Red Hat Satellite to standardize on PostgreSQL backend

Red Hat Satellite is a complex offering and we wanted to spend some time talking about the underlying databases that make Satellite work as well as some upcoming changes to this underlying database structure that you should be aware of.  

What databases does Satellite use today?

Red Hat Satellite uses two databases today - MongoDB and PostgreSQL. This is a result of multiple upstream products that use different databases.

What changes are coming to this database structure?

We are going to consolidate and use a single database, PostgreSQL. We began investigating a move to a single database upstream in Pulp as early as 2016. The development team decided that a relational database with rollback and transactions was necessary for the features needed in Pulp (and ultimately, Satellite).  

Why drop MongoDB Community Edition from Red Hat Satellite?

The reasons for this direction are that we feel that PostgreSQL is a better solution for the types of data and usage that Satellite requires. Also, unifying on a single database backend simplifies the overall architecture of Satellite and can make supportability, backup, and disaster recovery easier.

What does this mean for currently supported versions of Red Hat Satellite that include MongoDB Community Edition?

The embedded version of MongoDB will continue to be supported in the Satellite versions that it has already been released in. MongoDB is embedded in currently supported versions of Satellite  6 and was first introduced in Satellite 6.0 (i.e. Red Hat Satellite Product Lifecycle). If a patch is needed, rather than moving to a new version of MongoDB, the Satellite team will create a patch for the issue.  Thus, the Satellite team will be patching MongoDB as needed until it is phased out.

Satellite will not use newer versions of MongoDB that are licensed under SSPL.

What is the expected impact on Satellite performance or features?

We do not anticipate any significant performance impact with the removal of MongoDB. Also, we’ve worked hard to seek to avoid any feature impact with the removal of MongoDB, and expect that users of Satellite should continue to enjoy the features in Satellite they’ve come to depend on.

When will MongoDB Community Edition be dropped as an embedded database within Red Hat Satellite?

This database change is a still to come, but the product team wanted to go ahead and communicate this intent to our users so they were not caught by surprise as this is a change to the underlying databases of Satellite.  No specific timing or release is being communicated at this time. At this point we’re simply hoping to raise awareness of the change that is coming to help users of Satellite prepare for the removal of MongoDB.

Stay tuned to the Satellite Blog for the specific release/date that this will take effect.