How can I setup NodeBB with MongoDB Atlas Cloud?

PitaJ

What provider? Make sure that the updated config.json is checked into git if it's Heroku or similar.

asyung

@pitaj I"m eventually using IBM Bluemix, but I'm just using Nodebb locally initially for development. MongoDB Atlas is the cloud database as a service I'm using.

What do you mean "Make sure that the updated config.json is checked into git if it's Heroku or similar." I am unfamiliar with git and how it works. How does the nodebb setup read from git?

PitaJ

If you're using it locally, you're not on Heroku or similar. Heroku is a cloud container provider, and they use a git repository as the way to deploy your site.

What config.json are you using before running ./nodebb setup?

asyung

I'm modifying the config.json at the NodeBB folder level.

Changing it from:

"mongo": {
    "host": "host",
    "port": 27017,
    "username": "user",
    "password": "password",
    "database": "nodebb"
}

to something like:

"mongo": {
    "uri": "Mongoatlas URI connection"
}

If I change it after nodebb setup, it connects to the Mongodb Atlas cloud correctly. However the objects in the database are not properly setup\initialized.
So I need to run nodebb setup against the Mongodb Atlas server, but the setup keeps overwriting\using config.json defaults.

PitaJ

Have you tried setting up a config.json file before running ./nodebb setup? I'm thinking something like this:

Create config.json with the mongo uri setting

{
  "database": "mongo",
  "mongo": {
    "uri": "...."
  }
}

./nodebb setup

asyung

Yes, I have tried modifying the config.json then running nodebb setup.

In that situation, the setup keeps overwriting\using config.json defaults. I'm using NodeBB 1.6.1

<baris>

This sounds like a bug, uri setting was added later on and ./nodebb setup probably doesn't respect that. https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/issues/6000

asyung

Is there another cmd or function I can call that will initialize the database aside from nodebb setup?

Something that will use the URI without overwriting it.

PitaJ

I think your only other option is to take a dump of the database on your local machine and push it onto the remote database.

<baris>

@asyung If you are willing to run master you can try with https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB/commit/7ad4420b6ac205216291f7dc96017b2cb29a4aab it should ask you for the uri during ./nodebb setup

asyung

That looks to have done the trick! Thank you very much! That is a great help!!