Database

Warden supports two database backends: SQLite (default) and PostgreSQL.

SQLite (default)

Zero configuration. Data is stored in a single file.

docker run -d -p 9090:9090 \
  -v warden_data:/data \
  ghcr.io/projecthelena/warden:latest

Variable	Default	Description
DB_PATH	/data/warden.db	Path to the SQLite file.

When to use: Single-instance deployments, low-to-medium traffic, simplicity.

PostgreSQL

For larger deployments or when you need an external database.

docker run -d -p 9090:9090 \
  -e DB_URL=postgres://user:password@db-host:5432/warden?sslmode=disable \
  ghcr.io/projecthelena/warden:latest

Variable	Default	Description
DB_TYPE	sqlite	Set to postgres (auto-detected if DB_URL starts with postgres).
DB_URL	—	PostgreSQL connection string.

When to use: High availability requirements, existing PostgreSQL infrastructure, large-scale monitoring.

Migrating from SQLite to PostgreSQL

There is no built-in migration tool between backends. To migrate:

1. Export your SQLite data
2. Import into PostgreSQL
3. Update environment variables to point to PostgreSQL

Moving an existing PostgreSQL installation

Follow Move Warden to another PostgreSQL instance for the complete dump, restore, verification, rollback, and latency-relearning checklist.