# How to Deallocate a Prepared Statement in PostgreSQL

> Use the DEALLOCATE command followed by the name of the prepared statement to explicitly Deallocate a Prepared Statement in PostgreSQL.

PostgreSQL supports a concept of prepared statements that help us optimize the server’s performance. For this purpose, the PREPARE statement is used. A prepared statement is automatically deallocated when the session terminates. However, occasionally users need to deallocate the prepared statement explicitly. In such cases, the **DEALLOCATE** command can be used.

This article illustrates how you can explicitly deallocate a prepared statement in Postgres.

 **How to Deallocate a Prepared Statement in PostgreSQL?**

In PostgreSQL, if a prepared statement is no longer needed, it can be explicitly deallocated by executing the DEALLOCATE statement:
    
    
    DEALLOCATE prepared_statement_name;

Let’s learn it practically.

 **Example: Deallocating a Prepared Statement in Postgres**

Let’s execute the following command to get the list of prepared statements:
    
    
    SELECT name, statement
    FROM pg_prepared_statements;

In the above snippet, the “pg_prepared_statements” view is used to display a list of prepared statements along with their names and statement type:

Execute the following command to deallocate the “emp_info” statement explicitly:
    
    
    DEALLOCATE emp_info;

The selected prepared statement has been explicitly deallocated:

To confirm the statement’s deallocation, execute the select query for the “pg_prepared_statements” view:
    
    
    SELECT name, statement
    FROM pg_prepared_statements;

From the above snippet, you can clearly see that the prepared statement named “emp_info” has been deallocated successfully.

 **Conclusion**

A prepared statement is automatically deallocated when the session terminates. However, occasionally users need to deallocate the prepared statement explicitly. In such cases, use the **DEALLOCATE** command followed by the name of the prepared statement. This post has illustrated a detailed guide on deallocating a prepared statement in PostgreSQL.

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