[Feature Request] Option to use Postgresql or other database for storage

[a0v0]

Currently BoltDb is used as database. If my server crashes all the comment/data will be lost. It is indeed possible to make backup regularly but it would be much easier to use external/managed database with remark42 and let SAAS providers worry about managing data.

An option can be provided to use external DB or BoltDB for storage during deployment.

[umputun]

If my server crashes all the comment/data will be lost

This is incorrect. I"m not sure if your comment is based on some experience, but boltdb is very reliable storage, all the writes run in transactions. Our demo site runs remark42 which is "crashing" very often (sometimes multiple times a day), on each master commit as it just restarts the container, and we never experienced any data loss. None of user running remar42 never reported "server crashes all the comment/data will be lost" either.

Maybe you meant storing data inside your container? If this is your concern just use external volume, as the documentation suggests.

Pls use "Issues" for the real issues/bug report. Future requests and the similar comment should go disscussions

[a0v0]

another interpretation of "server crashed" I can think of - the server completely died and data volume corrupted/unavailable.

Exactly for this I am worried.

Anyway have you any plans to add support for any database in the future if large number of users request for it?

[umputun]

Anyway have you any plans to add support for any database in the future if large number of users request for it?

We had it initially, and it proved to be not that needed/requested/used. You may see more details in the provided above #955

[a0v0]

Look at this

[umputun]

Not sure what will it give you. If all you care about is reliability, the methods I have mentioned above are much easier and available right now.

And no, it won't be " much easier to use external/managed database". Your sync idea is unclear to me. Let's say we add some post-comment/post-modification hook allowing some user-defined action, like "insert to psql". What next? How does this one-way sync even help you to restore data? Are you going to export from psql to json and restore the backup? If this is the plan - why not just use provided automatic backups directly? If once/day is not enough - you can schedule the backup as often as you like.

[a0v0]

Not sure what will it give you. If all you care about is reliability, the methods I have mentioned above are much easier and available right now.

And no, it won't be " much easier to use external/managed database". Your sync idea is unclear to me. Let's say we add some post-comment/post-modification hook allowing some user-defined action, like "insert to psql". What next? How does this one-way sync even help you to restore data? Are you going to export from psql to json and restore the backup? If this is the plan - why not just use provided automatic backups directly? If once/day is not enough - you can schedule the backup as often as you like.

ok forget about it. Thanks for response brother.

[a0v0]

Pls use "Issues" for the real issues/bug report. Future requests and the similar comment should go disscussions

Ok

If this is your concern just use external volume, as the documentation suggests.

Can you share the link to this external volume guide

[umputun]

this is rather docker-related, not something specific to remark42. Provided docker-compose.yml mounts the container's storage to the host's directory, so it will survive container restarts/rebuilds

docker has built-in support for the multiple external volume, see https://docs.docker.com/storage/volumes/ for more details

[stephematician]

I have a couple of questions. Let's say I want to deploy in the cloud via e.g. netlify, vercel, railway (or whatever) ... If the deployed app crashes, then it will restart with the original image (if any), therefore the database is lost. So...

1. Do I need to write my own synchronisation method to a persistent storage e.g. a blob?
2. Or ... do you have some guidance on hosting services that are (suitably) persistent?