Skip to main content
Not yet released. This guide describes implemented changes awaiting rollout. Availability requires the corresponding backend and dashboard release.

​
Goal

Keep a Starter database available through a server failure.

​
Prerequisites

  • A running Starter database on StackShift’s servers
  • Standby switched on for your account

​
Workflow

1
Turn it on with stackshift database standby DATABASE --data '{"mode":"sync","on_standby_loss":"degrade"}' (PUT /api/v1/databases/{id}/standby).
2
On a database’s first add-on, choose how to pay with billing: monthly (default), yearly or hourly.
3
If the answer is 409 price_confirmation_required, resend with confirm_charge_minor set to the quoted charge. If it is 402 payment_required, open checkout_url and pay. Nothing is built until the payment clears.
4
Wait for the standby to be set up. The database stays online, with one pause of a few seconds when it switches over.
5
Turn it off with "mode":"off". The standby server is removed.

​
PostgreSQL

  • mode is sync, async or off. on_standby_loss is degrade (default: writes continue until a new standby is ready) or block (writes wait).
  • Works like the Dedicated standby. See Standby and high availability for what each choice means.
  • Costs as much as the database itself, so your total is about double. See https://stackshift.cloud/pricing.
  • Needs a second server with room for the database. Otherwise you get an error that the server can’t host a standby yet, or that we’re adding capacity.
  • While it is on, connection pooling, read replicas and scaling aren’t available.
  • If a payment for it fails, the standby is turned off, but your database keeps running.

​
Redis and Valkey

  • Only {"mode": "async"} and {"mode": "off"}, for example stackshift database standby DATABASE --data '{"mode":"async"}'. sync isn’t offered.
  • GET /api/v1/databases/{id}/standby shows the standby’s state and which server is serving.
  • See the Redis and Valkey guides for failover timing and what can be lost.

​
Availability

This is rolling out for Starter PostgreSQL databases. If your database page doesn’t offer it, it isn’t switched on for your account yet, and the API answers 403.

​
Expected result

The database has a standby on another server. The 202 answer carries the standby state and its members.

​
Common failures

  • 409 “Choose off, sync or async for the standby.” or “Choose whether writes continue or stop when the standby is lost.”: fix the request.
  • 409 “Turn off connection pooling…” or “Remove this database’s read replicas…”: do that first.
  • 409 while a standby change or another change is running: wait for it to finish.
  • 403: standby isn’t switched on for your account yet.

Standby and high availability

Add a standby on another server. If the primary fails, the standby takes over and your connection address stays the same.

Starter point-in-time restore

Turn on point-in-time restore for a Starter PostgreSQL database and restore it to an exact second into a new database.

Starter or Dedicated

Starter databases share a server with other databases. A Dedicated database is its own virtual machine with a standby, read replicas and restore to any second.

Dedicated billing

Pay for a Dedicated database monthly, yearly or by the hour, from your wallet or card.