[discourse] Error: getting db driver for: postgres: failed to connect to database

[markphelps]

Originally posted by almir on Discourse

Hi I would appreciate if someone can help me with issue that I am having.

So when I try to run locally flipt docker with command I am getting Error: getting db driver for: postgres: failed to connect to database:

docker run -it --rm -p 8080:8080 -e FLIPT_DB_URL=“postgres://postgres@localhost:5432/postgres” flipt/flipt:latest

Tried also in this way:

docker run --rm -p 8080:8080 -p 9000:9000 -t -e FLIPT_DB_PROTOCOL=“postgres” -e FLIPT_DB_HOST=“localhost” -e FLIPT_DB_PORT=5432 -e FLIPT_DB_NAME=“postgres” -e FLIPT_DB_USER=“postgres” docker.flipt.io/flipt/flipt:latest

And I am still constantly getting error:

You are currently running the latest version of Flipt [v1.56.0]!

Error: getting db driver for: postgres: failed to connect to database

PostgreSQL database that I am trying to connect is started also as docker on my local machine and I can connect easy with some DB tool.

Tried also to create flipt database on docker Postgresql and to use that in connection parameters but it still doesn’t work.

Also tried option to start Postgresql without need for password using command: docker run --name test-postgres -e POSTGRES_HOST_AUTH_METHOD=trust -d -p 5432:5432 postgres

but still I am getting same error.

Any help would be appreciated.

[dosubot[bot]]

This error is often caused by network isolation between Docker containers. When both Flipt and PostgreSQL are running as separate containers, using localhost in the connection string won't work because localhost inside the Flipt container refers to itself, not your host or the Postgres container.

Try running both containers on the same Docker network. For example:

1. Create a Docker network:

docker network create flipt-net

2. Start PostgreSQL on that network:

docker run --name test-postgres --network flipt-net -e POSTGRES_HOST_AUTH_METHOD=trust -d -p 5432:5432 postgres

3. Start Flipt, referencing the Postgres container by its name:

docker run -it --rm --network flipt-net -p 8080:8080 -e FLIPT_DB_URL="postgres://postgres@test-postgres:5432/postgres?sslmode=disable" flipt/flipt:latest

Make sure to use test-postgres (the container name) as the host in your connection string, not localhost.

If you still see errors, check the Postgres logs for connection attempts. Also, if you encounter errors about prepared statements or enum types, set prepared_statements_enabled: true in your Flipt configuration as this has resolved similar issues for others [source].

Let me know if this helps or if you see a different error after trying these steps.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[markphelps]

Reply from erka on Discourse:

Hey @almir

When you run Flipt in docker you should use other dns name/ip to access the database. localhost is not an option here. Try host.docker.internal or 172.17.0.2. For easy start please use flipt/examples/database/postgres at main · flipt-io/flipt · GitHub example with docker compose

[markphelps]

Reply from almir on Discourse:

erka:

host.docker.internal or 172.17.0.2

Hi, thanks for the help.
Solved issue with putting these two dockers (flipt and postgres) in the same network.