---
title: 'PL/pgSQL Exit Statement'
page_title: 'PL/pgSQL EXIT Statement'
page_description: 'In this tutorial, you will learn about the PL/pgSQL exit statement and how to use it to terminate a loop or a block.'
prev_url: 'https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-exit/'
ogImage: ''
updatedOn: '2024-03-19T04:05:44+00:00'
enableTableOfContents: true
previousLink:
  title: 'PL/pgSQL For Loop'
  slug: 'postgresql-plpgsql/plpgsql-for-loop'
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  title: 'PL/pgSQL Continue Statement'
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---

**Summary**: in this tutorial, you will learn about the PL/pgSQL `exit` statement and how to use it to terminate a loop or exit a block.

## Introduction to the PL/pgSQL exit statement

The `exit` statement allows you to prematurely terminate a loop including an unconditional [loop](plpgsql-loop-statements), a [while loop](/postgresql/plpgsql-while-loop/), and a [for loop](plpgsql-for-loop).

The following shows the syntax of the `exit` statement:

```csssql
exit [label] [when boolean_expression]
```

In this syntax:

- The `label` is the loop label of the current loop where the `exit` is in or the loop label of the outer loop. Depending on the label, the `exit` statement will terminate the corresponding loop. If you don’t use the label, the `exit` statement will terminate the enclosing loop.
- Use the `when boolean_expression` clause to specify a condition that terminates a loop. The `exit` statement will terminate the loop if the `boolean_expression` evaluates to `true`.

The following statements are equivalent:

```php
exit when counter > 10;
```

```php
if counter > 10 then
   exit;
end if;
```

The `exit when` is cleaner and shorter.

Besides terminating a loop, you can use the `exit` statement to exit a block specified by the `begin...end` keywords.

In this case, the control is passed to the statement after the `end` keyword of the current block:

```css
<<block_label>>
BEGIN
    -- some code
    EXIT [block_label] [WHEN condition];
    -- some more code
END block_label;
```

## PL/pgSQL Exit statement examples

Let’s take some examples of using the PL/pgSQL `exit` statement.

### 1\) Using PL/pgSQL Exit statement to terminate an unconditional loop

The following example illustrates how to use the `exit` statement in unconditional loops:

```php
do
$$
declare
   i int = 0;
   j int = 0;
begin
  <<outer_loop>>
  loop
     i = i + 1;
     exit when i > 3;
	 -- inner loop
	 j = 0;
     <<inner_loop>>
     loop
		j = j + 1;
		exit when j > 3;
		raise notice '(i,j): (%,%)', i, j;
	 end loop inner_loop;
  end loop outer_loop;
end;
$$
```

Output:

```http
NOTICE:  (i,j): (1,1)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (1,2)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (1,3)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (2,1)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (2,2)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (2,3)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (3,1)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (3,2)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (3,3)
```

How it works.

This example contains two loops: outer and inner loops.

Since both `exit` statements don’t use any loop labels, they will terminate the current loop.

The first `exit` statement terminates the outer loop when `i` is greater than `3`. That’s why you see the value of `i` in the output is `1`, `2`, and `3`.

The second `exit` statement terminates the inner loop when `j` is greater than `3`. It is the reason you see that `j` is `1`, `2`, and `3` for each iteration of the outer loop.

The following example places the label of the outer loop in the second `exit` statement:

```php
do
$$
declare
   i int = 0;
   j int = 0;
begin
  <<outer_loop>>
  loop
     i = i + 1;
     exit when i > 3;
	 -- inner loop
	 j = 0;
     <<inner_loop>>
     loop
		j = j + 1;
		exit outer_loop when j > 3;
		raise notice '(i,j): (%,%)', i, j;
	 end loop inner_loop;
  end loop outer_loop;
end;
$$
```

Output:

```http
NOTICE:  (i,j): (1,1)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (1,2)
NOTICE:  (i,j): (1,3)
```

In this example, the second `exit` statement terminates the outer loop when `j` is greater than 3\.

### 2\) Using the PL/pgSQL Exit statement to exit a block

The following example illustrates how to use the `exit` statement to terminate a block:

```php
do
$$
begin

  <<simple_block>>
   begin
  	 exit simple_block;
         -- for demo purposes
	 raise notice '%', 'unreachable!';
   end;
   raise notice '%', 'End of block';
end;
$$
```

Output

```http
NOTICE:  End of block
```

In this example, the exit statement terminates the `simple_block` immediately:

```php
exit simple_block;
```

This statement will never be reached:

```
raise notice '%', 'unreachable!';
```

## Summary

- Use the `exit` statement to terminate a loop including an unconditional `loop`, `while`, and `for` loop.
- Use the `exit` statement to exit a block.