app/discourse

Deploy Discourse with Pigsty-managed PostgreSQL and Redis embedded in the application container

The app/discourse template provides a single-node Discourse forum. Pigsty manages PostgreSQL, while Redis runs inside the application container. Pigsty Nginx serves Discourse through a Unix socket.

This template was added after v4.5.0. Use the matching app/discourse/ directory and files/discourse.sql from the same checkout; the YAML alone is not sufficient.

See the Discourse application README for more details.

Overview

Config Name: app/discourse
Node Count: Single node
OS Distro: el8, el9, el10, d12, d13, u22, u24, u26
OS Arch: x86_64 (upstream Launcher describes ARM64 support as experimental)
Related: app/odoo, app/mattermost

For a fresh host:

./configure -c app/discourse [-i <primary_ip>]
vi pigsty.yml              # change passwords, domain, and SMTP settings
./deploy.yml
./docker.yml
./app.yml -l discourse

Content

Source: pigsty/conf/app/discourse.yml

---
#==============================================================#
# File      :   discourse.yml
# Desc      :   Pigsty Discourse with external PostgreSQL / embedded Redis
# Ctime     :   2026-10-14
# Mtime     :   2026-10-14
# License   :   Apache-2.0 @ https://pigsty.io/docs/about/license/
# Copyright :   2018-2026  Ruohang Feng / Vonng ([email protected])
#==============================================================#
# Fresh host: ./configure -c app/discourse; edit pigsty.yml (passwords + SMTP)
# ./deploy.yml; ./docker.yml; ./app.yml -l discourse
# Existing Pigsty: merge the app/user/database/portal sections; do NOT replace
# the running inventory or initialize an existing PostgreSQL cluster again.
# ask.pigsty -> Pigsty Nginx :80/:443 -> Unix socket -> Discourse + Redis.

all:
  children:
    discourse:
      hosts: { 10.10.10.10: {} }
      vars:
        app: discourse
        apps:
          discourse:
            dest: /data/app/discourse
            file:
              - { path: /data/app/discourse                    ,state: directory ,mode: '0755' }
              - { path: /data/app/discourse/shared             ,state: directory ,mode: '0755' }
              - { path: /data/app/discourse/shared/log/var-log ,state: directory ,mode: '0755' }
            conf:
              DISCOURSE_DATA: /data/app/discourse
              DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME: ask.pigsty
              DISCOURSE_VERSION: tests-passed
              DISCOURSE_DOCKER_REF: 945d491ee62ac0d6e5d9076c173073c3f795d978
              PG_HOST: 10.10.10.10
              PG_PORT: 5432
              PG_DBNAME: discourse
              PG_USERNAME: discourse
              PG_PASSWORD: DBUser.Discourse
              UNICORN_WORKERS: 2
              UNICORN_SIDEKIQS: 1
              DISCOURSE_SIDEKIQ_WORKERS: 5
              DISCOURSE_DB_POOL: 8
              REDIS_MAX_MEMORY: 512mb
              DISCOURSE_FORCE_HTTPS: false  # set true with a trusted HTTPS portal
              DISCOURSE_DEVELOPER_EMAILS: [email protected]  # CHANGE ME
              DISCOURSE_SMTP_ADDRESS: smtp.example.com       # CHANGE ME
              DISCOURSE_SMTP_PORT: 587
              DISCOURSE_SMTP_USER_NAME: ''
              DISCOURSE_SMTP_PASSWORD: ''
              DISCOURSE_SMTP_ENABLE_START_TLS: true
              DISCOURSE_SMTP_FORCE_TLS: false
              DISCOURSE_NOTIFICATION_EMAIL: [email protected]  # CHANGE ME

    pg-discourse:
      hosts: { 10.10.10.10: { pg_seq: 1, pg_role: primary } }
      vars:
        pg_cluster: pg-discourse
        pg_extensions: [ pgvector ]
        pg_users:
          - name: discourse
            password: DBUser.Discourse  # CHANGE ME, same as PG_PASSWORD above
            pgbouncer: false
            roles: [{ name: dbrole_admin, state: revoke }]
            comment: Discourse database owner
        pg_databases:
          - name: discourse
            owner: discourse
            encoding: UTF8
            revokeconn: true
            pgbouncer: false
            baseline: discourse.sql
            extensions: [ hstore, pg_trgm, unaccent, vector ]
            comment: Discourse forum
        pg_hba_rules:
          - { user: discourse ,db: discourse ,addr: 172.16.0.0/12 ,auth: pwd ,title: 'Discourse from local Docker bridges' }
        pg_crontab: [ '00 01 * * * /pg/bin/pg-backup full' ]

    infra: { hosts: { 10.10.10.10: { infra_seq: 1 } } }
    etcd:  { hosts: { 10.10.10.10: { etcd_seq: 1 } }, vars: { etcd_cluster: etcd } }

  vars:
    version: v4.5.0
    admin_ip: 10.10.10.10
    region: default
    node_tune: oltp
    pg_conf: oltp.yml
    pg_version: 18
    docker_enabled: true
    repo_enabled: false
    node_repo_modules: node,infra,pgsql
    node_etc_hosts: ['${admin_ip} i.pigsty ask.pigsty']
    infra_portal:
      home: { domain: i.pigsty }
      discourse:
        domain: ask.pigsty
        endpoint: unix:/data/app/discourse/shared/nginx.http.sock
        websocket: true
        config: |
          client_max_body_size 10m;

    # CHANGE these demo credentials before any public deployment.
    grafana_admin_password: pigsty
    grafana_view_password: DBUser.Viewer
    pg_admin_password: DBUser.DBA
    pg_monitor_password: DBUser.Monitor
    pg_replication_password: DBUser.Replicator
    patroni_password: Patroni.API
    haproxy_admin_password: pigsty
    etcd_root_password: Etcd.Root
...

Explanation

The template builds the Discourse image locally with the official classic Launcher and runs it with Docker Compose, using PostgreSQL managed by Pigsty.

apps.discourse.dest is /data/app/discourse; managed files and persistent data under shared/ live in this directory.
DISCOURSE_DOCKER_REF pins the Launcher commit, while DISCOURSE_VERSION follows the upstream tests-passed channel by default.
The pg-discourse cluster uses PostgreSQL 18 and installs pgvector. The discourse database enables hstore, pg_trgm, unaccent, and vector, and applies the discourse.sql baseline.
The discourse user has dbrole_admin revoked. Neither the user nor the database uses PgBouncer.
The application HBA rule allows the discourse user to reach the discourse database from Docker networks in 172.16.0.0/12.
The ask.pigsty Nginx portal forwards to unix:/data/app/discourse/shared/nginx.http.sock, enables WebSocket, and sets client_max_body_size 10m.
Embedded Redis has a REDIS_MAX_MEMORY: 512mb limit.
A full PostgreSQL backup runs daily at 01:00.

Access the forum at http://ask.pigsty. The template adds this name to the local hosts file through node_etc_hosts; other clients need DNS or hosts entries pointing to the Nginx host.

Notes

Change PG_PASSWORD and the password in pg_users together. Configure the administrator email and SMTP settings; the sample SMTP hostname will cause the image build to fail.
For public access, use a real domain and trusted certificate, and set DISCOURSE_FORCE_HTTPS: true.
Discourse uses advisory locks and requires a direct PostgreSQL connection. Do not use PgBouncer transaction pooling. For HA, choose a direct service that routes only to the primary.
In an existing Pigsty environment, merge the application, user, database, and portal definitions. Do not rerun configure or reinitialize an existing cluster.
Redis persistence needs vm.overcommit_memory=1. The Tuned profile selected by node_tune: oltp uses 0; configure a persistent override before enabling Redis persistence.

app/discourse

Overview

Content

Explanation

Notes

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