Custom persistence#

Where instances, models and everything else are kept, and how to change it. The application's configuration, in settings/config.ts or an embedded server's own, takes these options.

Storage#

Instances and models are kept in MongoDB by default. The configuration's documentStore replaces it, for both data stores:

A bpmn-web application needs no code for SQLite: DATABASE=sqlite:./data/bpmn.sqlite in .env keeps everything in that file: instances, models, locks, and the users and sessions too (since 3.7, on the same store as the instances). npx bpmn-server setup offers it. A MongoDB server's users and sessions stay where they were.

SqliteDocumentStore(file) keeps everything in one SQLite file (Node's built-in node:sqlite, Node 22.5 or later): no database server, for small installs, demos and desktop use. Several servers may share the file.
MemoryDocumentStore keeps everything in memory, for tests and demos.
An application can implement IDocumentStore to use its own database.

import { SqliteDocumentStore } from 'bpmn-server';

const store = new SqliteDocumentStore('./data/bpmn.sqlite');
const configuration = new Configuration({
    // ... as above
    documentStore: () => store,
});

Or in memory:

import { MemoryDocumentStore } from 'bpmn-server';

const store = new MemoryDocumentStore();
const configuration = new Configuration({
    // ... as above
    documentStore: () => store,
});

Two servers given the same store share it, as two servers on one database do.

Data store options#

dataStore: (server) => {
    const ds = new DataStore(server);
    ds.enableSavePoints = true;  // keep a save point for each item, so an instance can be restarted from it
    ds.saveLogs = true;          // save each instance's log with it (the default)
    ds.saveSource = true;        // save the model with each instance, so it runs to the end on the model it started with
    return ds;
},

ModelDataStore Options#

MongoDB#

This the preferred and default option, models are saved and loaded in MongoDB Additionally, if you define a definitionsPath in configuration.ts, ModelsDatastore will monitor your path for changes, allowing you to edit bpmn files externally.

Remote-Load-Only#

This option can be used for minimal installation by having models at a remote location