Where Does GoToSocial Store Data and Config?
GoToSocial data directory and config file paths for binary installs on Linux fediverse server deployments.
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GoToSocial keeps instance data under /var/lib/gotosocial on binary installs. Uploads, emoji, and SQLite state live inside that tree. Docker installs map the same root through a volume.
Settings live in config.yaml, commonly /etc/gotosocial/config.yaml or beside the binary. That file holds domain, ports, and storage paths. Back up the data folder with the config. The domain in the config must match the old instance. Copy uploads with the database dump. Media cache grows with federated follows. SQLite suits small single user instances.
Where GoToSocial stores this, by platform
/var/lib/gotosocial
Uploads, emoji, and SQLite state for binary installs. Docker maps a volume here. Copy with the service stopped for consistency.
/etc/gotosocial/config.yaml
Domain, storage paths, and secrets for the instance. Check the systemd unit when missing since it passes --config explicitly.
Frequently asked questions
what do i back up for a GoToSocial move
Copy /var/lib/gotosocial with config.yaml and a database dump. The data folder holds uploads and SQLite state. The config holds domain and secrets. All three restore the instance.
where are GoToSocial uploads stored
Open config.yaml and read storage and database lines. Uploads default under the storage path inside the data root. SQLite and Postgres both appear here depending on setup.
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