Certification track: Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE)
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:
| Capability | Google Cloud service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Compute | Cloud Run v2 | Node.js service, 1 vCPU / 2 GiB by default, request-based autoscaling |
| Database | Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL 15 | Required — Wiki.js uses PostgreSQL with the pg_trgm extension for full-text search |
| Shared files | Filestore (NFS) | Uploaded assets shared across all instances (mounted into the service) |
| Object storage | Cloud Storage | A dedicated wikijs-storage bucket, mountable via GCS Fuse at /wiki-storage |
| Cache (optional) | Redis | Disabled by default; enable for session caching |
| Secrets | Secret Manager | Auto-generated database password |
| Ingress | Cloud Run URL / Cloud Load Balancing | Default run.app URL, optional external HTTPS load balancer + custom domain |
Sensible defaults worth knowing up front:
- PostgreSQL 15 is mandatory. Selecting MySQL or
NONEbreaks startup. Thepg_trgmextension 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 = 0is the default — set to1for wikis that cannot tolerate 15–30 s cold starts. - Asset storage path matters.
HA_STORAGE_PATH=/wiki-storagetells 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-initjob that creates the PostgreSQL user, database, and schema. The startup probe uses/healthzwith 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 "$REGION" --limit 50
3. Wiki.js Application Behaviour
-
First-deploy database setup. An initialization Job (
db-init) uses thepostgres:15-alpineimage to connect through the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy, idempotently create thewikijsdatabase and user, and grant the required privileges. Thepg_trgmPostgreSQL extension is installed as part of theWikijs_Commonconfiguration. The job is safe to re-run. -
Schema migration on first start. Wiki.js connects to PostgreSQL on startup and runs its own internal schema migration. The startup probe carries a 60-second initial delay to allow this on first boot.
-
Asset storage path. Wiki.js writes uploaded files to the path set by
HA_STORAGE_PATH(default/wiki-storage). To persist assets across revisions, configuregcs_volumesto mount thewikijs-storagebucket at/wiki-storage. The NFS mount path and this variable must resolve to the same location. -
Health endpoint. Both the startup and liveness probes use
/healthz, which returns HTTP 200 only once Wiki.js is running and connected to PostgreSQL. Do not replace this with/— the UI path is slow and may return errors during startup. -
Redis is optional. Wiki.js does not require Redis for core operation. Enable it when you want application-level session caching.
Inspect the jobs and their executions:
gcloud run jobs list --project "$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
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
project_id | (required) | Target Google Cloud project. |
region | us-central1 | Region for the service and regional resources. |
Group 2 — Deployment Environment
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
tenant_deployment_id | demo | Short 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
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
application_name | wikijs | Base name for resources. Do not change after first deploy. |
display_name | Wiki.js | Friendly name shown in the Console. |
application_version | 2.5.311 | Wiki.js image version tag; increment to trigger a new revision. |
db_name | wikijs | PostgreSQL database name. Immutable after first deploy; must match DB_NAME. |
db_user | wikijs | PostgreSQL user. Immutable after first deploy; must match DB_USER. |
Group 4 — Runtime & Scaling
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
deploy_application | true | Set false to provision infrastructure only. |
cpu_limit | 1000m | CPU per instance (1 vCPU). |
memory_limit | 2Gi | Memory per instance; minimum 1Gi for Node.js. |
min_instance_count | 0 | Minimum instances — set 1 to eliminate cold starts. |
max_instance_count | 1 | Maximum instances. |
execution_environment | gen2 | Gen2 required for NFS mounts. |
timeout_seconds | 300 | Increase for large page exports or asset processing. |
enable_cloudsql_volume | true | Cloud SQL Auth Proxy for Unix socket connections. |
enable_image_mirroring | true | Mirror requarks/wiki:2 from Docker Hub into Artifact Registry. |
traffic_split | [] | Split traffic across revisions for staged rollouts. |
max_revisions_to_retain | 7 | How many old revisions to keep. |
Group 5 — Access & Ingress Control
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
enable_iap | false | Require Google sign-in via Identity-Aware Proxy. |
iap_authorized_users / iap_authorized_groups | [] | Who may access through IAP. |
ingress_settings | all | Which networks may reach the service. |
vpc_egress_setting | PRIVATE_RANGES_ONLY | How outbound traffic is routed through the VPC connector. |
Group 6 — Environment Variables & Secrets
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
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
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
backup_schedule | 0 2 * * * | Automated backup cron (UTC). |
backup_retention_days | 7 | Retention; raise for production/compliance. |
enable_backup_import / backup_source / backup_uri / backup_format | restore options | Restore 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
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
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_root | off | Run SQL from a GCS bucket after provisioning. |
Group 10 — Domain, CDN, Cloud Armor & Image Retention
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
application_domains | [] | Custom hostnames for the external load balancer. |
enable_cdn | false | Enable Cloud CDN on the LB backend. |
enable_cloud_armor / admin_ip_ranges | off | Attach 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
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
enable_nfs | true | Shared Filestore volume for Wiki.js assets. |
nfs_mount_path | /mnt/nfs | Mount 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_cmek | false | CMEK options. |
Group 12 — Database Backend
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
database_type | POSTGRES_15 | Fixed — do not change. Wiki.js requires PostgreSQL. |
database_password_length | 32 | Generated password length (16–64). |
enable_auto_password_rotation / rotation_propagation_delay_sec | off | DB 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
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
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
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
startup_probe | HTTP /healthz, 60 s initial delay | Startup probe — generous delay for first-boot DB migration. |
liveness_probe | HTTP /healthz, 60 s initial delay | Liveness probe. |
uptime_check_config | disabled, path / | Cloud Monitoring uptime check. |
alert_policies | [] | Metric alert policies. |
Group 21 — Redis Cache
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
enable_redis | false | Enable Redis for session caching (optional for Wiki.js). |
redis_host | "" | Redis endpoint — required when enable_redis = true. |
redis_port | 6379 | Redis port. |
redis_auth | "" | Optional Redis auth password (sensitive). |
Group 22 — VPC Service Controls & Audit Logging
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
enable_vpc_sc | false | Enforce a VPC-SC perimeter (requires organization_id). |
vpc_cidr_ranges / vpc_sc_dry_run | (set) | Access level CIDRs / dry-run mode. |
enable_audit_logging | false | Detailed Cloud Audit Logs. |
5. Outputs
Returned on a successful deployment — the quickest way to locate and explore the running resources.
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
service_name | Cloud Run service name. |
service_url | Default run.app URL of the service. |
service_location | Region the service runs in. |
stage_services | Stage-specific service URLs (Cloud Deploy). |
load_balancer_ip / load_balancer_url | External HTTPS load balancer IP / URL (when enabled). |
database_instance_name | Cloud SQL instance name. |
database_name / database_user | Application database name / user. |
database_password_secret | Secret Manager secret holding the DB password. |
database_host / database_port | DB endpoint / port. |
storage_buckets | Created Cloud Storage buckets. |
network_name / network_exists / regions | VPC network, presence, regions. |
container_image / container_registry | Deployed image and Artifact Registry repo. |
monitoring_enabled / monitoring_notification_channels / uptime_check_names | Monitoring status, channels, uptime checks. |
initialization_jobs | Names of the setup jobs. |
deployment_id / tenant_id / resource_prefix | Naming identifiers. |
project_id / project_number | Project identifiers. |
cicd_enabled / github_repository_url / github_repository_owner / github_repository_name / cicd_configuration | CI/CD status and details. |
artifact_registry_repository / cloudbuild_trigger_name / cloudbuild_trigger_id | Registry and build trigger. |
vpc_sc_enabled / vpc_sc_perimeter_name / vpc_sc_dry_run_mode | VPC-SC status. |
audit_logging_enabled / artifact_registry_cmek_enabled | Audit 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).
| Setting | Sensible value | Risk | Consequence if wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
database_type | POSTGRES_15 | Critical | Wiki.js requires PostgreSQL; MySQL/NONE breaks startup. |
db_name / DB_NAME | both wikijs | Critical | Mismatch: db-init creates a different database than Wiki.js connects to — crash loop. Immutable after first deploy. |
enable_cloudsql_volume | true | Critical | Disabling removes the Auth Proxy sidecar — all PostgreSQL connections fail. |
enable_backup_import | false unless restoring | Critical | Enabling without a valid backup_uri fails the import job. |
db_user / DB_USER | both wikijs | High | Mismatch: grants are for one user but Wiki.js authenticates as another — auth failure. |
enable_nfs | true | High | Without shared storage, uploads written by one instance are invisible to others. |
nfs_mount_path + HA_STORAGE_PATH | both /wiki-storage | High | If mount path and HA_STORAGE_PATH disagree, Wiki.js writes to ephemeral disk. |
memory_limit | 2Gi | High | Below 1Gi Wiki.js is OOM-killed on startup or under load. |
startup_probe.initial_delay_seconds | 60 | High | Too low — Wiki.js is killed before first-boot schema migration completes. |
min_instance_count | 1 | High | Scale-to-zero causes 15–30 s cold starts with failed in-flight requests. |
gcs_volumes | mount at /wiki-storage | High | The wikijs-storage bucket is provisioned but not auto-mounted; without gcs_volumes, uploads go to ephemeral disk. |
application_version | 2.5.311 | High | Wiki.js 2.x and 3.x have incompatible schemas. Test upgrades in staging. |
enable_iap / ingress_settings | restrict for internal wikis | High | Default (all) exposes the Wiki.js login page to the public internet. |
enable_redis | false unless needed | Low | Wiki.js does not require Redis for core operation. |
backup_retention_days | 7 (raise for prod) | Medium | Too 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.