Users deploying ZITADEL against a managed PostgreSQL service (RDS, Cloud
SQL, Azure Database, etc.) often do not have superuser access and cannot
provide `Admin.*` credentials. The documented workaround — provisioning
the user and database manually and then running `start-from-setup` —
silently skips schema bootstrapping, causing `relation
"eventstore.events" does not exist` errors with no clear recovery path.
The root cause is that `zitadel init` conflates two steps that require
different privileges without exposing them separately:
- **Provisioning step** (`CREATE ROLE`, `CREATE DATABASE`, `GRANT`) —
requires superuser.
- **Schema bootstrapping step** (create
`eventstore`/`projections`/`system` schemas and base tables) — requires
only DB owner.
Users who handle the provisioning step externally have no supported way
to run schema bootstrapping alone.
## Changes
- **`cmd/initialise/verify_schema.go`** (renamed from
`verify_zitadel.go`): Rename `newZitadel()` → `newSchema()` (internal);
rename the `init zitadel` sub-command to `zitadel init schema`
(backwards-compatible alias kept) with a clear description that it
bootstraps the ZITADEL database schema without admin/superuser
privileges. Fix stale error log message to reference `init schema`.
- **`cmd/initialise/verify_schema_test.go`** (renamed from
`verify_zitadel_test.go`): Test file renamed to match source file.
- **`cmd/initialise/init.go`**: Update call site to `newSchema()`. Add
guidance in the `init` command's Long description about using `zitadel
init schema` for users without admin credentials.
- **`cmd/initialise/verify_database.go`**: Add a `pg_database` catalog
pre-check before attempting `CREATE DATABASE`, so `zitadel init` with
`ADMIN=service_user` no longer fails with `permission denied to create
database` when the database was already provisioned externally.
- **`cmd/initialise/verify_database_test.go`**: Add test cases covering
the new catalog-check skip path, the existing error-skip path, and the
error-propagation path when the `pg_database` query itself fails.
- **`apps/docs/content/self-hosting/manage/database/index.mdx`**: Inline
the `_postgres.mdx` partial (now only PostgreSQL is supported), add a
top-level callout, and add a **Managed PostgreSQL / No Admin Access**
section with explicit 3-step instructions and security guidance (strong
passwords, SSL, TLS). Additional improvements: add inline `# Use
'require' or 'verify-full' for production` comments on `Mode: disable`
lines in the YAML example; add clarifying comment to the redundant
`GRANT` in the SQL snippet; replace admonition syntax with proper
Fumadocs `<Callout>` components; add full database connection env vars
to the `start-from-setup` example.
- **`apps/docs/content/self-hosting/manage/updating_scaling.mdx`**:
Rewrite the init phase description to clearly distinguish the
provisioning and schema bootstrapping steps, and document `zitadel init
schema` as the path for manual provisioning. Replace admonition syntax
with proper Fumadocs `<Callout>` components.
- **`apps/docs/content/self-hosting/manage/database/_postgres.mdx`**:
Deleted (content merged into `index.mdx`).
## Problem
This relates to https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/discussions/9363
I think we can improve our UX in cases where a user wants to use an
external DB and/or does not want to share too broad permissions with
zitadel
## Related problems
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/10432
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/discussions/8583
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/7903
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/9718
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/8012
* https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/8558
## Related PRs
https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/pull/11021
# Which Problems Are Solved
Streams allow differentiating logs produced by different components of
Zitadel.
# How the Problems Are Solved
The `backend/v3/instrumentation/logging` package now exposes convenience
function for setting and getting a logger from the context. As well as
high-level functions to emit log records at various levels. When
constructing a new logger a "stream" needs to be specified:
- **runtime**: General runtime logs, such as startup and shutdown
messages. Default for logs that do not belong to the other categories.
- **request**: Logs for incoming API and HTTP requests.
- **event_handler**: Logs for event handling in projections.
- **queue**: Logs for the job queue processing.
- **event_pusher**: Logs for event pushing to the database. Disabled by
default, contains sensitive information.
Each line from the returned logger contains a `stream` field as well as
a `version` field with the current Zitadel version.
## Runtime config
Streams can be enabled by passing an array of stream names in the
runtime config. Because some log streams may contain sensitive data
(especially events), it is now also possible to mask values by their
key.
# Additional Changes
- Wrap `slogctx` in the `logging` package. (Except API error converter
packages, because of import cycle)
- Add some docs to `logging` package so other devs understand how to add
logging to Zitadel
- Add `logging.OnError` and `logging.WithError` helper functions with
`Panic()` and `Fatal()` methods, to preserve current calls in the `cmd`
packages.
- Add instance context extractor.
- Only output request details in the request info log. Request ID
remains propagated through context.
- Moved middleware functionality into protocol specific packages.
- Removed setting of URI to context in metric middleware. There were ony
setters and no getters. (Unused value)
- Reuse a single statusWriter in the middleware package for middlewares
that need to know the response status.
# Additional Context
- Closes#11333
- Closes#11331
- Partly #11330
---------
Co-authored-by: Silvan <[email protected]>
This pull request addresses an issue where ZITADEL's initialization
process could fail in environments with restricted database permissions,
such as managed database services (e.g., Google Cloud SQL, Amazon RDS,
Azure PostgreSQL).
## Which problem is solved
Previously, `zitadel init` (and its sub commands) and `zitadel
start-from-init` commands would attempt to execute `CREATE DATABASE`,
`CREATE USER`, and `GRANT` statements. These commands often fail if the
provided database user lacks superuser privileges, which is a common
security practice in hosted database environments.
## How the problem is solved
With this change, Zitadel is now smarter during initialization. It
checks if the database and user specified in your configuration already
exist and are accessible. If they are, ZITADEL will skip the creation
and grant commands, allowing for a seamless setup even with a
less-privileged database user.
## Additional information
closes#10730
closes https://github.com/zitadel/zitadel/issues/8198
### How to leverage this feature (skip admin commands)
To have ZITADEL skip the database administration commands, you need to
configure it so that the initialization process can use the
already-existing database and user. This is achieved by pointing the
admin access in your ZITADEL configuration to the user and database that
ZITADEL will use for its operations.
In your ZITADEL configuration file (e.g., zitadel.yaml), configure the
Database section as follows:
```yaml
Database:
Postgres:
Database: existing_database
# Admin credentials should be the same as the application user credentials
Admin:
User: zitadel-user
ExistingDatabase: existing_database # this is used to connect the admin to the previously created database
# Application user credentials
User:
User: zitadel-user
```
---------
Co-authored-by: Marco A. <[email protected]>
# Which Problems Are Solved
The v2beta services are stable but not GA.
# How the Problems Are Solved
The v2beta services are copied to v2. The corresponding v1 and v2beta
services are deprecated.
# Additional Context
Closes#7236
---------
Co-authored-by: Elio Bischof <[email protected]>
This implementation increases parallel write capabilities of the eventstore.
Please have a look at the technical advisories: [05](https://zitadel.com/docs/support/advisory/a10005) and [06](https://zitadel.com/docs/support/advisory/a10006).
The implementation of eventstore.push is rewritten and stored events are migrated to a new table `eventstore.events2`.
If you are using cockroach: make sure that the database user of ZITADEL has `VIEWACTIVITY` grant. This is used to query events.
Florian ForsterandGitHub
