Using External PostgreSQL Database with RudderStack Helm Chart

[siddharth-khatri]

Hi there!

I am trying to self-host the Data Plane on Kubernetes via the HelmChart instructions.
For production, I want to utilize an external PostgreSQL database (AWS RDS) instead of the local PostgreSQL that gets created while installing the helm chart.
I've tried disabling PostgreSQL in the values file, but the backend still attempts to connect to a local PostgreSQL instance. The postgres instance gets created even if the postgres is disabled. Any help on this will be appreciated.

Thanks!

Here's my values.yaml configuration:

# Default values for rudderstack.
# This is a YAML-formatted file.

rudderWorkspaceToken: <YOUR_WORKSPACE_TOKEN>

commonLabels: {}

global:
  backendReplicaCount: 1
  imagePullSecrets: []
  storageClass: "gp3"

backend:
  image:
    repository: rudderlabs/rudder-server
    version: latest
    pullPolicy: Always
  controlPlaneJSON: false
  
  ingress:
    enabled: true
    tls: false
    annotations:
      kubernetes.io/ingress.class: alb
      alb.ingress.kubernetes.io/listen-ports: '[{"HTTP": 80}, {"HTTPS": 443}]'
      alb.ingress.kubernetes.io/target-type: ip
      alb.ingress.kubernetes.io/backend-protocol: HTTP
      alb.ingress.kubernetes.io/healthcheck-path: /health
      alb.ingress.kubernetes.io/group.name: prod-cluster
    hostname: "rudder.example.com"
  
  service:
    type: ClusterIP
    port: 80
    targetPort: 8080
    
  resources:
    requests:
      memory: 2560Mi
    limits:
      memory: 5120Mi
      
  nodeSelector:
    intent: prod-cluster-on-demand
    
  persistence:
    mountPath: /data/rudderstack
    accessModes:
      - ReadWriteOnce
    size: 36Gi
    
  config:
    mountPath: "/etc/rudderstack"
    overrides: {}
    
  extraEnvVars:
    - name: CONFIG_BACKEND_URL
      value: "https://api.rudderlabs.com"
    - name: CONFIG_PATH
      value: "/etc/rudderstack/config.yaml"
    
    # Database connection settings for external RDS
    - name: COMPUTE_DB_HOST_IN_K8S
      value: "false"
    - name: JOBS_DB_HOST
      value: "<RDS_ENDPOINT>.rds.amazonaws.com"
    - name: JOBS_DB_PORT
      value: "5432"
    - name: JOBS_DB_USER
      value: "<DB_USER>"
    - name: JOBS_DB_PASSWORD
      value: "<DB_PASSWORD>"
    - name: JOBS_DB_DB_NAME
      value: "rudderstack"
    - name: JOBS_DB_SSL_MODE
      value: "require"
    
    # AWS backup settings (optional)
    - name: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
      value: "<AWS_ACCESS_KEY>"
    - name: AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
      value: "<AWS_SECRET_KEY>"
    - name: JOBS_BACKUP_STORAGE_PROVIDER
      value: ""  # Set to "S3" when AWS credentials are configured
    - name: JOBS_BACKUP_BUCKET
      value: "<BACKUP_BUCKET_NAME>"
    
    - name: RUDDER_TMPDIR
      value: "/data/rudderstack"
    - name: LOG_LEVEL
      value: "INFO"
    - name: RSERVER_GATEWAY_WEBHOOK_SOURCE_LIST_FOR_PARSING_PARAMS
      value: Shopify

transformer:
  replicaCount: 1
  service:
    port: 9090
  image:
    repository: rudderstack/rudder-transformer
    version: latest
    pullPolicy: Always
  resources:
    requests:
      memory: 256Mi
    limits:
      memory: 768Mi

serviceAccount:
  create: false
  annotations: {}
  name: ""

# Attempting to disable local PostgreSQL
postgresql:
  enabled: false
  persistence:
    enabled: false

telegraf_sidecar:
  enabled: false

affinity: {}

Logs from the pod:

2025/08/20 08:18:24 maxprocs: Leaving GOMAXPROCS=8: CPU quota undefined
Executing docker entrypoint script
Computed db host to rudderstack-rudderstack-postgresql-0.rudderstack-rudderstack-postgresql-headless
2025-08-20T08:18:24.337Z	INFO	main	rudder-server/main.go:31	Server is starting up...
2025-08-20T08:18:24.337Z	INFO	main	rudder-server/main.go:36	Setting memory limit	{"limit": 4294967296}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.337Z	INFO	runner	runner/runner.go:93	Config: Using config file	{"path": "/etc/rudderstack/config.yaml"}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.337Z	INFO	runner	runner/runner.go:98	Config: No .env file loaded	{"error": "open .env: no such file or directory"}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.337Z	INFO	stats	stats/statsd.go:90	Stats started successfully	{"mode": "StatsD", "url": "localhost:8125"}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.337Z	INFO	stats	stats/statsd.go:53	retrying StatsD client creation in the background...
2025-08-20T08:18:24.338Z	ERROR	stats	stats/statsd.go:111	error while creating new StatsD client	{"error": "write udp [::1]:48861->[::1]:8125: write: connection refused"}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.338Z	INFO	app	app/app.go:56	Open source version of rudder-server
2025-08-20T08:18:24.338Z	INFO	backend-config	backend-config/single_workspace.go:64	Setup backend config complete	{"workspaceId": ""}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.339Z	ERROR	backend-config-cache	cache/cache.go:144	failed to ping db	{"error": "pq: SSL is not enabled on the server"}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.339Z	ERROR	backend-config-cache	cache/cache.go:48	failed to setup db	{"error": "pq: SSL is not enabled on the server"}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.340Z	ERROR	runner.panic	crash/logger.go:33	Panic detected. Application will crash.	{"panic": "error starting backend config cache: pq: SSL is not enabled on the server", "stack": "goroutine 1 [running]:\nruntime/debug.Stack()\n\t/usr/local/go/src/runtime/debug/stack.go:26 +0x64\ngithub.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/utils/crash.(*panicLogger).Notify.func1.1()\n\t/rudder-server/utils/crash/logger.go:35 +0x78\nsync.(*Once).doSlow(0x4000c9b5a8?, 0x4fc10?)\n\t/usr/local/go/src/sync/once.go:78 +0xf0\nsync.(*Once).Do(...)\n\t/usr/local/go/src/sync/once.go:69\ngithub.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/utils/crash.(*panicLogger).Notify.func1()\n\t/rudder-server/utils/crash/logger.go:32 +0x9c\npanic({0x4043b20?, 0x40004c4200?})\n\t/usr/local/go/src/runtime/panic.go:792 +0x124\ngithub.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/backend-config.(*backendConfigImpl).StartWithIDs(0x40004f4120, {0x52380d0?, 0x4000669090?}, {0x48b29e9?, 0x1?})\n\t/rudder-server/backend-config/backend-config.go:352 +0x430\ngithub.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/runner.(*Runner).Run(0x40002cca80, {0x52380d0, 0x4000669090}, {0x400006e0e0, 0x1, 0x1})\n\t/rudder-server/runner/runner.go:175 +0x1554\nmain.main()\n\t/rudder-server/main.go:62 +0x480\n", "team": "Core", "goRoutines": 13, "version": "1.57.0", "releaseStage": "development", "appType": "rudder-server-EMBEDDED"}
2025-08-20T08:18:24.340Z	ERROR	runner.panic	crash/logger.go:33	goroutine 1 [running]:
github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-go-kit/logger.(*logger).Fataln(0x40006e39e0, {0x496f9de, 0x27}, {0x4000774008, 0x7, 0x4000dcc000?})
	/go/pkg/mod/github.com/rudderlabs/[email protected]/logger/logger.go:381 +0x234
github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/utils/crash.(*panicLogger).Notify.func1.1()
	/rudder-server/utils/crash/logger.go:33 +0x44c
sync.(*Once).doSlow(0x4000c9b5a8?, 0x4fc10?)
	/usr/local/go/src/sync/once.go:78 +0xf0
sync.(*Once).Do(...)
	/usr/local/go/src/sync/once.go:69
github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/utils/crash.(*panicLogger).Notify.func1()
	/rudder-server/utils/crash/logger.go:32 +0x9c
panic({0x4043b20?, 0x40004c4200?})
	/usr/local/go/src/runtime/panic.go:792 +0x124
github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/backend-config.(*backendConfigImpl).StartWithIDs(0x40004f4120, {0x52380d0?, 0x4000669090?}, {0x48b29e9?, 0x1?})
	/rudder-server/backend-config/backend-config.go:352 +0x430
github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/runner.(*Runner).Run(0x40002cca80, {0x52380d0, 0x4000669090}, {0x400006e0e0, 0x1, 0x1})
	/rudder-server/runner/runner.go:175 +0x1554
main.main()
	/rudder-server/main.go:62 +0x480
	{"panic": "error starting backend config cache: pq: SSL is not enabled on the server", "stack": "goroutine 1 [running]:\nruntime/debug.Stack()\n\t/usr/local/go/src/runtime/debug/stack.go:26 +0x64\ngithub.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/utils/crash.(*panicLogger).Notify.func1.1()\n\t/rudder-server/utils/crash/logger.go:35 +0x78\nsync.(*Once).doSlow(0x4000c9b5a8?, 0x4fc10?)\n\t/usr/local/go/src/sync/once.go:78 +0xf0\nsync.(*Once).Do(...)\n\t/usr/local/go/src/sync/once.go:69\ngithub.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/utils/crash.(*panicLogger).Notify.func1()\n\t/rudder-server/utils/crash/logger.go:32 +0x9c\npanic({0x4043b20?, 0x40004c4200?})\n\t/usr/local/go/src/runtime/panic.go:792 +0x124\ngithub.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/backend-config.(*backendConfigImpl).StartWithIDs(0x40004f4120, {0x52380d0?, 0x4000669090?}, {0x48b29e9?, 0x1?})\n\t/rudder-server/backend-config/backend-config.go:352 +0x430\ngithub.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/runner.(*Runner).Run(0x40002cca80, {0x52380d0, 0x4000669090}, {0x400006e0e0, 0x1, 0x1})\n\t/rudder-server/runner/runner.go:175 +0x1554\nmain.main()\n\t/rudder-server/main.go:62 +0x480\n", "team": "Core", "goRoutines": 13, "version": "1.57.0", "releaseStage": "development", "appType": "rudder-server-EMBEDDED"}
panic: error starting backend config cache: pq: SSL is not enabled on the server [recovered]
	panic: error starting backend config cache: pq: SSL is not enabled on the server

goroutine 1 [running]:
github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/utils/crash.(*panicLogger).Notify.func1()
	/rudder-server/utils/crash/logger.go:43 +0x88
panic({0x4043b20?, 0x40004c4200?})
	/usr/local/go/src/runtime/panic.go:792 +0x124
github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/backend-config.(*backendConfigImpl).StartWithIDs(0x40004f4120, {0x52380d0?, 0x4000669090?}, {0x48b29e9?, 0x1?})
	/rudder-server/backend-config/backend-config.go:352 +0x430
github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server/runner.(*Runner).Run(0x40002cca80, {0x52380d0, 0x4000669090}, {0x400006e0e0, 0x1, 0x1})
	/rudder-server/runner/runner.go:175 +0x1554
main.main()
	/rudder-server/main.go:62 +0x480

[gitcommitshow]

Were you able to solve this issue already?

P.S. Generally, response on Slack is faster.

[siddharth-khatri]

Hi,

I had raised this same issue on the Slack channel earlier. The team mentioned that this functionality hasn’t been implemented yet.