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<sect1 id="recovery-config" xreflabel="recovery.conf">
  <title><filename>recovery.conf</filename> file merged into <filename>postgresql.conf</filename></title>

   <indexterm>
     <primary><filename>recovery.conf</filename></primary>
   </indexterm>

   <para>
    PostgreSQL 11 and below used a configuration file named
    <filename>recovery.conf</filename>
    <indexterm><primary>recovery.conf</primary></indexterm>
    to manage replicas and standbys. Support for this file was removed in PostgreSQL 12. See
    <link linkend="release-prior">the release notes for PostgreSQL 12</link> for details
    on this change.
   </para>

   <para>
    On PostgreSQL 12 and above,
    <link linkend="continuous-archiving">archive recovery, streaming replication, and PITR</link>
    are configured using
    <link linkend="runtime-config-replication-standby">normal server configuration parameters</link>.
    These are set in <filename>postgresql.conf</filename> or via
    <link linkend="sql-altersystem">ALTER SYSTEM</link>
    like any other parameter.
   </para>

   <para>
    The server will not start if a <filename>recovery.conf</filename> exists.
   </para>

   <para>
    PostgreSQL 15 and below had a setting
    <literal>promote_trigger_file</literal>, or
    <literal>trigger_file</literal> before 12.
    Use <command>pg_ctl promote</command> or call
    <function>pg_promote()</function> to promote a standby instead.
   </para>

   <para>
    The
    <literal>standby_mode</literal>
    <indexterm>
     <primary>standby_mode</primary>
     <see>standby.signal</see>
    </indexterm>
    setting has been removed. A <filename>standby.signal</filename> file in the data directory
    is used instead. See <xref linkend="standby-server-operation"/> for details.
   </para>

</sect1>