openreader/docs-site/docs/configure/database-and-migrations.md
Richard R 63483e055e refactor(docs): reorganize and enhance documentation structure
- Rename configuration.md to auth.md for clarity
- Rename storage-and-blob-behavior.md to object-blob-storage.md
- Split server library import into dedicated documentation page
- Rename intro.md to introduction.md
- Merge support.md into support-and-contributing.md
- Add interactive tabs to configuration and setup guides
- Improve cross-references and navigation between documentation pages
- Update sidebar structure and Docusaurus config for new file paths
2026-02-11 04:16:02 -07:00

2.2 KiB

title
Database and Migrations

import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs'; import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';

This page covers database mode selection and migration behavior for OpenReader WebUI.

Database mode

  • SQLite (default): embedded DB at docstore/sqlite3.db; good for local/self-host single-instance setups.
  • Postgres: enabled when POSTGRES_URL is set; recommended for production/distributed deployments.

Startup migration behavior

By default, the shared entrypoint runs migrations automatically before app startup in:

  • Docker container startup
  • pnpm dev
  • pnpm start

Startup migration phases:

  • DB schema migrations (pnpm migrate)
  • Storage/data migration (pnpm migrate-fs) for legacy filesystem content into S3 + DB rows

:::info In most setups, you do not need to run migration commands manually because startup handles this automatically. :::

To skip automatic startup migrations:

  • Set RUN_DRIZZLE_MIGRATIONS=false
  • Set RUN_FS_MIGRATIONS=false

Database variables are documented in Environment Variables.

Common project commands

In most cases, you do not need manual migration commands because startup runs migrations automatically.

# Run pending migrations (uses Postgres config when POSTGRES_URL is set, otherwise SQLite)
pnpm migrate

# Run storage migration (filesystem -> S3 + DB)
pnpm migrate-fs

# Dry-run storage migration without uploading/deleting
pnpm migrate-fs:dry-run

# Generate new migration files for both SQLite and Postgres outputs
pnpm generate
# Migrate SQLite
pnpm exec drizzle-kit migrate --config drizzle.config.sqlite.ts

# Migrate Postgres
pnpm exec drizzle-kit migrate --config drizzle.config.pg.ts

# Generate SQLite migrations
pnpm exec drizzle-kit generate --config drizzle.config.sqlite.ts

# Generate Postgres migrations
pnpm exec drizzle-kit generate --config drizzle.config.pg.ts

:::warning If you disable startup migrations, ensure your deployment process runs migrations before serving traffic. :::