pubkey/rxdb · error · Error

You are using a function which must be overwritten by a plug

Error message

You are using a function which must be overwritten by a plugin.
        You should either prevent the usage of this function or add the plugin via:
            import { ${pluginName} } from 'rxdb/plugins/${pluginKey}';
            addRxPlugin(${pluginName});
        

What it means

exportJSON() is a stub in RxDB core that throws pluginMissing('json-dump'). Full-database JSON dump/import lives in the json-dump plugin, which must be added via addRxPlugin so the real implementation overwrites this stub. Calling the stub means the plugin was not added.

Source

Thrown at src/rx-database.ts:543

        return this.idleQueue.requestIdlePromise();
    }

    /**
     * Export database to a JSON friendly format.
     */
    exportJSON(
        _collectionsOrOptions?: string[] | RxDumpOptions,
        _options?: RxDumpOptions
    ): Promise<RxDumpDatabase<Collections>>;
    exportJSON(
        _collectionsOrOptions?: string[] | RxDumpOptions,
        _options?: RxDumpOptions
    ): Promise<RxDumpDatabaseAny<Collections>>;
    exportJSON(
        _collectionsOrOptions?: string[] | RxDumpOptions,
        _options?: RxDumpOptions
    ): Promise<any> {
        throw pluginMissing('json-dump');
    }

    addState<T = any>(_name?: string): Promise<RxState<T, Reactivity>> {
        throw pluginMissing('state');
    }

    /**
     * Import the parsed JSON export into the collection.
     * @param _exportedJSON The previously exported data from the `<db>.exportJSON()` method.
     * @note When an interface is loaded in this collection all base properties of the type are typed as `any`
     * since data could be encrypted.
     */
    importJSON(_exportedJSON: RxDumpDatabaseAny<Collections>): Promise<void> {
        throw pluginMissing('json-dump');
    }

    backup(_options: BackupOptions): RxBackupState {
        throw pluginMissing('backup');

View on GitHub (pinned to af6fb65f94)

Solutions

1. Import and add the plugin: import { RxDBJsonDumpPlugin } from 'rxdb/plugins/json-dump'; addRxPlugin(RxDBJsonDumpPlugin); before calling exportJSON.
2. Add the plugin once at application startup, before any dump code runs.
3. If you only need per-collection export, note collection.exportJSON also requires the same json-dump plugin.

Example fix

// before
const dump = await db.exportJSON();
// after
import { RxDBJsonDumpPlugin } from 'rxdb/plugins/json-dump';
import { addRxPlugin } from 'rxdb';
addRxPlugin(RxDBJsonDumpPlugin);
const dump = await db.exportJSON();

try {
  return await db.exportJSON();
} catch (err) {
  if (typeof err.message === 'string' && err.message.includes('json-dump')) {
    throw new Error('Add the json-dump plugin: addRxPlugin(RxDBJsonDumpPlugin)');
  }
  throw err;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling db.exportJSON() (or the overload with collection names / RxDumpOptions) on a database created without the json-dump plugin registered.

Common situations: Forgetting `import { getRxStorageJSONDump } / wrappedValidate...` style plugin registration, specifically `addRxPlugin(RxDBJsonDumpPlugin)` from 'rxdb/plugins/json-dump'; following old docs that imported it implicitly; tree-shaking dropped the side-effect import.

Related errors

• DB14

AI-assisted analysis of pubkey/rxdb@af6fb65f94 (2026-08-31). Data as JSON: /api/errors/efa580cd508b7f72. Report an issue: GitHub.