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github-actions[bot] edited this page Sep 5, 2026 · 1 revision

Database and Server

Open Manuscript Studio's server is a Node.js/TypeScript Express service backed by PostgreSQL through Prisma.

Recommended production baseline

  • Node.js 24
  • PostgreSQL 16 or newer
  • HTTPS
  • a reverse proxy such as Nginx, Apache, Caddy, or Plesk-managed Nginx/Apache
  • a dedicated, least-privilege PostgreSQL role for each database
  • tested database and configuration backups

Two database connections

Studio maintains separate Prisma migration trees:

Connection Prisma schema Migration tree Purpose
DATABASE_URL server/prisma/schema.prisma server/prisma/migrations/ Studio application, review, integrations, storage
IDENTITY_DATABASE_URL server/prisma/identity/schema.prisma server/prisma/identity/migrations/ identity, profiles, institutions, central administration

Use separate PostgreSQL databases in production. OJS/OMP databases must remain separate from both.

Example development configuration:

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3001
FRONTEND_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://omi_studio_app:change-me@127.0.0.1:5432/omi_studio
IDENTITY_DATABASE_URL=postgresql://omi_identity_app:change-me@127.0.0.1:5432/omi_identity
INTEGRATION_MASTER_KEY=<64 hexadecimal characters>
DEPLOYMENT_MODE=personal

Generate the integration encryption key once and store it outside Git:

openssl rand -hex 32

Losing this key makes stored integration credentials undecryptable. Do not reuse an OJS/OMP shared secret as the master key.

Install and migrate

From server/:

npm ci
npm run prisma:generate:all
npm run prisma:migrate:deploy
npm run prisma:migrate:identity:deploy
npm run build
npm start

For local schema development, use the corresponding *:dev migration scripts. Production deployments must use migrate deploy and committed migrations.

Reverse proxy

Route both API families to the server's default port (3001 unless configured otherwise):

  • /api/
  • /integrations/

Preserve the original host, client forwarding chain, and HTTPS scheme. The frontend origin must exactly match FRONTEND_ORIGIN, because the API enforces a CORS allow-list and uses credentialed sessions.

The health endpoint is:

GET /api/health

Operational security

  • Run the API as an unprivileged service account.
  • Keep .env, database URLs, OAuth credentials, integration secrets, and signing keys outside Git.
  • Restrict PostgreSQL to the hosts that need it.
  • Terminate TLS at a maintained reverse proxy.
  • Back up both databases, environment configuration, and user-managed files.
  • Test restoration, not only backup creation.
  • Rotate an integration secret immediately after exposure.
  • Keep identity/institution administration separate from manuscript authorization.

References

Open Manuscript Studio · Open Manuscript Initiative · MIT License

Open Manuscript Studio

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