DEV Community

Mohammad Waseem
Mohammad Waseem

Posted on

Streamlining Production Databases with Docker and Open Source Tools

#docker #database #opensource

Managing cluttered production databases can significantly hinder performance, complicate maintenance, and introduce risks. As a Senior Developer and Architect, leveraging Docker along with open source tools can provide an efficient, scalable, and maintainable solution to this challenge.

The Challenge of Cluttered Production Databases

Over time, databases tend to accumulate unused data, orphaned records, and fragmented schemas, leading to bloated storage and slowed query performance. Traditional methods of cleanup often require downtime or complex procedures that impact availability.

The Docker Advantage

Docker offers an isolated environment to prototype, test, and deploy database management strategies without risking the live environment. It enables quick rollbacks, reproducibility, and flexible version control.

Solution Overview

Our approach involves:

  • Creating a dedicated Docker container for database cleanup.
  • Using open source tools such as pg_repack for PostgreSQL or Percona Toolkit for MySQL to reorganize and optimize databases.
  • Automating cleanup processes with scripts orchestrated via Docker Compose.

Implementation Steps

1. Set Up Docker Container for Database Maintenance

Here's a sample Dockerfile to set up a PostgreSQL environment capable of running pg_repack:

FROM postgres:13
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y wget build-essential libpq-dev
# Download and install pg_repack
RUN wget https://github.com/reorg/pg_repack/archive/refs/tags/v1.4.4.tar.gz && \
    tar -xzf v1.4.4.tar.gz && \
    cd pg_repack-1.4.4 && \
    make && make install
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

2. Run the Container and Connect to the Production Database

Ensure network configurations allow the container to connect securely with your production database. Use environment variables or secrets management for credentials.

docker build -t db-maintenance .
docker run -d --name db-maintenance-container \
    -e PGHOST=your_production_host \
    -e PGUSER=your_user \
    -e PGPASSWORD=your_password \
    -e PGPORT=5432 \
    -e PGDATABASE=your_db \
    db-maintenance
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

3. Execute the Cleanup Commands

Within your container, run pg_repack commands:

docker exec -it db-maintenance-container pg_repack --table='your_table'
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This reorganizes tables without locking them, greatly reducing downtime.

4. Automate and Schedule Regular Maintenance

Using cron within the container or external schedulers, automate scripts to run cleanup commands during low-traffic periods.

# Example crontab entry to run weekly
0 3 * * 0 docker exec -it db-maintenance-container pg_repack --all
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Additional Open Source Tools

  • pgBadger: For detailed performance reports post-cleanup.
  • pgAdmin: For visual management.
  • Ansible/Terraform scripts: For orchestrating multi-container setups.

Final Words

Combining Docker with specialized open source tools provides a robust framework for managing, cleaning, and optimizing production databases. This approach minimizes risks, enables rapid iteration, and ensures that your database remains performant, reliable, and scalable.

By containerizing maintenance tasks, organizations can build repeatable, automated workflows that reduce manual effort and errors, ultimately leading to healthier databases and smoother operations.

🛠️ QA Tip

To test this safely without using real user data, I use TempoMail USA.

Top comments (0)