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Setting Up Database

Paima Engine requires you to deploy a Postgres database which will be used to store all state of your game node.

For those already experienced with setting up a Postgres DB, feel free to skip over the majority of this section. One important note however is that each game template also includes a init.sql file in the /db/migrations/init folder which you should use to initialize the database.

Using Docker To Setup A Postgres DB​

For those who prefer an automated solution, simply proceed with the following steps to have a local Postgres database ready-to-use with your game node:

  1. Install docker/docker compose on your computer (https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/)
  2. Go into the root folder of your game code (ie. generic-game-template) in your terminal.
  3. Run npm run database:up
  4. Docker compose will automatically download and setup Postgres for you, while also using the init.sql from your game code to initialize the DB.
  5. Your DB will be up and running, and can be closed via Ctrl + c like any CLI application.
  6. Any time you want to bring the DB back online, simply re-run npm run database:up.

Updating Your init.sql​

One side note, as you begin writing your game logic (or when building a template) you likely will end up changing the DB schema from the base template you started off with. When you do this, make sure to update the init.sql file to properly initialize your DB schema so that future game nodes either you or others deploy for your game will be able to properly work with your game logic.

Typescript bindings​

Templates generally come with bindings pre-generated for you, but you will need to regenerate them yourself if you change the database schema. Learn more here.

Resetting the Database​

The easiest way to reset the database is to reset the docker image entirely. This can be done using

npm run database:reset

Co-location requirement​

Your node (Paima Engine instance) and your Database NEED to be on the same machine. This is not only required from a performance perspective, but Paima engine also depends on Postgres LISTEN events to manage cache invalidation.