# Importing an existing SQLite database from another Synapse installation (optional)

Run this if you'd like to import your database from a previous default installation of Synapse (don't forget to import your `media_store` files as well - see [the importing-synapse-media-store guide](importing-synapse-media-store.md)).

While this playbook only supports running Synapse in combination with PostgreSQL, a Synapse instance installed manually usually defaults to using an SQLite database.

If you have such a Synapse setup and wish to migrate it to one managed by the playbook (and over to PostgreSQL), this documentation page is for you.

## Prerequisites

Before doing the actual import:

- **ensure you have NOT started Synapse yet**. That is, make sure you have followed the [Installing step](installing.md), but haven't run the playbook's `start` tag yet. If you had started your new Synapse instance, it may have already initialized your Postgres database and importing onto it may not work. In such cases, you may need to clean up the `synapse` database first.
- **ensure you have uploaded your SQLite database file to the server** (any path is okay)
- if you're using the integrated Postgres server (**by default, you are** using it, unless you've explicitly switched to [Using an external PostgreSQL server](configuring-playbook-external-postgres.md)), **make sure Postgres is started** by running `just start-group postgres`

## Importing

Run this command (make sure to replace `<server-path-to-homeserver.db>` with a file path on your server):

```sh
just run-tags import-synapse-sqlite-db --extra-vars=server_path_homeserver_db=<server-path-to-homeserver.db>
```

**Notes**:

- `<server-path-to-homeserver.db>` must be replaced with a file path to a `homeserver.db` **file on the server** (not on your local machine!).
- if the SQLite database is from an older version of Synapse, the **importing procedure may run migrations on it to bring it up to date**. That is, your SQLite database file may get modified and become unusable with your older Synapse version. Keeping a copy of the original is probably wise.
