encore-infrastructure

name	encore-infrastructure
description	Declare databases, Pub/Sub, cron jobs, caching, object storage, and secrets with Encore.ts.

Encore Infrastructure Declaration

Instructions

Encore.ts uses declarative infrastructure - you define resources in code and Encore handles provisioning:

• Locally (encore run) - Encore runs infrastructure in Docker (Postgres, Redis, etc.)
• Production - Deploy via Encore Cloud to your AWS/GCP, or self-host using generated infrastructure config

Critical Rule

All infrastructure must be declared at package level (top of file), not inside functions.

Databases (PostgreSQL)

import { SQLDatabase } from "encore.dev/storage/sqldb";

// CORRECT: Package level
const db = new SQLDatabase("mydb", {
  migrations: "./migrations",
});

// WRONG: Inside function
async function setup() {
  const db = new SQLDatabase("mydb", { migrations: "./migrations" });
}

Migrations

Create migrations in the migrations/ directory:

service/
├── encore.service.ts
├── api.ts
├── db.ts
└── migrations/
    ├── 001_create_users.up.sql
    └── 002_add_email_index.up.sql

Migration naming: {number}_{description}.up.sql

Pub/Sub

Topics

import { Topic } from "encore.dev/pubsub";

interface OrderCreatedEvent {
  orderId: string;
  userId: string;
  total: number;
}

// Package level declaration
export const orderCreated = new Topic<OrderCreatedEvent>("order-created", {
  deliveryGuarantee: "at-least-once",
});

Publishing

await orderCreated.publish({
  orderId: "123",
  userId: "user-456",
  total: 99.99,
});

Subscriptions

import { Subscription } from "encore.dev/pubsub";

const _ = new Subscription(orderCreated, "send-confirmation-email", {
  handler: async (event) => {
    await sendEmail(event.userId, event.orderId);
  },
});

Message Attributes

Use Attribute<T> for fields that should be message attributes (for filtering/ordering):

import { Topic, Attribute } from "encore.dev/pubsub";

interface CartEvent {
  cartId: Attribute<string>;  // Used for ordering
  userId: string;
  action: "add" | "remove";
  productId: string;
}

// Ordered topic - events with same cartId delivered in order
export const cartEvents = new Topic<CartEvent>("cart-events", {
  deliveryGuarantee: "at-least-once",
  orderingAttribute: "cartId",
});

Topic References

Pass topic access to other code while maintaining static analysis:

import { Publisher } from "encore.dev/pubsub";

// Create a reference with publish permission
const publisherRef = orderCreated.ref<Publisher>();

// Use the reference
async function notifyOrder(ref: typeof publisherRef, orderId: string) {
  await ref.publish({ orderId, userId: "123", total: 99.99 });
}

Cron Jobs

import { CronJob } from "encore.dev/cron";
import { api } from "encore.dev/api";

// The endpoint to call
export const cleanupExpiredSessions = api(
  { expose: false },
  async (): Promise<void> => {
    // Cleanup logic
  }
);

// Package level cron declaration
const _ = new CronJob("cleanup-sessions", {
  title: "Clean up expired sessions",
  schedule: "0 * * * *",  // Every hour
  endpoint: cleanupExpiredSessions,
});

Schedule Formats

Format	Example	Description
every	"1h", "30m"	Simple interval (must divide 24h evenly)
schedule	"0 9 * * 1"	Cron expression (9am every Monday)

Object Storage

import { Bucket } from "encore.dev/storage/objects";

// Package level
export const uploads = new Bucket("user-uploads", {
  versioned: false,  // Set to true to keep multiple versions of objects
});

// Public bucket (files accessible via public URL)
export const publicAssets = new Bucket("public-assets", {
  public: true,
  versioned: false,
});

Operations

// Upload
const attrs = await uploads.upload("path/to/file.jpg", buffer, {
  contentType: "image/jpeg",
});

// Download
const data = await uploads.download("path/to/file.jpg");

// Check existence
const exists = await uploads.exists("path/to/file.jpg");

// Get attributes (size, content type, ETag)
const attrs = await uploads.attrs("path/to/file.jpg");

// Delete
await uploads.remove("path/to/file.jpg");

// List objects
for await (const entry of uploads.list({})) {
  console.log(entry.key, entry.size);
}

// Public URL (only for public buckets)
const url = publicAssets.publicUrl("image.jpg");

Signed URLs

Generate temporary URLs for upload/download without exposing your bucket:

// Signed upload URL (expires in 2 hours)
const uploadUrl = await uploads.signedUploadUrl("user-uploads/avatar.jpg", { ttl: 7200 });

// Signed download URL
const downloadUrl = await uploads.signedDownloadUrl("documents/report.pdf", { ttl: 7200 });

Bucket References

Pass bucket access with specific permissions to other code:

import { Uploader, Downloader } from "encore.dev/storage/objects";

// Create a reference with upload permission only
const uploaderRef = uploads.ref<Uploader>();

// Create a reference with download permission only
const downloaderRef = uploads.ref<Downloader>();

// Permission types: Downloader, Uploader, Lister, Attrser, Remover,
// SignedDownloader, SignedUploader, ReadWriter

Caching (Redis)

Cache Clusters

import { CacheCluster } from "encore.dev/storage/cache";

// Package level
const cluster = new CacheCluster("my-cache", {
  evictionPolicy: "allkeys-lru",
});

Reference a cluster defined in another service:

const cluster = CacheCluster.named("my-cache");

Eviction policies: "allkeys-lru" (default), "noeviction", "allkeys-lfu", "allkeys-random", "volatile-lru", "volatile-lfu", "volatile-ttl", "volatile-random".

Keyspace Types

Each keyspace has a key type (used to generate the Redis key) and a value type.

import {
  StringKeyspace,
  IntKeyspace,
  FloatKeyspace,
  StructKeyspace,
  StringListKeyspace,
  NumberListKeyspace,
  StringSetKeyspace,
  NumberSetKeyspace,
  expireIn,
} from "encore.dev/storage/cache";

// String values
const tokens = new StringKeyspace<{ tokenId: string }>(cluster, {
  keyPattern: "token/:tokenId",
  defaultExpiry: expireIn(3600 * 1000), // 1 hour in ms
});

await tokens.set({ tokenId: "abc" }, "value");
const val = await tokens.get({ tokenId: "abc" }); // undefined on miss
await tokens.delete({ tokenId: "abc" });

// Integer values (supports increment/decrement)
const counters = new IntKeyspace<{ userId: string }>(cluster, {
  keyPattern: "requests/:userId",
  defaultExpiry: expireIn(10 * 1000),
});

const count = await counters.increment({ userId: "user123" }, 1);
await counters.decrement({ userId: "user123" }, 1);

// Float values
const scores = new FloatKeyspace<{ oddsId: string }>(cluster, {
  keyPattern: "odds/:oddsId",
});

// Structured data (stored as JSON)
interface UserProfile {
  name: string;
  email: string;
}

const profiles = new StructKeyspace<{ userId: string }, UserProfile>(cluster, {
  keyPattern: "profile/:userId",
  defaultExpiry: expireIn(3600 * 1000),
});

await profiles.set({ userId: "123" }, { name: "Alice", email: "[e-mail]" });

// Lists
const recentItems = new StringListKeyspace<{ userId: string }>(cluster, {
  keyPattern: "recent/:userId",
});

await recentItems.pushRight({ userId: "user123" }, "item1", "item2");
const items = await recentItems.getRange({ userId: "user123" }, 0, -1);

// Sets
const tags = new StringSetKeyspace<{ articleId: string }>(cluster, {
  keyPattern: "tags/:articleId",
});

await tags.add({ articleId: "post1" }, "typescript", "encore", "backend");
const hasTag = await tags.contains({ articleId: "post1" }, "typescript");

Key Patterns with Multiple Fields

interface ResourceKey {
  userId: string;
  resourcePath: string;
}

const resourceRequests = new IntKeyspace<ResourceKey>(cluster, {
  keyPattern: "requests/:userId/:resourcePath",
  defaultExpiry: expireIn(10 * 1000),
});

Expiry Options

import {
  expireIn,          // milliseconds
  expireInSeconds,
  expireInMinutes,
  expireInHours,
  expireDailyAt,     // specific UTC time each day
  neverExpire,
  keepTTL,           // keep existing TTL when updating
} from "encore.dev/storage/cache";

Write Options

// Override default expiry
await keyspace.set(key, value, { expiry: expireInMinutes(30) });

// Keep existing TTL
await keyspace.set(key, value, { expiry: keepTTL });

// Only set if key doesn't exist (throws CacheKeyExists otherwise)
await keyspace.setIfNotExists(key, value);

// Only set if key already exists (throws CacheMiss otherwise)
await keyspace.replace(key, value);

Error Handling

import { CacheMiss, CacheKeyExists } from "encore.dev/storage/cache";

// get() returns undefined on miss (does not throw)
const value = await keyspace.get(key);

// replace() throws CacheMiss if key doesn't exist
// setIfNotExists() throws CacheKeyExists if key already exists

Secrets

import { secret } from "encore.dev/config";

// Package level
const stripeKey = secret("StripeSecretKey");

// Usage (call as function)
const key = stripeKey();

Set secrets via CLI:

encore secret set --type prod StripeSecretKey

Guidelines

• Infrastructure declarations MUST be at package level
• Use descriptive names for resources
• Keep migrations sequential and numbered
• Subscription handlers must be idempotent (at-least-once delivery)
• Secrets are accessed by calling the secret as a function
• Cron endpoints should be expose: false (internal only)