1C: Part 2 — Where to host the database: locally, on your own server, or in the cloud

When the method of acquiring 1C is chosen, you need to decide where the database will reside: on the user’s computer, on a server in the office, or with a hosting provider. This affects performance, reliability, remote access, and the amount of maintenance work. This section covers the technical side: operating modes, DBMS, server, and backups.

Two operating modes of the platform

The 1C:Enterprise platform works in two variants, and the same configuration fits both without changes.

File-based variant

The database is stored in a single file 1Cv8.1CD in a separate directory. A dedicated server and DBMS are not required: it is enough to install the platform and open the database directory.

• Single computer. The simplest case: the database and the program are on one PC. Internet is not required to work.
• Network folder. The database directory is on a network drive, and several users open it over the local network. According to 1C documentation, the file-based variant is intended for personal use or for a small number of users on a local network.

Limitations of the file-based variant:

• as the number of users and the database size grow, locks increase and performance drops; the practical limit is a few concurrently working people;
• working over a network via VPN or a slow channel is extremely inconvenient: the contents of the database file are transferred over the network;
• a connection drop or a computer crash during a write can corrupt the database file, so backups are mandatory;
• the basic edition works only in the file-based variant and only on one computer.

Client-server variant

Clients connect to the 1C:Enterprise server, which stores data in a DBMS. Network traffic between client and server is significantly less than in the file-based variant, so this mode is suitable for remote work and for tens or hundreds of users. You need a 1C server license, a DBMS, and an administrator to maintain it all.

Switching from the file-based variant to client-server does not require changes to the configuration: the database is exported to a .dt file and loaded into a new database on the server.

DBMS for the client-server variant

The platform works with Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, IBM Db2 and Oracle Database. In practice in Russia, people choose between two options.

• PostgreSQL. Free PostgreSQL builds with patches for 1C are prepared by 1C and Postgres Professional; Postgres Professional builds are distributed via the site 1c.postgres.ru. For most small and medium databases this is sufficient.
• Postgres Pro for 1C. A commercial Russian DBMS based on PostgreSQL with enhancements for working with 1C. 1C sells it as a joint product; the license is issued per CPU cores.
• Microsoft SQL Server. Microsoft suspended issuing licenses for the joint product “Microsoft SQL Server for 1C:Enterprise 8”, and 1C stopped accepting orders for it. Existing installations work, but new projects are reasonably started on PostgreSQL.

Tuning PostgreSQL for 1C

1C load differs from usual: many concurrent connections and active work with temporary tables. In the Postgres Professional documentation for 1C solutions, the following postgresql.conf parameters are recommended, in particular:

max_connections = 1000
temp_buffers = 32MB
max_locks_per_transaction = 256
standard_conforming_strings = off
escape_string_warning = off
effective_cache_size = <at least half of the RAM>
shared_preload_libraries = 'plantuner'
plantuner.fix_empty_table = on

The last two parameters relate to the plantuner extension, which is included in Postgres Professional builds; it may be absent in other builds. The other values are a starting point, not the final tuning: shared_buffers and work_mem are selected according to the server’s memory size and actual load.

Server: own or rented

Own server in the office or in a data center

A server is purchased and placed in the office or in a rack of a data center. You manage the hardware, the operating system and all settings, and the data physically remains in the company.

What is needed besides the server itself:

• uninterruptible power supply and cooling, if the server is in the office;
• a 1C server license (PROF — up to 500 concurrent sessions and 12 CPU cores) and a DBMS;
• secured remote access if employees work outside the office;
• monitoring, updates, backups — administrator’s work.

Exact requirements for CPU and memory depend on the configuration, the number of users and the database size, so they are determined for a specific load rather than by a general table.

Virtual server at a hosting provider

The provider supplies a virtual server, and you install the platform, DBMS and your licenses on it. You don’t need to buy hardware, remote access is available immediately, but you are still responsible for setup, updates, security and backups. Before choosing, make sure the provider allows you to use your 1C licenses and that the server is located in Russia: the accounting database almost always contains personal data of employees and counterparties.

Ready-made 1C cloud

The provider is responsible for the server, updates and backups, and you work via a browser or thin client. Server and administration are not needed, but configuration customizations may not be available with all providers, and data is stored by a third party.

Publishing the database on a web server

To work with the database through a browser, web client or mobile application, it is published on a web server. The platform supports Apache and Microsoft IIS; publishing is done from the configurator or with the webinst utility, and 1C documentation has instructions for both web servers on Windows and Linux, including with HTTPS.

Practical rules:

• publish the database only via HTTPS with a valid certificate;
• do not expose the 1C server administration console and cluster ports to the internet — only web publication or access via VPN;
• remember that each web-client user consumes a client license just like a regular client.

Database backups

Regardless of the location, regular backups stored separately from the server are needed.

• File-based variant. Copy the database directory in full, but only when nobody is working with it, or export the database to .dt via the configurator.
• Client-server variant. The main method is DBMS tools: for PostgreSQL this is pg_dump or backup with WAL journals. Export to .dt is useful as an additional copy, suitable for transfer to any server.
• Restore verification. Once a month restore a copy to a test database and open it. A copy that has never been restored proves nothing.

Common mistakes

• File-based database over VPN. Employees connect a network folder with the database via VPN from home — work is slow, and a connection drop may corrupt the database. For remote work you need the client-server variant, web publication or the cloud.
• Backups on the same disk. Backups are stored on the server next to the database and are lost together with it in case of disk failure or ransomware attack.
• Open RDP. A server with 1C is accessible from the internet via Remote Desktop Protocol with a simple password — one of the most common infection vectors for ransomware. External access only through VPN.
• No update plan. The platform and configuration are not updated for months, and then dozens of releases must be installed in a row before submitting reports.

How to choose

The hosting location can be changed as you grow: the database is transferred between variants without reworking the configuration.