diff --git a/swh/core/cli.py b/swh/core/cli.py
--- a/swh/core/cli.py
+++ b/swh/core/cli.py
@@ -14,7 +14,10 @@
 from importlib import import_module
 
 from swh.core.utils import numfile_sortkey as sortkey
-from swh.core.tests.db_testing import pg_createdb, pg_restore, DB_DUMP_TYPES
+from swh.core.tests.db_testing import (
+    pg_createdb, pg_restore, DB_DUMP_TYPES,
+    swh_db_version
+)
 
 
 @click.command()
@@ -40,7 +43,6 @@
       PGPORT=5434 swh-db-init indexer -d swh-indexer
 
     """
-
     dump_files = []
 
     for modname in module:
@@ -59,13 +61,24 @@
                 '(no sql/ dir)'.format(modname))
         dump_files.extend(sorted(glob.glob(path.join(sqldir, '*.sql')),
                                  key=sortkey))
-    if create:
-        pg_createdb(db_name)
-
-    dump_files = [(x, DB_DUMP_TYPES[path.splitext(x)[1]])
-                  for x in dump_files]
-    for dump, dtype in dump_files:
-        click.secho('Loading {}'.format(dump), fg='yellow')
-        pg_restore(db_name, dump, dtype)
 
-    click.secho('DONE database is {}'.format(db_name), fg='green', bold=True)
+    # Create the db (or fail silently if already existing)
+    pg_createdb(db_name, check=False)
+    # Try to retrieve the db version if any
+    db_version = swh_db_version(db_name)
+    if not db_version:  # Initialize the db
+        dump_files = [(x, DB_DUMP_TYPES[path.splitext(x)[1]])
+                      for x in dump_files]
+        for dump, dtype in dump_files:
+            print('dump: %s, type: %s' % (dump, dtype))
+            click.secho('Loading {}'.format(dump), fg='yellow')
+            pg_restore(db_name, dump, dtype)
+
+        if not db_version:
+            db_version = swh_db_version(db_name)
+
+    # TODO: Ideally migrate the version from db_version to the latest
+    # db version
+
+    click.secho('DONE database is {} version {}'.format(db_name, db_version),
+                fg='green', bold=True)
diff --git a/swh/core/tests/db_testing.py b/swh/core/tests/db_testing.py
--- a/swh/core/tests/db_testing.py
+++ b/swh/core/tests/db_testing.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Copyright (C) 2015  The Software Heritage developers
+# Copyright (C) 2015-2018  The Software Heritage developers
 # See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
 # License: GNU General Public License version 3, or any later version
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
@@ -13,6 +13,35 @@
 DB_DUMP_TYPES = {'.sql': 'psql', '.dump': 'pg_dump'}
 
 
+def swh_db_version(dbname_or_service):
+    """Retrieve the swh version if any. In case of the db not initialized,
+    this returns None. Otherwise, this returns the db's version.
+
+    Args:
+        dbname_or_service (str): The db's name or service
+
+    Returns:
+        Optional[Int]: Either the db's version or None
+
+    """
+    query = 'select version from dbversion order by dbversion desc limit 1'
+    cmd = [
+        'psql', '--tuples-only', '--no-psqlrc', '--quiet',
+        '-v', 'ON_ERROR_STOP=1', "--command=%s" % query,
+        dbname_or_service,
+    ]
+
+    print('cmd: %s' % cmd)
+
+    try:
+        r = subprocess.run(cmd, check=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                           universal_newlines=True)
+        result = int(r.stdout.strip())
+    except Exception:  # db not initialized
+        result = None
+    return result
+
+
 def pg_restore(dbname, dumpfile, dumptype='pg_dump'):
     """
     Args:
@@ -41,8 +70,15 @@
     subprocess.check_call(['dropdb', dbname])
 
 
-def pg_createdb(dbname):
-    subprocess.check_call(['createdb', dbname])
+def pg_createdb(dbname, check=True):
+    """Create a db. If check is True and the db already exists, this will
+       raise an exception (original behavior). If check is False and
+       the db already exists, this will fail silently. If the db does
+       not exist, the db will be created.
+
+    """
+    _run = subprocess.check_call if check else subprocess.call
+    _run(['createdb', dbname])
 
 
 def db_create(dbname, dumps=None):