The Portico data folder holds the server database and the working files Portico uses to turn your media folders into a library. It’s separate from the media itself.
Default locations
| Installation | Default data folder |
|---|---|
| Windows installer | %ProgramData%\Portico Media Server |
| macOS package | /Library/Application Support/Portico Media Server |
| Linux DEB or RPM | /var/lib/portico-media-server |
| Docker image | /var/lib/portico inside the container |
| Windows or Linux portable archive | state beside the launcher |
The installed packages run as services. These are service data folders, separate from your desktop account’s application preferences. Docker needs a persistent volume mounted at its data path.
Portable launchers accept an absolute PORTICO_STATE_DIR to use another folder. Changing a service’s data path also requires the appropriate filesystem permissions and, on Linux, a writable path in its systemd sandbox. See the installation instructions for your platform.
What’s in it
Depending on which features you use, the folder can contain:
- account and permission records
- library metadata
- artwork
- watch progress
- server settings
- remote-access state
- logs
- generated playback files
- maintenance data
The live database is server.sqlite. Built-in backups name their database copy portico.db; see Back up Portico Server. Keep the whole data folder for a server backup, including its identity and connection state. Generated files can use a separate cache location through PORTICO_CACHE_DIR, and database backups can use PORTICO_BACKUP_DIR. Both paths must be absolute and writable by the server. A saved conversion-folder setting can override the temporary conversion path.
Storage requirements
Put the folder on reliable local storage, and give the service account write access to it. Avoid:
- temporary directories,
- removable drives that aren’t always connected,
- network paths that can disappear while the server is running.
Back it up
A media backup protects the files you watch. A Portico data backup protects everything Portico has built around those files. Keep both. Follow Back up Portico Server before an update, a migration or a storage change.