How to clear Postgresql database cache

Question: In SQL Server there are two commands which clear down the data and query caches -  DBCC FREEPROCCACHE and DBCC DROPCLEANBUFFERS.  Are there similar commands in PostgreSQL hosted on Linux?  I want to clear down datasets from memory cache to allow query  performance tuning.

Answer: If you'd like to view what is in the buffer cache -  pg_buffercache will present to you what is in the cache. Of course , pg_buffercache needs to be installed. It's a complicated data set and requires some knowledge to interpret.  Unfortunately - there isn't a straightforward way of clearing down the database cache and query plans - similar to SQL Server. 

I use a fairly basic method of Stopping postgresql , use the drop_caches module , start Postgresql.   The drop_caches Linux module only frees up objects which are completely unused. This is the reason I stop Postgresql , as it will free up the dirty objects and make them freeable. 

An example on a RHEL server is :

service postgresql stop;

/proc/sys/vm/drop_caches;

service postgresql start;