> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mcpjungle.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure mcpjungle's database

> Choose SQLite for local evaluation or PostgreSQL for serious deployments, and configure Mcpjungle with either a full DSN or Postgres-specific environment variables.

Mcpjungle requires a database to persist registered servers, tool groups, users, and related configuration.

Use the database choice as a deployment signal:

* **SQLite** for local evaluation and single-user experimentation.
* **PostgreSQL** for anything shared, durable, or production-facing.

## Default: SQLite

When no database configuration is provided, Mcpjungle automatically creates a SQLite file named `mcpjungle.db` in the directory where the process is started:

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle start
# Creates ./mcpjungle.db in the current directory
```

SQLite requires no setup and works well for individuals running Mcpjungle locally. It is not recommended for production or multi-user deployments.

If you do not provide PostgreSQL settings or a custom SQLite path, Mcpjungle uses `./mcpjungle.db`.

You can optionally set a custom path for the SQLite file using either a command-line flag or an environment variable:

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle start --sqlite-db-path /path/to/my_custom_mcpjungle.db

# or
export SQLITE_DB_PATH=/var/lib/mcpjungle/.mcpjungle.db
mcpjungle start
```

## PostgreSQL

Mcpjungle supports PostgreSQL for serious deployments. You can configure it with either a full DSN or individual environment variables.

### Option 1: Connection DSN

Set the `DATABASE_URL` environment variable to a full Postgres connection string:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Direct binary">
    ```bash theme={null}
    export DATABASE_URL=postgres://admin:secret@localhost:5432/mcpjungle_db
    mcpjungle start
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Docker">
    ```bash theme={null}
    docker run -d \
      --name mcpjungle-server \
      -e DATABASE_URL=postgres://admin:secret@your-db-host:5432/mcpjungle_db \
      -p 8080:8080 \
      ghcr.io/mcpjungle/mcpjungle:latest
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Option 2: Individual environment variables

If you prefer not to construct a full DSN, set the individual Postgres variables instead. `POSTGRES_HOST` is required; all other variables are optional and have sensible defaults.

```bash theme={null}
# Required
export POSTGRES_HOST=localhost

# Optional (defaults shown)
export POSTGRES_PORT=5432
export POSTGRES_USER=postgres
export POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secret
export POSTGRES_DB=postgres

mcpjungle start
```

Each credential variable also accepts a `_FILE` variant, which reads the value from a file. This is useful for Docker secrets and similar secret-injection mechanisms:

| Variable            | File variant             | Default    |
| ------------------- | ------------------------ | ---------- |
| `POSTGRES_USER`     | `POSTGRES_USER_FILE`     | `postgres` |
| `POSTGRES_PASSWORD` | `POSTGRES_PASSWORD_FILE` | *(empty)*  |
| `POSTGRES_DB`       | `POSTGRES_DB_FILE`       | `postgres` |

Example using file-based secrets:

```bash theme={null}
export POSTGRES_HOST=localhost
export POSTGRES_USER_FILE=/run/secrets/pg_user
export POSTGRES_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/pg_password
export POSTGRES_DB_FILE=/run/secrets/pg_db

mcpjungle start
```

<Note>
  If both a variable and its `_FILE` counterpart are set, the plain variable takes precedence.
</Note>

## Variable precedence

When Mcpjungle starts, it resolves the database connection in this order:

1. `DATABASE_URL` — used as-is if set
2. `POSTGRES_HOST` (+ optional variables) — constructs a DSN if `POSTGRES_HOST` is set
3. `--sqlite-db-path` — uses the configured SQLite file path from the CLI flag
4. `SQLITE_DB_PATH` — uses the configured SQLite file path from the environment variable
5. SQLite default — creates file `mcpjungle.db` in the current directory

## Production recommendations

<Tip>
  Deploy a separate Postgres cluster and supply its endpoint via `DATABASE_URL`. Running the database in a sidecar container is acceptable for development but not recommended for production.
</Tip>

The production Docker Compose file (`docker-compose.prod.yaml`) bundles a Postgres 17 container for convenience. For a real deployment, replace it with a managed database service and update the `DATABASE_URL` accordingly.