Data and Backups

Atomic stores persistent data in the configured data directory or Docker volume.

SQLite Layout

For SQLite deployments, the data directory contains:

databases/
  registry.db
  default.db
  <database-id>.db

The registry stores global metadata such as API tokens, settings, and database records. Each data database stores atoms, tags, chunks, embeddings, wiki articles, chats, feeds, briefings, semantic edges, and canvas positions.

Desktop Data Location

The desktop app uses platform-specific application data directories:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.atomic.app/
Linux: ~/.local/share/com.atomic.app/

The desktop sidecar also stores a local server token and PID file in the app data directory.

Docker Data Location

The default compose file stores data in the atomic-data Docker volume.

docker volume inspect atomic_atomic-data

The exact volume name depends on your compose project name.

Markdown Exports

Start an export for a database:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/databases/<db-id>/exports/markdown \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Poll the export job:

curl http://localhost:8080/api/exports/<job-id> \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

When complete, the response includes a temporary download_path. The download token expires after a short time, so download promptly.

Cancel or delete a job:

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8080/api/exports/<job-id> \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Backup Guidance

Stop the server or use SQLite-safe backup tooling before copying live .db files.
Back up the whole data directory or Docker volume, not just default.db.
Include registry.db; otherwise API tokens and database metadata are missing.
For multi-database deployments, include every *.db file.
If using the optional Litestream compose profile, test restore before relying on it.