Reorganize Postgres access (breaking change)

In short, this makes Synapse a 2nd class citizen,
preparing for a future where it's just one-of-many homeserver software
options.

We also no longer have a default Postgres superuser password,
which improves security.

The changelog explains more as to why this was done
and how to proceed from here.
This commit is contained in:
Slavi Pantaleev
2021-01-22 12:23:00 +02:00
parent 703f1b1a04
commit 95346f3117
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# 2021-01-22
## (Breaking Change) Postgres changes that require manual intervention
We've made a lot of changes to our Postgres setup and some manual action is required (described below). Sorry about the hassle.
**TLDR**: people running an [external Postgres server](docs/configuring-playbook-external-postgres.md) don't need to change anything for now. Everyone else (the common/default case) is affected and manual intervention is required.
### Why?
- we had a default Postgres password (`matrix_postgres_connection_password: synapse-password`), which we think is **not ideal for security anymore**. We now ask you to generate/provide a strong password yourself. Postgres is normally not exposed outside the container network, making it relatively secure, but still:
- by tweaking the configuration, you may end up intentionally or unintentionally exposing your Postgres server to the local network (or even publicly), while still using the default default credentials (`synapse` + `synapse-password`)
- we can't be sure we trust all these services (bridges, etc). Some of them may try to talk to or attack `matrix-postgres` using the default credentials (`synapse` + `synapse-password`)
- you may have other containers running on the same Docker network, which may try to talk to or attack `matrix-postgres` using the default credentials (`synapse` + `synapse-password`)
- our Postgres usage **was overly-focused on Synapse** (default username of `synapse` and default/main database of `homeserver`). Additional homeserver options are likely coming in the future ([Dendrite](https://matrix.org/docs/projects/server/dendrite), [Conduit](https://matrix.org/docs/projects/server/conduit), [The Construct](https://matrix.org/docs/projects/server/construct)), so being too focused on `matrix-synapse` is not great. From now on, Synapse is just another component of this playbook, which happens to have an *additional database* (called `synapse`) on the Postgres server.
- we try to reorganize things a bit, to make the playbook even friendlier to people running an [external Postgres server](docs/configuring-playbook-external-postgres.md). Work on this will proceed in the future.
So, this is some **effort to improve security** and to **prepare for a brighter future of having more homeserver options** than just Synapse.
### What has really changed?
- the default superuser Postgres username is now `matrix` (used to be `synapse`)
- the default Postgres database is now `matrix` (used to be `homeserver`)
- Synapse's database is now `synapse` (used to be `homeserver`). This is now just another "additional database" that the playbook manages for you
- Synapse's user called `synapse` is just a regular user that can only use the `synapse` database (not a superuser anymore)
### What do I do if I'm using the integrated Postgres server (default)?
By default, the playbook runs an integrated Postgres server for you in a container (`matrix-postgres`). Unless you've explicitly configured an [external Postgres server](docs/configuring-playbook-external-postgres.md), these steps are meant for you.
To migrate to the new setup, expect a few minutes of downtime, while you follow these steps:
1. Generate a strong password to be used for your superuser Postgres user (called `matrix`). You can use `pwgen -s 64 1` to generate it, or some other tool.
2. Update your playbook's `inventory/host_vars/matrix.DOMAIN/vars.yml` file, adding a line like this:
```yaml
matrix_postgres_connection_password: YOUR_POSTGRES_PASSWORD_HERE
```
.. where `YOUR_POSTGRES_PASSWORD_HERE` is to be replaced with the password you generated during step #1.
3. Stop all services: `ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts setup.yml --tags=stop`
4. Log in to the server via SSH. The next commands will be performed there.
5. Start the Postgres database server: `systemctl start matrix-postgres`
6. Open a Postgres shell: `/usr/local/bin/matrix-postgres-cli`
7. Execute the following query, while making sure to **change the password inside**:
```sql
CREATE ROLE matrix LOGIN SUPERUSER PASSWORD 'YOUR_POSTGRES_PASSWORD_HERE';
```
.. where `YOUR_POSTGRES_PASSWORD_HERE` is to be replaced with the password you generated during step #1.
8. Execute the following queries as you see them (no modifications necessary, so you can just paste them):
```sql
CREATE DATABASE matrix OWNER matrix;
ALTER DATABASE postgres OWNER TO matrix;
ALTER DATABASE template0 OWNER TO matrix;
ALTER DATABASE template1 OWNER TO matrix;
\c matrix;
ALTER DATABASE homeserver RENAME TO synapse;
ALTER ROLE synapse NOSUPERUSER NOCREATEDB NOCREATEROLE;
\quit
```
You may need to press *Enter* after pasting the lines above.
1. Re-run the playbook normally: `ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts setup.yml --tags=setup-all,start`
### What do I do if I'm using an external Postgres server?
If you've explicitly configured an [external Postgres server](docs/configuring-playbook-external-postgres.md), there are changes that you need to do at this time.
The fact that we've renamed Synapse's database from `homeserver` to `synapse` (in our defaults) should not affect you, as you're already explicitly defining `matrix_synapse_database_database` (if you've followed our guide, that is). If you're not explicitly defining this variable, you may wish to do so (`matrix_synapse_database_database: homeserver`), to avoid the new `synapse` default and keep things as they were.
# 2021-01-20
## (Breaking Change) The mautrix-facebook bridge now requires a Postgres database