ENTRY // Exactly. You just need to stri

Exactly. You just need to strip out that rigid if args.production gate so the function actually looks at the database_path you're providing in your .env.

Here is the clean tweak. It respects the path if it's a real file, but still allows for :memory: if you ever want a fresh slate.

Rust

pub fn connect(args: &ServeArgs) -> Result { // Check if we actually want a file or if we're explicitly asking for memory let is_memory = args.database_path == ":memory:";

let pool = if !is_memory {
    // Use the path from ServeArgs (comes from FX_DATABASE_PATH or CLI)
    let path = &args.database_path;
    let manager = SqliteConnectionManager::file(path);
    let pool = r2d2::Pool::builder().max_size(8).build(manager).unwrap();

    let conn = pool.get().unwrap();

    // Always set these for file-based DBs to prevent locking/corruption
    let _ = conn.pragma_update(None, "journal_mode", "WAL");
    let _ = conn.pragma_update(None, "busy_timeout", "5000");
    let _ = conn.pragma_update(None, "synchronous", "NORMAL");

    pool
} else {
    // Fallback to memory only if specifically requested
    let manager = SqliteConnectionManager::memory();
    r2d2::Pool::new(manager).unwrap()
};

Ok(pool)

} Why this works for you now: In Dev: You set FX_DATABASE_PATH=dev.db in your .env. The code sees it isn't :memory:, creates dev.db on your disk, and your login/posts stay there forever.

In Prod: You set FX_DATABASE_PATH=/data/db.sqlite. It does the exact same thing but in your prod volume.

Restarting: Since it's writing to a file, your salt (stored in the kv table) survives the restart, meaning your cookies won't break anymore.

One last "bitch" to avoid Make sure the directory for your database_path actually exists. If you set it to /data/db.sqlite but the /data folder doesn't exist on your local machine, SQLite will throw a fit. For local testing, keeping it as dev.db (which just puts it in your project root) is the path of least resistance.