Database

The panel works with PostgreSQL, MySQL or MariaDB, and SQLite. The choice is set with two variables in config.env:

DATABASE_DRIVER=postgres
DATABASE_URL=postgres://gameap:password@localhost:5432/gameap?sslmode=disable

Which One to Choose

For a typical single-server installation SQLite is enough: it requires no separate service, no setup, and no backup more complex than copying a file.

Connection String

PostgreSQL

DATABASE_DRIVER=postgres
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@host:5432/database?sslmode=disable

The driver names are interchangeable: postgres, postgresql, pgsql, pg, pgx.

The sslmode parameter sets the connection encryption mode: disable for a local database, require or verify-full for a remote one.

MySQL and MariaDB

DATABASE_DRIVER=mysql
DATABASE_URL=user:password@tcp(host:3306)/database?parseTime=true

The format differs from the usual URL with a scheme — it is the Go driver format. The parseTime=true parameter is required.

Connecting through a socket:

DATABASE_URL=user:password@unix(/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock)/database?parseTime=true

SQLite

DATABASE_DRIVER=sqlite
DATABASE_URL=file:/var/lib/gameap/db.sqlite?_busy_timeout=5000&_journal_mode=WAL&cache=shared

The file is created automatically. The parameters in the example enable WAL journaling and lock waiting — keep them, they noticeably improve behavior under concurrent requests.

The directory with the database file must be writable by the user the panel runs as.

inmemory

DATABASE_DRIVER=inmemory

Data is kept in RAM only and is lost on restart. Meant for tests; not suitable for a production installation.

Migrations

The panel applies migrations itself at startup — there is no separate command. The schema version is stored in a service table inside the same database.

Two practical rules follow from this:

• A panel upgrade changes the schema on the very first start. Make the backup before it.
• Rolling back to a previous panel version without restoring the database will not work — the schema has already changed.

Migrations are applied even with gaps in the numbering, so skipping an intermediate panel version during an upgrade is fine.

Backup

The panel does not make backups — neither by itself nor via gameapctl. Set up backups with the DBMS tools.

PostgreSQL

pg_dump -U gameap gameap > gameap-$(date +%F).sql

Restoring:

psql -U gameap gameap < gameap-2026-08-02.sql

MySQL and MariaDB

mysqldump -u gameap -p gameap > gameap-$(date +%F).sql

Restoring:

mysql -u gameap -p gameap < gameap-2026-08-02.sql

SQLite

Stopping the panel is not necessary if you use the built-in command:

sqlite3 /var/lib/gameap/db.sqlite ".backup '/backup/gameap-$(date +%F).sqlite'"

Simply copying the file while the panel is running can produce a corrupted copy because of the WAL journal.

What Else to Save

The database is not enough. Along with it, save:

• config.env — it holds AUTH_SECRET and ENCRYPTION_KEY. Without ENCRYPTION_KEY, some data from the backup cannot be restored, and two-factor authentication will stop working for every user;
• the panel files directory — it holds the gRPC certificates daemons connect with and the ACME data. The path is set by FILES_LOCAL_BASE_PATH.

Game server files live on the dedicated servers and are not part of the panel backup.

Switching to Another DBMS

There is no built-in data transfer between DBMSes: the PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite schemas are created independently, and the panel provides no migration tool.

The procedure:

1. Back up the current database.
2. Prepare the new database and point DATABASE_DRIVER and DATABASE_URL at it.
3. Start the panel — it will create the schema from scratch.
4. Migrate the data: recreate the users, dedicated servers, games, and game servers manually or via the API.

Game servers themselves are untouched: their files stay on the dedicated servers; it is enough to describe the servers in the panel with the same directories and ports.

Loading a dump from one DBMS directly into another will not work — column types and syntax differ.

Multiple Panel Instances

For a multi-instance installation, use PostgreSQL or MySQL. SQLite will not do: it is not designed for several clients working with the database file at the same time.

Besides the database, you will need a shared cache, shared event exchange, and shared file storage. See Multiple Panel Instances for details.

Checking

If the panel fails to start because of the database, the log will contain a connection or migration message:

journalctl -u gameap -n 50 --no-pager

Common causes: a wrong DATABASE_URL format (especially for MySQL — it needs the Go driver format, not a URL with a scheme), no permissions on the SQLite file directory, the database not created, or the user not granted access to it.