Storage Backends

InviteMe supports four storage backends. Choose the right one for your server size and setup.

Quick Comparison

Backend	Best For	Setup	Performance	Multi-Server
JSON	Testing only	None	Low	No
SQLite	Small/medium servers	None	Good	No
MySQL	Production servers	Medium	Excellent	Yes
PostgreSQL	Large networks	Medium	Excellent	Yes

---

Never use JSON in production

JSON reads and writes the entire file on every operation. On servers with real players this causes data corruption and severe lag. Use SQLite at minimum.

JSON (Not Recommended for Production)

Stores data as plain text files in plugins/InviteMe/.

storage:
  type: json

Files created:

• plugins/InviteMe/invites.json
• plugins/InviteMe/action_log.json
• plugins/InviteMe/player_stats.json

Use only for:

• Local testing and development
• Reviewing raw data manually
• Debugging strange behavior

Never use JSON for:

• Servers with actual players
• Production environments
• Any server with > 10 players

---

SQLite (Default — Recommended for Most Servers)

Note

SQLite is the default backend and works out of the box — no extra configuration needed.

Stores data in a single local database file. No external software needed.

storage:
  type: sqlite

File created: plugins/InviteMe/invites.db

Pros:

• Zero configuration — works out of the box
• Single file — easy to back up (cp invites.db invites.db.backup)
• Reliable — used by thousands of servers

Cons:

• Cannot be shared between servers (single file)
• Not suitable for > 500 concurrent players

Recommended for:

• Single servers up to ~500 players
• Survival servers, SMP, creative servers
• Servers without a separate database host

---

MySQL (Recommended for Production)

Connects to an external MySQL or MariaDB server.

storage:
  type: mysql
  remote:
    host: localhost          # or db.myserver.com
    port: 3306
    database: inviteme
    username: inviteme_user
    password: "SecurePass123"
    pool-size: 10

Setting Up MySQL

Step 1: Create the database

Connect to your MySQL server and run:

CREATE DATABASE inviteme CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'inviteme_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'SecurePass123';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON inviteme.* TO 'inviteme_user'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 2: Update config.yml

storage:
  type: mysql
  remote:
    host: your-database-host.com
    port: 3306
    database: inviteme
    username: inviteme_user
    password: "SecurePass123"
    pool-size: 10

Step 3: Reload InviteMe

/im reload

Step 4: Verify connection

/im debug

Tuning pool-size for MySQL

Server size	Recommended pool-size
< 20 players	5
20–100 players	10 (default)
100–500 players	20
500+ players	30–50

MariaDB Compatibility

InviteMe uses the MariaDB JDBC driver, which is fully compatible with:

• MariaDB 10.x and 11.x
• MySQL 5.7+
• MySQL 8.x

---

PostgreSQL

Alternative to MySQL with similar performance characteristics.

storage:
  type: postgresql
  remote:
    host: localhost
    port: 5432             # default PostgreSQL port
    database: inviteme
    username: inviteme_user
    password: "SecurePass123"
    pool-size: 10

Setting Up PostgreSQL

Step 1: Create the database

Connect via psql and run:

CREATE DATABASE inviteme;
CREATE USER inviteme_user WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD 'SecurePass123';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE inviteme TO inviteme_user;

Step 2: Update config.yml (note the port 5432)

storage:
  type: postgresql
  remote:
    host: your-database-host.com
    port: 5432
    database: inviteme
    username: inviteme_user
    password: "SecurePass123"

Step 3: /im reload and verify with /im debug

MySQL vs PostgreSQL — When to Choose

Both work equally well for InviteMe. Choose based on:

• What you already have running — don’t add a new database server just for InviteMe
• Hosting panel — most Minecraft hosts provide MySQL, not PostgreSQL
• Personal preference — both are excellent choices

---

Migrating Between Backends

InviteMe can migrate all your data automatically with zero downtime.

How to Migrate

Example: SQLite → MySQL

1. Set up your MySQL database (see above)
2. Update config.yml with MySQL credentials
3. Run the migration command:

   /im migrate mysql

4. InviteMe migrates all data and renames the old file:
   • invites.db → invites.db.migrated

Other migrations:

/im migrate sqlite       # Any backend → SQLite
/im migrate mysql        # Any backend → MySQL
/im migrate postgresql   # Any backend → PostgreSQL

Safety Guarantees

• Original data is never deleted — only renamed to .migrated
• If migration fails, nothing changes — your data is safe
• Migration creates a log entry for auditing

Checking Migration Success

/im debug
# Verify: Total records matches your previous count

---

Backups

SQLite Backup (Simple)

cp plugins/InviteMe/invites.db backups/invites_$(date +%Y%m%d).db

MySQL/PostgreSQL Backup

Use your database’s native backup tools:

mysqldump -u inviteme_user -p inviteme > inviteme_backup.sql

pg_dump -U inviteme_user inviteme > inviteme_backup.sql

---

Troubleshooting

“Connection failed” on MySQL/PostgreSQL

• ✅ Verify the host is reachable from your server
• ✅ Check port is open in firewall (3306 for MySQL, 5432 for PostgreSQL)
• ✅ Confirm username/password are correct
• ✅ Verify the database exists
• ✅ Check user has GRANT privileges on the database

“Storage shows JSON but I set SQLite”

• ✅ Run /im reload after editing config.yml
• ✅ Check for YAML indentation errors in config.yml

“Migration didn’t transfer all records”

• ✅ Run /im sync after migration to verify whitelist
• ✅ Check plugins/InviteMe/invites.db.migrated — data is preserved there
• ✅ The .migrated file can be re-migrated if needed

---

Next Steps

• ⚙️ Full config options: Config Reference
• 🔗 LuckPerms: LuckPerms Integration
• ❓ FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions