This document provides information on connecting Confluence to an external database.

The embedded HSQLDB database for evaluation purposes

The Confluence installation includes an embedded HSQLDB database, supplied for the purpose of evaluating Confluence.

If you are using the embedded database, the database files are stored in the \database directory under your Confluence Home and other important directories.

Note: The embedded HSQLDB database is not suitable for production Confluence sites.

Production sites should use an external database. See our guide to database configuration. When using the default HSQLDB database, you run the risk of irrecoverable data loss because HSQLDB is not transaction safe.

  • Corruption is occasionally encountered after sudden power loss. It can usually be corrected using the data recovery procedure documented in our knowledge base.
  • HSQLDB is suitable for evaluation purposes, but the risk can only be eliminated by switching databases. This is essential when you move from an evaulation to a production site. External databases may also provide superior speed and scalability.

To find out if you are still using the embedded database, go to  > General Configuration > Atlassian Support Tools > Health Check. 

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Selecting an external database

Note: Take time to choose your database wisely. The XML backup built into Confluence is not suited for migration or backup of large data sets. If you need to migrate later, you will need to use a third party database migration tool.

Below is more information on selecting and migrating to an external database:

Database setup

Here are the setup instructions for the supported databases:

Optimising database performance

To improve database responsiveness:

Database troubleshooting

For solving database-related problems:

Obtain technical support from Troubleshooting Problems and Requesting Technical Support.

Notes

Issue CONF-12599 requests a more robust strategy for migrating large Confluence sites.

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