Use a standardized folder to store user data (Docker)

[agneevX]

Problem Description

AGH currently uses two folders to store its data: /opt/adguardhome/conf that stores the lone configuration file and /opt/adguardhome/work that stores the remaining user data including databases and filters text files.

This file structure feels very convoluted, because there are multiple folders and a muddy hierarchy. The presence of a "work" folder feels particularly redundant.

❯ tree /opt/appdata/adguardhome/
/
├── config
│   └── AdGuardHome.yaml
└── workdir
    ├── data
    │   ├── filters
    │   │   ├── 1.txt.old
    │   │   ├── 1620456986.txt
...
    │   │   └── 740910348
    │   ├── sessions.db
    │   └── stats.db
    └── leases.db

4 directories, 59 files

Proposed Solution

A singular /config folder that stores user data in a single folder with a less confusing hierarchy, including databases in the root (not inside another data folder).

This same could be used for non-Docker installations as well, just /opt/adguardhome/.

Alternatives Considered

Additional Information

I'd also request the use of better file names to denote their purpose, e.g. sessions.db → web_sessions.db.

[ainar-g]

I'm not sure if we want to do that. See this comment. In short, the configuration directory is for files that the user provides or maintains, while the working (aka data) directory is for the persistent files that AGH creates and that are not guaranteed to be human-readable.

[agneevX]

For Docker installs, it doesn't make sense for the current folders to exist. Why use /opt at all?

[ainar-g]

I don't quite get your question, sorry. If you want to ask, why do we expect these volumes to be mounted as subdirectories of /opt/adguardhome, then it's because /opt subdirectories are the usual place where third-party software not packaged with the OS and not built from source goes. See man hier and also this answer.

[agneevX]

I meant to say that in Docker installs, there's the flexibility of choosing folders that doesn't have to be the same as a bare metal install.

E.g. /app could be used to house the binary executable, while
/config and /data can store the configuration file and the remaining user data.

[almereyda]

It's okay to have two volume mounts in a containerised environment.

It further seems okay to follow a "classical", POSIX oriented file system layout, if deployment as a container is not the primary and/or only target for software distribution. In cloud-native world, of course, things are oftentimes handled a little differently, governed by these systems' constraints.

[agneevX]

Begone bot.

[agneevX]

@ainar-g can this bot situation please be dealt with?

[cyb3rz3us]

IMHO, this proposal appears to be one based on personal preference and not anything grounded in either BCP or building a better product. Having 2 dedicated directories is not convoluted at all and in the xNIX world, this is not only common, but in the particular case of AGH, quite tame.

I believe an old but very appropo adage applies here: "If it ain't broke, don't go fixin' it".