After installing an application from the Data Mammoth Marketplace, ongoing management ensures it stays secure, performant, and up to date. This guide covers how to update, configure, back up, and troubleshoot your installed applications.

Viewing Installed Apps

Updating Applications

Keeping applications up to date is critical for security and stability.

Dashboard Updates

Some apps support one-click updates through the dashboard:

Manual Updates

If dashboard updates are not available, update through the application itself or via SSH:

WordPress:

Docker-based apps:

cd /path/to/app
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

System packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Update Best Practices

Managing App Configuration

Through the App's Admin Panel

Most applications have a web-based admin panel where you can configure settings:

• WordPress — Access at https://example.com/wp-admin.
• n8n — Access through the n8n web interface.
• Grafana — Access at your Grafana URL.

Through Configuration Files

For advanced configuration, connect via SSH and edit configuration files:

# Example: editing a WordPress config
sudo nano /var/www/html/wp-config.php
Example: editing an Nginx config
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

After editing configuration files, restart the relevant service:

sudo systemctl restart nginx
sudo systemctl restart php-fpm

Backing Up Installed Apps

Regular backups protect against data loss, failed updates, and security incidents.

Full Server Backups

Use Data Mammoth's automated backup feature to snapshot the entire server, including all installed apps. See Backup Strategy — Snapshots, Offsite, Automated.

Application-Level Backups

For more granular backups:

Database backup:

# MySQL/MariaDB
mysqldump -u root -p database_name > backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
PostgreSQL
pg_dump -U postgres database_name > backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

File backup:

tar -czf app_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /var/www/html/

Automated Backup Scripts

Create a cron job for automatic backups:

crontab -e

Add a daily backup at 3:00 AM:

0 3   * /path/to/backup-script.sh

Monitoring App Performance

Watch for signs that your application needs attention:

• Slow response times — The app takes longer than usual to load.
• Error pages — Users see 500, 502, or 503 errors.
• High resource usage — CPU or RAM spikes correlated with app activity.
• Disk space — Application logs and data can fill up disk space.

Uninstalling an App

If you no longer need an application:

Via Dashboard (if supported)

Via SSH (Manual)

Warning: Uninstalling an app permanently removes its data unless you have a backup.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

App Not Loading

• Check if the service is running: sudo systemctl status nginx (or the relevant service).
• Review error logs: sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log.
• Verify DNS is pointing to the correct IP.
• Check firewall rules. See Firewall Blocking Legitimate Traffic.

App Showing Errors After Update

• Check the application's error log for specific messages.
• Clear the application cache if applicable.
• Verify database connectivity.
• Restore from backup if the update caused issues.

App Running Slowly

• Check server resources with htop.
• Review the application's built-in performance settings.
• Consider enabling caching (Redis, Memcached, or application-level caching).
• Upgrade your server plan if resources are consistently maxed out.

What to Do Next

• Backup Strategy — Snapshots, Offsite, Automated — Protect your app data.
• Monitoring Server Performance — Track resource usage.
• SSL/TLS Certificates — Setup & Renewal — Secure your app.
• Available Apps in the Marketplace — Explore more apps.