Files
zitadel/cmd/initialise/verify_database.go
Florian ForsterandGitHub 92a628d892 feat(database): enhance PostgreSQL setup documentation and commands for non-admin access (#11631)
Users deploying ZITADEL against a managed PostgreSQL service (RDS, Cloud
SQL, Azure Database, etc.) often do not have superuser access and cannot
provide `Admin.*` credentials. The documented workaround — provisioning
the user and database manually and then running `start-from-setup` —
silently skips schema bootstrapping, causing `relation
"eventstore.events" does not exist` errors with no clear recovery path.

The root cause is that `zitadel init` conflates two steps that require
different privileges without exposing them separately:

- **Provisioning step** (`CREATE ROLE`, `CREATE DATABASE`, `GRANT`) —
requires superuser.
- **Schema bootstrapping step** (create
`eventstore`/`projections`/`system` schemas and base tables) — requires
only DB owner.

Users who handle the provisioning step externally have no supported way
to run schema bootstrapping alone.

## Changes

- **`cmd/initialise/verify_schema.go`** (renamed from
`verify_zitadel.go`): Rename `newZitadel()` → `newSchema()` (internal);
rename the `init zitadel` sub-command to `zitadel init schema`
(backwards-compatible alias kept) with a clear description that it
bootstraps the ZITADEL database schema without admin/superuser
privileges. Fix stale error log message to reference `init schema`.
- **`cmd/initialise/verify_schema_test.go`** (renamed from
`verify_zitadel_test.go`): Test file renamed to match source file.
- **`cmd/initialise/init.go`**: Update call site to `newSchema()`. Add
guidance in the `init` command's Long description about using `zitadel
init schema` for users without admin credentials.
- **`cmd/initialise/verify_database.go`**: Add a `pg_database` catalog
pre-check before attempting `CREATE DATABASE`, so `zitadel init` with
`ADMIN=service_user` no longer fails with `permission denied to create
database` when the database was already provisioned externally.
- **`cmd/initialise/verify_database_test.go`**: Add test cases covering
the new catalog-check skip path, the existing error-skip path, and the
error-propagation path when the `pg_database` query itself fails.
- **`apps/docs/content/self-hosting/manage/database/index.mdx`**: Inline
the `_postgres.mdx` partial (now only PostgreSQL is supported), add a
top-level callout, and add a **Managed PostgreSQL / No Admin Access**
section with explicit 3-step instructions and security guidance (strong
passwords, SSL, TLS). Additional improvements: add inline `# Use
'require' or 'verify-full' for production` comments on `Mode: disable`
lines in the YAML example; add clarifying comment to the redundant
`GRANT` in the SQL snippet; replace admonition syntax with proper
Fumadocs `<Callout>` components; add full database connection env vars
to the `start-from-setup` example.
- **`apps/docs/content/self-hosting/manage/updating_scaling.mdx`**:
Rewrite the init phase description to clearly distinguish the
provisioning and schema bootstrapping steps, and document `zitadel init
schema` as the path for manual provisioning. Replace admonition syntax
with proper Fumadocs `<Callout>` components.
- **`apps/docs/content/self-hosting/manage/database/_postgres.mdx`**:
Deleted (content merged into `index.mdx`).

## Problem

This relates to https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/discussions/9363

I think we can improve our UX in cases where a user wants to use an
external DB and/or does not want to share too broad permissions with
zitadel

## Related problems

* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/10432
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/discussions/8583
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/7903
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/9718
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/8012
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/8558

## Related PRs

https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/pull/11021
2026-03-03 07:05:32 +01:00

82 lines
2.5 KiB
Go

package initialise
import (
"context"
"database/sql"
_ "embed"
"errors"
"fmt"
"github.com/spf13/cobra"
"github.com/spf13/viper"
"github.com/zitadel/zitadel/backend/v3/instrumentation/logging"
"github.com/zitadel/zitadel/internal/database"
)
func newDatabase() *cobra.Command {
return &cobra.Command{
Use: "database",
Short: "initialize only the database",
Long: `Sets up the ZITADEL database.
Prerequisites:
- postgreSQL
The user provided by flags needs privileges to
- create the database if it does not exist
- see other users and create a new one if the user does not exist
- grant all rights of the ZITADEL database to the user created if not yet set
`,
RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) (err error) {
defer func() {
logging.OnError(cmd.Context(), err).Error("zitadel init verify database command failed")
}()
config, shutdown, err := NewConfig(cmd, viper.GetViper())
if err != nil {
return err
}
defer func() {
err = errors.Join(err, shutdown(cmd.Context()))
}()
return initialise(cmd.Context(), config.Database, VerifyDatabase(config.Database.DatabaseName()))
},
}
}
func VerifyDatabase(databaseName string) func(context.Context, *database.DB) error {
return func(ctx context.Context, db *database.DB) error {
var currentDatabase string
err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx, func(r *sql.Row) error {
return r.Scan(&currentDatabase)
}, "SELECT current_database()")
if err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("unable to get current database: %w", err)
}
if currentDatabase == databaseName {
logging.Info(ctx, "database is same as config.database.postgres.admin.ExistingDatabase, skipping creation", "database", databaseName)
return nil
}
// Check if the database already exists in the catalog before attempting CREATE DATABASE.
// This handles the case where the database was provisioned externally and the admin
// credentials are the same as the service user, which lacks the CREATEDB privilege.
var exists bool
err = db.QueryRowContext(ctx, func(r *sql.Row) error {
return r.Scan(&exists)
}, "SELECT EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM pg_database WHERE datname = $1)", databaseName)
if err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("unable to check if database exists: %w", err)
}
if exists {
logging.Info(ctx, "database already exists, skipping creation", "database", databaseName)
return nil
}
logging.Info(ctx, "verify database", "database", databaseName)
return exec(ctx, db, fmt.Sprintf(databaseStmt, databaseName), []string{dbAlreadyExistsCode})
}
}