Server Configuration

The Pankha Fan Control server is configured through environment variables in your .env file (see Server Installation for the initial setup).

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
PANKHA_HUB_IP	This server’s LAN IP/hostname - used to build agent install commands	must be set
PANKHA_PORT	Dashboard + agent port (HTTP and WebSocket)	3143
POSTGRES_USER / POSTGRES_PASSWORD / POSTGRES_DB	Database credentials and name	set your own
POSTGRES_HOST / POSTGRES_PORT	Database location - change only for an external PostgreSQL	pankha-postgres / 5432
TIMEZONE	Timezone for dashboard times and logs	UTC
LOG_LEVEL	Server log verbosity (error/warn/info/debug/trace)	info
PANKHA_STAGING_DIR	In-container path for staged agent binaries	leave as-is
POSTGRES_MAX_WAL_SIZE, POSTGRES_MIN_WAL_SIZE, POSTGRES_CHECKPOINT_TIMEOUT, POSTGRES_WAL_KEEP_SIZE	PostgreSQL disk-usage tuning	leave as-is

The backend builds its database connection from the POSTGRES_* variables. A raw DATABASE_URL is accepted only as a legacy fallback when those are absent - prefer the individual variables.

Some settings also have a runtime home in the dashboard - log level, data retention, and hardware pruning live in Settings and take effect without a restart.

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Custom Port

If port 3143 is already in use, change it in your .env file:

PANKHA_PORT=7000

Then restart:

docker compose down
docker compose up -d

Note: agents connect to this port too. Existing agents need their server URL updated (Linux: sudo ./pankha-agent --setup; Windows: tray Configure…).

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Stopping the Server

To stop all services:

docker compose down

While the server is down, agents hold their failsafe speed and keep local emergency-temperature protection - nothing overheats, but nothing follows your curves either (Agent Philosophy).

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Data & Storage Layout

All persistent data lives in docker-data/, next to your compose.yml - plain folders on the host (bind mounts), not hidden Docker volumes:

pankha/
├── compose.yml          # Container orchestration - don't edit (see Server Installation)
├── .env                 # All your configuration
└── docker-data/
    ├── backend/database/postgres_data/   # PostgreSQL data (all history, profiles, settings)
    └── staging/                          # Agent binaries staged by the Deployment Center

---
title: Storage and Networking Map
---
graph TD
    Host[Host machine]

    subgraph "Docker"
        App["pankha_app"]
        DB[("pankha_postgres")]
    end

    Host -->|"port 3143 (only exposed port)"| App
    App <-->|internal network| DB
    DB -->|bind mount| Files["./docker-data/backend/database/"]
    App -->|bind mount| Staging["./docker-data/staging/"]

What this means in practice:

• Backup = copy the pankha/ folder (stop the stack first for a consistent database copy).
• Move to another machine = copy the folder, run docker compose up -d there.
• Delete everything = delete the folder. docker compose down -v does not remove your data - it only removes Docker-managed volumes, and your data lives in the folder, not in one.
• The database is reachable only from the app container - no PostgreSQL port is exposed to your network.

Next Steps

• Settings: the server settings that live in the dashboard (retention, pruning, recalibration, appearance).
• Advanced Settings: per-agent configuration - hysteresis, fan step, emergency temperature.