Database Management Overview
Appliku provisions databases as Docker containers running on your server. Connection URLs are automatically injected as environment variables into your application.
Where to Find Databases
In the Appliku dashboard, databases are managed from the Application Overview page. Look for the Databases block on the right sidebar at the bottom of the page. Click "Add Database" to create one.
Supported Database Engines
| Engine | Versions | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | 12, 15, 16, 17 | General-purpose relational database |
| PostGIS | 16 + PostGIS 3.4 | Geospatial data and queries |
| pgvector | 16 | Vector similarity search (AI/ML) |
| TimescaleDB | 15 | Time-series data |
| MySQL | 8 | Relational database (alternative to PostgreSQL) |
| Redis | 6, 7, 8 | Caching, message broker, session store |
| RabbitMQ | Latest | Message queue |
| Elasticsearch | 8.17 | Full-text search |
tip
Redis is included in the free plan. It's a great choice for Django cache backends, Celery message brokers, and session storage.
How It Works
- Create a database from the Application Overview page
- Select the engine and version
- Choose the server — databases run on standalone servers (not inside clusters)
- Appliku provisions the database container and generates connection credentials
- Connection URLs are automatically added as environment variables:
{NAME}_URL— public connection URL{NAME}_PRIVATE_URL— internal/private connection URL
Your application can use these environment variables to connect to the database without manual configuration.
Database Operations
- Start / Stop / Restart — Control the database container independently of your application
- View logs — Access database container logs
- Backups — Schedule automatic backups to local storage or S3
- Delete — Remove the database (data is lost)
Important Notes
- Databases run as Docker containers on your server, so they share the server's resources (CPU, RAM, disk)
- Databases can only be deployed on standalone servers, not inside Docker Swarm clusters
- For cluster deployments, place your database on a standalone server (which can also serve as a build server, though this is not recommended for production)
Next Steps
- PostgreSQL — The most common choice
- Redis — Caching, queues, sessions
- Database Backups — Automated backup scheduling
- Using SQLite with Django — Lightweight alternative with volumes