Databases - Docs - Appwrite

Appwrite supports MongoDB and MariaDB as database backends. The database is selected during installation via the setup wizard and cannot be changed after installation.

Regardless of which database you choose, the Appwrite API remains the same. Only the underlying storage engine differs.

Default database

MongoDB is the default database as of Appwrite 1.9.0.

CLI installation

If you prefer to skip the setup wizard, you can set the database directly using the --database flag:

Bash

docker run -it --rm \
    --volume /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
    --volume "$(pwd)"/appwrite:/usr/src/code/appwrite:rw \
    --entrypoint="install" \
    appwrite/appwrite:1.9.0 \
    --database=mongodb

CMD

docker run -it --rm ^
    --volume //var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock ^
    --volume "%cd%"/appwrite:/usr/src/code/appwrite:rw ^
    --entrypoint="install" ^
    appwrite/appwrite:1.9.0 ^
    --database=mongodb

PowerShell

docker run -it --rm `
    --volume /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock `
    --volume ${pwd}/appwrite:/usr/src/code/appwrite:rw `
    --entrypoint="install" `
    appwrite/appwrite:1.9.0 `
    --database=mongodb

Accepted values are mongodb and mariadb.

Supported databases

MongoDB

MongoDB is a document-based database and the default option for new Appwrite installations. It is configured as a replica set (rs0) automatically during installation.

Docker image: mongo:8.2.5
Container name: appwrite-mongodb
Default port: 27017

MariaDB

MariaDB is a relational SQL database. It was the default database in Appwrite versions prior to 1.9.0.

Docker image: mariadb:10.11
Container name: appwrite-mariadb
Default port: 3306

Environment variables

Both database backends use the same environment variables. The values differ depending on which database was selected during installation.

Variable	Description	MongoDB default	MariaDB default
`_APP_DB_ADAPTER`	Database adapter type	`mongodb`	`mariadb`
`_APP_DB_HOST`	Database server hostname	`mongodb`	`mariadb`
`_APP_DB_PORT`	Database server port	`27017`	`3306`
`_APP_DB_SCHEMA`	Database name	`appwrite`	`appwrite`
`_APP_DB_USER`	Database user	`user`	`user`
`_APP_DB_PASS`	Database user password	`password`	`password`
`_APP_DB_ROOT_PASS`	Database root password	`rootsecretpassword`	`rootsecretpassword`

The Docker Compose profile controls which database container runs. This is set automatically by the installer:

COMPOSE_PROFILES=mongodb for MongoDB installations
COMPOSE_PROFILES=mariadb for MariaDB installations

Change default passwords

Always change the default database passwords before deploying to production. Update both the environment variables and the database credentials.

Backups

For database backup procedures, see the Backups guide, which covers both MongoDB and MariaDB backup and restore commands.

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