docs(user): document read-only database (closes #4341)

Author: eliandoran

apps/server/src/assets/doc_notes/en/User Guide/!!!meta.json

@@ -14150,6 +14150,82 @@
                             "format": "markdown",
                             "dataFileName": "Nightly release.md",
                             "attachments": []
+                        },
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+                            "notePath": [
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+                                "tC7s2alapj8V",
+                                "ZmT9ln8XJX2o"
+                            ],
+                            "title": "Read-only database",
+                            "notePosition": 270,
+                            "prefix": null,
+                            "isExpanded": false,
+                            "type": "text",
+                            "mime": "text/html",
+                            "attributes": [
+                                {
+                                    "type": "label",
+                                    "name": "iconClass",
+                                    "value": "bx bx-book-reader",
+                                    "isInheritable": false,
+                                    "position": 30
+                                },
+                                {
+                                    "type": "label",
+                                    "name": "shareAlias",
+                                    "value": "read-only-db",
+                                    "isInheritable": false,
+                                    "position": 40
+                                },
+                                {
+                                    "type": "relation",
+                                    "name": "internalLink",
+                                    "value": "wy8So3yZZlH9",
+                                    "isInheritable": false,
+                                    "position": 50
+                                },
+                                {
+                                    "type": "relation",
+                                    "name": "internalLink",
+                                    "value": "R9pX4DGra2Vt",
+                                    "isInheritable": false,
+                                    "position": 60
+                                },
+                                {
+                                    "type": "relation",
+                                    "name": "internalLink",
+                                    "value": "Gzjqa934BdH4",
+                                    "isInheritable": false,
+                                    "position": 70
+                                },
+                                {
+                                    "type": "relation",
+                                    "name": "internalLink",
+                                    "value": "eIg8jdvaoNNd",
+                                    "isInheritable": false,
+                                    "position": 80
+                                },
+                                {
+                                    "type": "relation",
+                                    "name": "internalLink",
+                                    "value": "GTwFsgaA0lCt",
+                                    "isInheritable": false,
+                                    "position": 90
+                                },
+                                {
+                                    "type": "relation",
+                                    "name": "internalLink",
+                                    "value": "KSZ04uQ2D1St",
+                                    "isInheritable": false,
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+                            ],
+                            "format": "markdown",
+                            "dataFileName": "Read-only database.md",
+                            "attachments": []
                         }
                     ]
                 },

apps/server/src/assets/doc_notes/en/User Guide/User Guide/Advanced Usage/Read-only database.html

@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# Read-only database
+> [!WARNING]
+> This functionality is still in preview, expect possible issues or even the feature disappearing completely.  
+> Feel free to [report](../Troubleshooting/Reporting%20issues.md) any issues you might have.
+
+The read-only database is an alternative to <a class="reference-link" href="Sharing.md">Sharing</a> notes. Although the share functionality works pretty well to publish pages to the Internet in a wiki, blog-like format it does not offer the full functionality behind Trilium (such as the advanced <a class="reference-link" href="../Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/Navigation/Search.md">Search</a> or the interactivity behind <a class="reference-link" href="../Collections.md">Collections</a> or the various <a class="reference-link" href="../Note%20Types.md">Note Types</a>).
+
+When the database is in read-only mode, the Trilium application can be used as normal, but editing is disabled and changes are made in-memory only.
+
+## What it does
+
+*   All notes are read-only, without the possibility of editing them.
+*   Features that would normally alter the database such as the list of recent notes are disabled.
+
+## Limitations
+
+*   Some features might “slip through” and still end up creating a note, for example.
+    *   However, the database is still read-only, so all modifications will be reset if the server is restarted.
+    *   Whenever this occurs, `ERROR: read-only DB ignored` will be shown in the logs.
+
+## Setting a database as read-only
+
+First, make sure the database is initialized (e.g. the first set up is complete). Then modify the [config.ini](Configuration%20\(config.ini%20or%20e.md) by looking for the `[General]` section and adding a new `readOnly` field:
+
+```
+[General]
+readOnly=true
+```
+
+If your server is already running, restart it to apply the changes.
+
+Similarly, to disable read-only remove the line or set it to `false`.