Budibase/budibase · error

DB does not exist

Error message

DB does not exist

What it means

DatabaseImpl.checkAndCreateDb checks whether the underlying CouchDB database exists. When instance creation is disabled via skip_setup and the DB is absent, it throws instead of silently creating it. This prevents code from operating on databases that were never provisioned.

Solutions

1. Ensure the DB is created through the normal provisioning path (create the app/workspace) before accessing it
2. If creation is intended, drop skip_setup so checkAndCreateDb creates the DB
3. Verify CouchDB connection settings/replicas — the DB may exist on another node/instance
4. Check for typos in the DB name and that the right tenant/environment is targeted

Example fix

// before
const db = new DatabaseImpl(name, { skip_setup: true })
// after
const db = new DatabaseImpl(name) // allow auto-create
await db.exists() ? null : await db.checkAndCreateDb()

const db = getDB(name, { skip_setup: true })
if (!(await db.exists())) {
  // provision or fail fast before real work
}

try {
  await db.put(doc)
} catch (err) {
  if (err.message === "DB does not exist") {
    // create the DB via provisioning path, then retry
  } else throw err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Constructing/opening a Database with pouchOpts.skip_setup=true (the default for workspace DBs) while the named DB does not exist in CouchDB; e.g. opening an app DB that was deleted or never created.

Common situations: Pointing at a fresh CouchDB instance without running provisioning/migrations, typos in DB names, apps deleted while background jobs still reference them, restore/backup gaps.

Related errors

• CouchDB error
• Escalation not found
• Unable to retrieve user list
• 1:N Relationship Error: Record already linked to another.
• Agent not found

AI-assisted analysis of Budibase/budibase@a81a902e9a (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/aad9543d5f8fbe95. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/backend-core/src/db/couch/DatabaseImpl.ts:160

    } catch {
      return false
    }
  }

  private nano() {
    return this.instanceNano || DatabaseImpl.nano
  }

  private getDb() {
    return this.nano().db.use(this.name)
  }

  private async checkAndCreateDb() {
    let shouldCreate = !this.pouchOpts?.skip_setup
    // check exists in a lightweight fashion
    let exists = await this.exists()
    if (!shouldCreate && !exists) {
      throw new Error("DB does not exist")
    }
    if (!exists) {
      try {
        await this.nano().db.create(this.name)
      } catch (err: any) {
        // Handling race conditions
        if (err.statusCode !== 412) {
          throw new CouchDBError(err.message, err)
        }
      }
    }
    return this.getDb()
  }

  // this function fetches the DB and handles if DB creation is needed
  private async performCallWithDBCreation<T>(
    call: DBCallback<T>
  ): Promise<any> {

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