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Wiki.js on Google Cloud Run

Wiki.js on Google Cloud Run

Wiki.js is a powerful open-source wiki platform designed for teams that need modern, fast knowledge management with Git-backed version control and a clean writing experience. This module deploys Wiki.js on Cloud Run v2 on top of the App_CloudRun foundation, which provisions and manages the shared Google Cloud infrastructure.

This guide focuses on the cloud services Wiki.js uses and how to explore and operate them from the Google Cloud Console and the command line. For the mechanics common to every Cloud Run application — service identity, ingress and load balancing, scaling and concurrency, CI/CD, Cloud Armor, IAP, Binary Authorization, VPC Service Controls, backups, and the deployment lifecycle — refer to the App_CloudRun foundation guide rather than repeating them here.


1. Overview

Wiki.js runs as a Node.js container on Cloud Run v2. The deployment wires together a focused set of Google Cloud services:

CapabilityGoogle Cloud serviceNotes
ComputeCloud Run v2Node.js service, 1 vCPU / 2 GiB by default, request-based autoscaling
DatabaseCloud SQL for PostgreSQL 15Required — Wiki.js uses PostgreSQL with the pg_trgm extension for full-text search
Shared filesFilestore (NFS)Uploaded assets shared across all instances (mounted into the service)
Object storageCloud StorageA dedicated wikijs-storage bucket, mountable via GCS Fuse at /wiki-storage
Cache (optional)RedisDisabled by default; enable for session caching
SecretsSecret ManagerAuto-generated database password
IngressCloud Run URL / Cloud Load BalancingDefault run.app URL, optional external HTTPS load balancer + custom domain

Sensible defaults worth knowing up front:

  • PostgreSQL 15 is mandatory. Selecting MySQL or NONE breaks startup. The pg_trgm extension is installed automatically and is required for Wiki.js full-text search.
  • Port 3000. Wiki.js binds to port 3000 (set by Wikijs_Common), not the conventional 80 or 8080.
  • Gen2 execution environment is required for NFS mounts. Cloud Run gen2 is the default.
  • Scale-to-zero by default. min_instance_count = 0 is the default — set to 1 for wikis that cannot tolerate 15–30 s cold starts.
  • Asset storage path matters. HA_STORAGE_PATH=/wiki-storage tells Wiki.js where to write uploads. The NFS or GCS Fuse volume must be mounted at the same path.
  • The database is bootstrapped on first deploy by a db-init job that creates the PostgreSQL user, database, and schema. The startup probe uses /healthz with a 60-second initial delay to allow this.

2. Google Cloud Services & How to Explore Them

All commands assume PROJECT and REGION are set. Service and resource names are reported in the deployment Outputs.

A. Cloud Run — the Wiki.js service

Wiki.js runs as a Cloud Run v2 service that autoscales by request load between the minimum and maximum instance counts. Each deployment creates an immutable revision; traffic can be split across revisions for safe rollouts.

  • Console: Cloud Run → select the service for revisions, traffic, logs, and metrics.
  • CLI:
    gcloud run services list --project "$PROJECT" --region "$REGION"
    gcloud run services describe <service-name> --project "$PROJECT" --region "$REGION"
    gcloud run revisions list --service <service-name> --project "$PROJECT" --region "$REGION"

See App_CloudRun for scaling, concurrency, execution environment, and traffic splitting.

B. Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL 15

Wiki.js stores all application data (pages, users, navigation, search index) in a managed Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL 15 instance. The pg_trgm extension is installed at provisioning time and powers Wiki.js's native full-text search. The service connects privately through the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy over a Unix socket (no public IP). On first deploy an initialization Job creates the application database and user.

  • Console: SQL → select the instance for connections, backups, flags, metrics.
  • CLI:
    gcloud sql instances list --project "$PROJECT"
    gcloud sql instances describe <instance-name> --project "$PROJECT"
    gcloud sql connect <instance-name> --user=<db-user> --project "$PROJECT"

The instance name, database, user, and password secret are in the Outputs. See App_CloudRun for the connection model, backups, and password rotation.

C. Filestore (NFS) and Cloud Storage

Uploaded assets are written to a Filestore (NFS) share mounted into the service so all instances share the same files. A dedicated Cloud Storage bucket (wikijs-storage) is also provisioned for persistent asset storage; it can be mounted at /wiki-storage via GCS Fuse.

  • Console: Filestore → Instances; Cloud Storage → Buckets.
  • CLI:
    gcloud filestore instances list --project "$PROJECT"
    gcloud storage buckets list --project "$PROJECT"
    gcloud storage ls gs://<storage-bucket>/ # bucket name is in the Outputs

See App_CloudRun for the NFS mount, GCS Fuse, and CMEK.

D. Redis cache (optional)

Redis is disabled by default. When enabled, it provides session caching. Set enable_redis = true and supply redis_host to activate.

  • Console: Memorystore → Redis (if using a managed instance).
  • CLI:
    redis-cli -h <redis-host> ping
    redis-cli -h <redis-host> info keyspace

E. Secret Manager

The database password is stored in Secret Manager and injected into the service at runtime; plaintext never appears in configuration.

  • Console: Security → Secret Manager.
  • CLI:
    gcloud secrets list --project "$PROJECT"
    gcloud secrets versions access latest --secret=<secret-name> --project "$PROJECT"

See App_CloudRun for injection and rotation details.

F. Networking & ingress

The service is reachable at its run.app URL by default. An external HTTPS load balancer with a custom domain, Cloud CDN, and Cloud Armor can be layered on; ingress settings and VPC egress control connectivity.

  • Console: Cloud Run (service URL); Network services → Load balancing.
  • CLI:
    gcloud run services describe <service-name> --region "$REGION" --format='value(status.url)'
    gcloud compute addresses list --project "$PROJECT"

See App_CloudRun.

G. Cloud Logging & Monitoring

Container logs flow to Cloud Logging; Cloud Run and Cloud SQL metrics flow to Cloud Monitoring, with optional uptime checks and alert policies.

  • Console: Logging → Logs Explorer; Monitoring → Dashboards / Alerting.
  • CLI:
    gcloud run services logs read <service-name> --project "$PROJECT" --region "$REGION" --limit 50

3. Wiki.js Application Behaviour

  • First-deploy database setup. An initialization Job (db-init) uses the postgres:15-alpine image to connect through the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy, idempotently create the wikijs database and user, and grant the required privileges. The pg_trgm PostgreSQL extension is installed as part of the Wikijs_Common configuration. The job is safe to re-run.

  • Schema migration on first start. Wiki.js connects to PostgreSQL on startup and runs its own internal schema migration. The startup probe carries a 60-second initial delay to allow this on first boot.

  • Asset storage path. Wiki.js writes uploaded files to the path set by HA_STORAGE_PATH (default /wiki-storage). To persist assets across revisions, configure gcs_volumes to mount the wikijs-storage bucket at /wiki-storage. The NFS mount path and this variable must resolve to the same location.

  • Health endpoint. Both the startup and liveness probes use /healthz, which returns HTTP 200 only once Wiki.js is running and connected to PostgreSQL. Do not replace this with / — the UI path is slow and may return errors during startup.

  • Redis is optional. Wiki.js does not require Redis for core operation. Enable it when you want application-level session caching.

    Inspect the jobs and their executions:

    gcloud run jobs list --project "$PROJECT" --region "$REGION"
    gcloud run jobs executions list --job <job-name> --project "$PROJECT" --region "$REGION"

4. Configuration Variables

Variables are grouped exactly as they appear on the deployment platform. Only settings specific to or notable for Wiki.js are listed; every other input is inherited from App_CloudRun with its standard behaviour.

Group 1 — Project & Identity

VariableDefaultDescription
project_id(required)Target Google Cloud project.
regionus-central1Region for the service and regional resources.

Group 2 — Deployment Environment

VariableDefaultDescription
tenant_deployment_iddemoShort suffix that makes resource names unique per environment.
support_users[]Emails granted project access and monitoring alerts.
resource_labels{}Labels applied to all resources.

Group 3 — Application Identity

VariableDefaultDescription
application_namewikijsBase name for resources. Do not change after first deploy.
display_nameWiki.jsFriendly name shown in the Console.
application_version2.5.311Wiki.js image version tag; increment to trigger a new revision.
db_namewikijsPostgreSQL database name. Immutable after first deploy; must match DB_NAME.
db_userwikijsPostgreSQL user. Immutable after first deploy; must match DB_USER.

Group 4 — Runtime & Scaling

VariableDefaultDescription
deploy_applicationtrueSet false to provision infrastructure only.
cpu_limit1000mCPU per instance (1 vCPU).
memory_limit2GiMemory per instance; minimum 1Gi for Node.js.
min_instance_count0Minimum instances — set 1 to eliminate cold starts.
max_instance_count1Maximum instances.
execution_environmentgen2Gen2 required for NFS mounts.
timeout_seconds300Increase for large page exports or asset processing.
enable_cloudsql_volumetrueCloud SQL Auth Proxy for Unix socket connections.
enable_image_mirroringtrueMirror requarks/wiki:2 from Docker Hub into Artifact Registry.
traffic_split[]Split traffic across revisions for staged rollouts.
max_revisions_to_retain7How many old revisions to keep.

Group 5 — Access & Ingress Control

VariableDefaultDescription
enable_iapfalseRequire Google sign-in via Identity-Aware Proxy.
iap_authorized_users / iap_authorized_groups[]Who may access through IAP.
ingress_settingsallWhich networks may reach the service.
vpc_egress_settingPRIVATE_RANGES_ONLYHow outbound traffic is routed through the VPC connector.

Group 6 — Environment Variables & Secrets

VariableDefaultDescription
environment_variables{ DB_TYPE="postgres", DB_PORT="5432", DB_USER="wikijs", DB_NAME="wikijs", DB_SSL="false", HA_STORAGE_PATH="/wiki-storage" }Pre-populated with Wiki.js DB connectivity settings. Core values — do not remove.
secret_environment_variables{}Map of env var → Secret Manager secret name. DB_PASS is wired automatically.
secret_propagation_delay / secret_rotation_period(set)Replication wait / rotation cadence.

Group 7 — Backup & Restore

VariableDefaultDescription
backup_schedule0 2 * * *Automated backup cron (UTC).
backup_retention_days7Retention; raise for production/compliance.
enable_backup_import / backup_source / backup_uri / backup_formatrestore optionsRestore from a backup on deploy.

Group 8 — CI/CD & Binary Authorization

Standard App_CloudRun Cloud Build / Cloud Deploy integration — see App_CloudRun. Key inputs: enable_cicd_trigger, github_repository_url, github_token, enable_cloud_deploy, enable_binary_authorization, binauthz_evaluation_mode.

Group 9 — NFS Instance & Custom SQL

VariableDefaultDescription
nfs_instance_name / nfs_instance_base_name(set)Existing NFS instance / base name for an inline one.
enable_custom_sql_scripts / custom_sql_scripts_bucket / custom_sql_scripts_path / custom_sql_scripts_use_rootoffRun SQL from a GCS bucket after provisioning.

Group 10 — Domain, CDN, Cloud Armor & Image Retention

VariableDefaultDescription
application_domains[]Custom hostnames for the external load balancer.
enable_cdnfalseEnable Cloud CDN on the LB backend.
enable_cloud_armor / admin_ip_rangesoffAttach a WAF policy / restrict privileged access.
max_images_to_retain / delete_untagged_images / image_retention_days(set)Artifact Registry cleanup policy.

Group 11 — Storage & Filesystem

VariableDefaultDescription
enable_nfstrueShared Filestore volume for Wiki.js assets.
nfs_mount_path/mnt/nfsMount path inside the container — must align with HA_STORAGE_PATH.
create_cloud_storage / storage_buckets / gcs_volumes(set)Storage bucket / additional buckets / GCS Fuse mounts.
manage_storage_kms_iam / enable_artifact_registry_cmekfalseCMEK options.

Group 12 — Database Backend

VariableDefaultDescription
database_typePOSTGRES_15Fixed — do not change. Wiki.js requires PostgreSQL.
database_password_length32Generated password length (16–64).
enable_auto_password_rotation / rotation_propagation_delay_secoffDB password rotation.
db_host_env_var_name / db_name_env_var_name / db_user_env_var_name / db_port_env_var_name / service_url_env_var_name(set)Names under which connection details are injected.

Group 13 — Jobs & Scheduled Tasks

VariableDefaultDescription
initialization_jobs[]Leave empty to use the built-in db-init job from Wikijs_Common.
cron_jobs[]Recurring Cloud Run jobs triggered by Cloud Scheduler.

Group 14 — Observability & Health

VariableDefaultDescription
startup_probeHTTP /healthz, 60 s initial delayStartup probe — generous delay for first-boot DB migration.
liveness_probeHTTP /healthz, 60 s initial delayLiveness probe.
uptime_check_configdisabled, path /Cloud Monitoring uptime check.
alert_policies[]Metric alert policies.

Group 21 — Redis Cache

VariableDefaultDescription
enable_redisfalseEnable Redis for session caching (optional for Wiki.js).
redis_host""Redis endpoint — required when enable_redis = true.
redis_port6379Redis port.
redis_auth""Optional Redis auth password (sensitive).

Group 22 — VPC Service Controls & Audit Logging

VariableDefaultDescription
enable_vpc_scfalseEnforce a VPC-SC perimeter (requires organization_id).
vpc_cidr_ranges / vpc_sc_dry_run(set)Access level CIDRs / dry-run mode.
enable_audit_loggingfalseDetailed Cloud Audit Logs.

5. Outputs

Returned on a successful deployment — the quickest way to locate and explore the running resources.

OutputDescription
service_nameCloud Run service name.
service_urlDefault run.app URL of the service.
service_locationRegion the service runs in.
stage_servicesStage-specific service URLs (Cloud Deploy).
load_balancer_ip / load_balancer_urlExternal HTTPS load balancer IP / URL (when enabled).
database_instance_nameCloud SQL instance name.
database_name / database_userApplication database name / user.
database_password_secretSecret Manager secret holding the DB password.
database_host / database_portDB endpoint / port.
storage_bucketsCreated Cloud Storage buckets.
network_name / network_exists / regionsVPC network, presence, regions.
container_image / container_registryDeployed image and Artifact Registry repo.
monitoring_enabled / monitoring_notification_channels / uptime_check_namesMonitoring status, channels, uptime checks.
initialization_jobsNames of the setup jobs.
deployment_id / tenant_id / resource_prefixNaming identifiers.
project_id / project_numberProject identifiers.
cicd_enabled / github_repository_url / github_repository_owner / github_repository_name / cicd_configurationCI/CD status and details.
artifact_registry_repository / cloudbuild_trigger_name / cloudbuild_trigger_idRegistry and build trigger.
vpc_sc_enabled / vpc_sc_perimeter_name / vpc_sc_dry_run_modeVPC-SC status.
audit_logging_enabled / artifact_registry_cmek_enabledAudit logging and CMEK status.

6. Configuration Pitfalls & Sensible Defaults

Risk: Critical (data loss / outage / security) — High (service degraded) — Medium (cost or partial degradation) — Low (minor).

SettingSensible valueRiskConsequence if wrong
database_typePOSTGRES_15CriticalWiki.js requires PostgreSQL; MySQL/NONE breaks startup.
db_name / DB_NAMEboth wikijsCriticalMismatch: db-init creates a different database than Wiki.js connects to — crash loop. Immutable after first deploy.
enable_cloudsql_volumetrueCriticalDisabling removes the Auth Proxy sidecar — all PostgreSQL connections fail.
enable_backup_importfalse unless restoringCriticalEnabling without a valid backup_uri fails the import job.
db_user / DB_USERboth wikijsHighMismatch: grants are for one user but Wiki.js authenticates as another — auth failure.
enable_nfstrueHighWithout shared storage, uploads written by one instance are invisible to others.
nfs_mount_path + HA_STORAGE_PATHboth /wiki-storageHighIf mount path and HA_STORAGE_PATH disagree, Wiki.js writes to ephemeral disk.
memory_limit2GiHighBelow 1Gi Wiki.js is OOM-killed on startup or under load.
startup_probe.initial_delay_seconds60HighToo low — Wiki.js is killed before first-boot schema migration completes.
min_instance_count1HighScale-to-zero causes 15–30 s cold starts with failed in-flight requests.
gcs_volumesmount at /wiki-storageHighThe wikijs-storage bucket is provisioned but not auto-mounted; without gcs_volumes, uploads go to ephemeral disk.
application_version2.5.311HighWiki.js 2.x and 3.x have incompatible schemas. Test upgrades in staging.
enable_iap / ingress_settingsrestrict for internal wikisHighDefault (all) exposes the Wiki.js login page to the public internet.
enable_redisfalse unless neededLowWiki.js does not require Redis for core operation.
backup_retention_days7 (raise for prod)MediumToo short for compliance retention.

For the foundation behaviour referenced throughout — service identity, scaling and concurrency, ingress and load balancing, CI/CD, Cloud Armor, IAP, Binary Authorization, VPC-SC, backups, and image mirroring — see App_CloudRun. Wiki.js-specific application configuration shared with the GKE variant is described in Wikijs_Common.