Database Setup

Discord Forum API supports multiple database backends. Choose based on your deployment needs.

Database Options

Database	Best For	Features
SQLite	Development, small deployments	Zero config, file-based
Turso	Production, edge deployments	Multi-region, edge-compatible
PostgreSQL	High-scale deployments	Coming soon

SQLite (Default)

SQLite is the default database - perfect for development and small to medium deployments.

Configuration

No configuration needed! The database file is created automatically at ./data/discord-forum.db.

To customize the path:

DATABASE_TYPE=sqlite
DATABASE_PATH=./data/my-custom-name.db

Initialize Schema

Push the schema to create tables:

pnpm db:push

Or use migrations for production:

# Generate migration files
pnpm db:generate

# Run migrations
pnpm db:migrate

SQLite Pros & Cons

Advantages:

• Zero configuration
• No external dependencies
• Fast for read-heavy workloads
• Easy to backup (just copy the file)

Limitations:

• Single writer at a time
• Not suitable for multi-instance deployments
• No built-in replication

Note

SQLite can handle thousands of threads and tens of thousands of messages without issues. Only consider Turso/PostgreSQL for very large deployments or when you need multi-region access.

Turso

Turso is a SQLite-compatible database optimized for edge deployments.

Why Turso?

• Edge-compatible: Deploy data close to users globally
• Free tier: 500 databases, 9GB storage
• Serverless: No servers to manage
• SQLite compatible: Same queries, zero migration needed

Setup

1. Install Turso CLI

   # macOS/Linux
   curl -sSfL https://get.tur.so/install.sh | bash
   
   # Windows (WSL)
   curl -sSfL https://get.tur.so/install.sh | bash

2. Sign up and authenticate

   turso auth signup
   # or
   turso auth login

3. Create a database

   turso db create discord-forum-api

4. Get your database URL

   turso db show discord-forum-api --url
   # Output: libsql://discord-forum-api-username.turso.io

5. Create an auth token

   turso db tokens create discord-forum-api
   # Output: eyJhbGci...

6. Update .env

   DATABASE_TYPE=turso
   TURSO_DATABASE_URL=libsql://discord-forum-api-username.turso.io
   TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN=eyJhbGci...

7. Push schema

   pnpm db:push

Turso CLI Commands

Command	Description
turso db list	List all databases
turso db show <name>	Show database details
turso db shell <name>	Interactive SQL shell
turso db tokens create <name>	Create auth token
turso db destroy <name>	Delete database

Turso Pricing

Tier	Price	Includes
Starter	Free	500 DBs, 9GB storage, 1B reads/month
Scaler	$29/mo	Unlimited DBs, 24GB storage, higher limits
Enterprise	Custom	SLA, dedicated support

Tip

The free tier is more than enough for most projects. You can monitor usage with turso plan show.

Database Management

Drizzle Studio

Open a visual database browser:

pnpm db:studio

This opens a web interface where you can:

• Browse tables
• View and edit data
• Run SQL queries
• Export data

Schema Changes

When you modify the schema:

Development

Push changes directly (fast, may lose data):

pnpm db:push

Production

Use migrations (safe, preserves data):

# Generate migration
pnpm db:generate

# Review the generated SQL in drizzle/

# Apply migration
pnpm db:migrate

Backup & Restore

SQLite

# Backup
cp ./data/discord-forum.db ./data/discord-forum.db.backup

# Restore
cp ./data/discord-forum.db.backup ./data/discord-forum.db

Caution

Stop the bot before backing up SQLite to avoid corruption.

Turso

Turso handles backups automatically. For manual exports:

# Export to SQL
turso db shell discord-forum-api ".dump" > backup.sql

# Restore (create new db and import)
turso db create discord-forum-api-restored
turso db shell discord-forum-api-restored < backup.sql

Schema Overview

The database schema includes these main tables:

Table	Purpose
servers	Discord server metadata
channels	Forum channel information
threads	Forum threads
messages	Thread messages
users	Discord user profiles
reactions	Message reactions
tags	Thread tags

Explore the full schema in packages/db/src/schema.ts.

Troubleshooting

”Database is locked”

SQLite can lock if multiple processes access it:

• Ensure only one bot instance is running
• Check for zombie processes: ps aux | grep node
• Increase busy timeout (if custom client)

“Table does not exist”

Schema wasn’t pushed:

pnpm db:push

Turso connection errors

• Verify TURSO_DATABASE_URL format: libsql://...
• Check token hasn’t expired: turso db tokens create <name>
• Ensure network allows outbound HTTPS

Slow queries

• Check indexes exist (schema includes them by default)
• Use EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN in Drizzle Studio
• Consider pagination for large result sets