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Activepieces uses TypeORM as its database driver in Node.js. We support two database types across different editions of our platform. The database migration files contain both what to do to migrate (up method) and what to do when rolling back (down method).
Read more about TypeORM migrations here: https://orkhan.gitbook.io/typeorm/docs/migrations

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Database Support

  • PostgreSQL
  • PGlite
Why Do we have PGlite? We support PGlite to simplify development and self-hosting. It’s particularly helpful for:
  • Developers creating pieces who want a quick setup
  • Self-hosters using platforms to manage docker images but doesn’t support docker compose.
PGlite is a lightweight PostgreSQL implementation that runs embedded, so migrations are compatible with PostgreSQL.

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Editions

  • Enterprise & Cloud Edition (Must use PostgreSQL)
  • Community Edition (Can use PostgreSQL or PGlite)

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How To Generate

1

Setup AP_DB_TYPE

Set the AP_DB_TYPE environment variable to POSTGRES after making sure have latest state by running Activepieces first.
2

Generate Migration

Run the migration generation command:
npx turbo run db-migration --filter=api -- --name=<MIGRATION_NAME>
Replace <MIGRATION_NAME> with a descriptive name for your migration.
3

Update Migration File

The command will generate a new migration file in packages/server/api/src/app/database/migration/postgres/.The generated file uses MigrationInterface — you need to update it:
  1. Change implements MigrationInterface to implements Migration
  2. Update the import from typeorm to import Migration from ../../migration
  3. Add breaking = false (or true if the migration drops columns/tables or transforms data irreversibly)
  4. Add release = '<version>' matching the upcoming release version (check package.json in the repo root)
  5. Implement the down() method with queries that reverse the up() changes (unless breaking = true)
  6. Register it in postgres-connection.ts
import { QueryRunner } from 'typeorm'
import { Migration } from '../../migration'

export class AddMyColumn1234567890 implements Migration {
    name = 'AddMyColumn1234567890'
    breaking = false
    release = '0.78.0'

    public async up(queryRunner: QueryRunner): Promise<void> {
        await queryRunner.query(`ALTER TABLE "project" ADD COLUMN "description" text`)
    }

    public async down(queryRunner: QueryRunner): Promise<void> {
        await queryRunner.query(`ALTER TABLE "project" DROP COLUMN "description"`)
    }
}
CI will fail if breaking, release, or down() are missing on new migrations.

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PGlite Compatibility

While PGlite is mostly PostgreSQL-compatible, some features are not supported. When using features like CONCURRENTLY for index operations, you need to conditionally handle PGlite: 
import { QueryRunner } from 'typeorm'
import { Migration } from '../../migration'
import { system } from '../../../helper/system/system'
import { AppSystemProp } from '../../../helper/system/system-props'
import { DatabaseType } from '../../database-type'

const databaseType = system.get(AppSystemProp.DB_TYPE)
const isPGlite = databaseType === DatabaseType.PGLITE

export class AddMyIndex1234567890 implements Migration {
    name = 'AddMyIndex1234567890'
    breaking = false
    release = '0.78.0'
    transaction = false // Required when using CONCURRENTLY

    public async up(queryRunner: QueryRunner): Promise<void> {
        if (isPGlite) {
            await queryRunner.query(`CREATE INDEX "idx_name" ON "table" ("column")`)
        } else {
            await queryRunner.query(`CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY "idx_name" ON "table" ("column")`)
        }
    }

    public async down(queryRunner: QueryRunner): Promise<void> {
        if (isPGlite) {
            await queryRunner.query(`DROP INDEX "idx_name"`)
        } else {
            await queryRunner.query(`DROP INDEX CONCURRENTLY "idx_name"`)
        }
    }
}
CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY and DROP INDEX CONCURRENTLY are not supported in PGlite because PGLite is a single user/connection database. Always add a check for PGlite when using these operations.
Always test your migrations by running them both up and down to ensure they work as expected.