---
title: "Getting the Source"
id: install-getsource
pg_version: "20devel"
---

<a id="install-getsource"></a>

## 17.2. Getting the Source

The PostgreSQL source code for released versions can be obtained from the download section of our website: [https://www.postgresql.org/ftp/source/](https://www.postgresql.org/ftp/source/). Download the `postgresql-version.tar.gz` or `postgresql-version.tar.bz2` file you're interested in, then unpack it: 
tar xf postgresql-`version`.tar.bz2
 This will create a directory `postgresql-version` under the current directory with the PostgreSQL sources. Change into that directory for the rest of the installation procedure. 

Alternatively, you can use the Git version control system; see [Section I.1](git.md) for more information.