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meshcore-hub/docs/database.md
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Louis King 973bf23fe8 docs: centralise env vars and split deployment/observer/maintenance docs
Move scattered configuration tables and operational sections out of the
README into dedicated reference documents:

- docs/configuration.md: single source of truth for all environment
  variables, grouped into 12 sections (Common, Database, Caching,
  Collector, Webhooks, Auth, Data Retention, API, Web Dashboard,
  Feature Flags, Traefik, Prometheus & Alertmanager)
- docs/deployment.md: production setup, reverse proxy, multi-instance,
  API scaling, Redis caching
- docs/observer.md: remote observers plus PACKETCAPTURE_* and
  SERIAL_PORT reference
- docs/maintenance.md: backup and restore

README is reduced from 712 to 385 lines; the ARM32/Raspberry Pi note
is dropped. database.md, auth.md, webhooks.md, and content.md have
their env-var tables removed and link back to configuration.md. Stale
cross-references in database.md, upgrading.md, and .env.example are
updated to point at the new locations.
2026-06-18 12:20:49 +01:00

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Markdown

# Database
MeshCore Hub supports two database backends: **SQLite** (the zero-config default) and **PostgreSQL** (optional, for write scaling and multi-host deployments). Postgres is opt-in — leave the `DATABASE_*` variables unset to keep using SQLite.
> [!NOTE]
> As of v0.14, SQLite is **deprecated** in favour of PostgreSQL. SQLite remains the default and continues to work unchanged; support will be removed in a future release (at least 3 months out). New deployments that need to scale across hosts should pick Postgres. Existing SQLite deployments can move to Postgres with a one-command migration — see [Migrating from SQLite to PostgreSQL](#migrating-from-sqlite-to-postgresql) and [upgrading.md](upgrading.md).
## SQLite (default)
SQLite needs no configuration. The database file is created automatically on first run and lives under `DATA_HOME` (see [configuration.md → Common](configuration.md#common)):
```
${DATA_HOME}/collector/meshcore.db
```
In Docker Compose this is the `hub_data` volume (`${COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME:-hub}_data`). WAL mode is enabled automatically, allowing concurrent readers alongside the collector's single writer.
**Limitations:** writes are serialised to one process, and SQLite's file locking does **not** work over network filesystems — it caps you at a single host. To scale writes or run the stack across multiple hosts, switch to PostgreSQL.
## PostgreSQL
Set `DATABASE_BACKEND=postgres` and fill in the `DATABASE_*` connection variables. Postgres is never selected implicitly — the explicit switch avoids a silent backend change. For the full variable reference, see [configuration.md → Database](configuration.md#database).
### Docker (bundled container)
Postgres is bundled behind the `postgres` compose profile:
```bash
# Start the stack on Postgres (bundled container)
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml \
--profile postgres --profile core up -d
# Start on SQLite (default — no postgres profile)
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml --profile core up -d
```
### Production provisioning (role and database)
The bundled container provisions the role and database for you on first start from the `DATABASE_*` values. For a **managed or external** Postgres, create them once before pointing Hub at it. This mirrors the init script used in the [ipnet-mesh/infrastructure](https://github.com/ipnet-mesh/infrastructure/blob/main/etc/postgres/init/02_meshcorehub_db.sh) cluster:
```sql
-- Run once as a superuser/admin role on the target cluster
CREATE DATABASE meshcorehub;
CREATE ROLE meshcorehub LOGIN PASSWORD 'your-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE meshcorehub TO meshcorehub;
```
The application **schema** and tables are created automatically by `db upgrade` (run by the `migrate` service on startup); the role just needs `CREATE` privilege on the database. Hub only ever connects as `DATABASE_USER` — no admin or bootstrap credentials are needed at runtime.
### Managed or external Postgres
To point Hub at an already-running Postgres (e.g. a managed cloud instance), set `DATABASE_HOST` at it and **do not** activate the `postgres` profile:
```bash
DATABASE_BACKEND=postgres
DATABASE_HOST=your-managed-postgres.example.com
DATABASE_PORT=5432
DATABASE_NAME=meshcorehub
DATABASE_USER=meshcorehub
DATABASE_PASSWORD=your-password
```
For advanced cases (custom driver, extra query params), set a full SQLAlchemy URL instead — it takes precedence over all the component variables:
```bash
DATABASE_URL=postgresql+psycopg2://meshcorehub:your-password@host:5432/meshcorehub
```
## Schema-per-instance (`search_path`)
Each Hub instance is isolated to its own Postgres **schema** via the connection's `search_path`, rather than its own database. This lets several instances (e.g. `prod`, `stg`) share **one** Postgres cluster without colliding — each gets its own tables and its own `alembic_version`.
Give every instance a distinct `DATABASE_SCHEMA`:
```bash
# Production (.env)
COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=hub
DATABASE_BACKEND=postgres
DATABASE_SCHEMA=meshcorehub_prod
# Staging (.env, separate directory)
COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=hub-beta
DATABASE_BACKEND=postgres
DATABASE_SCHEMA=meshcorehub_stg
```
The schema is created automatically on `db upgrade` if it does not exist, so no manual `CREATE SCHEMA` is required. Connect both instances to the same `DATABASE_HOST` / `DATABASE_NAME` / `DATABASE_USER`; only `DATABASE_SCHEMA` (and `COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME`) differ.
> **Note:** This is the database-level isolation for instances sharing a Postgres cluster. For running multiple instances on the same Docker host (separate volumes, Traefik routing), see [Multi-Instance Deployments](deployment.md#multi-instance-deployments).
## Migrating from SQLite to PostgreSQL
Existing SQLite deployments can be moved to Postgres with a single built-in command (`meshcore-hub db migrate-to-postgres`), which copies every table in foreign-key order through the ORM and prints a per-table row-count reconciliation. Downtime is required while writers are stopped; the source SQLite file is never modified.
See the **v0.14 upgrade guide** in [upgrading.md](upgrading.md#migrating-an-existing-sqlite-database-to-postgres) for the full step-by-step runbook (backup, stop writers, bring up Postgres, run the migration, restart on Postgres).