I am trying to self-host Appsmith on Oracle cloud using Docker, but I'm not sure if the Docker image comes with a MongoDB server included or if I need to connect to a separate MongoDB server. I found a connection string to MongoDB in the advanced settings, but I'm not sure if it is for an internal or external MongoDB. I tried connecting to the internal MongoDB with Compass but the credentials didn't work. I ended up running a separate container for my database. Is this the intended way to use Appsmith with a database?
The solution to the question of whether Appsmith's Docker image comes with a MongoDB server or if a separate server is needed is that when Appsmith is self-hosted, it comes with an internal MongoDB server. However, it is possible to connect to an external MongoDB server as well. The credentials for the internal MongoDB server can be found in the stacks/configuration/docker.env file and changes to it are not recommended as it may break apps.
To connect to the internal MongoDB server using external apps like MongoDB Compass, make sure to use the correct credentials as provided in the docker.env file. If there are issues in connecting to the internal MongoDB server using external apps, running a separate container for the database may be a viable solution.
In summary, using one container for Appsmith and one for the database is not the intended way to use Appsmith, as it is meant to be used with an internal MongoDB instance.