

Alberto Morillo 35,166 MVP Volunteer Moderator

Please try to scale up the storage of the Flexible Server using this documentation. It is recommended setting alert rules for storage used or storage percent when they exceed certain thresholds so that you can proactively take action such as increasing the storage size. For example, you can set an alert if the storage percentage exceeds 80% usage.

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PostgreSQL flexible server stuck in starting sate

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