Volume Management in OpenPanel
OpenPanel uses volumes to persist important user data across container restarts and updates. Unlike container storage, which is ephemeral, volumes ensure that your databases, website files, and configurations remain intact even if containers are removed or recreated.
This setup provides both data persistence and logical separation of responsibilities, so each service stores its data in a dedicated, isolated volume.
Available Volumes​
OpenPanel provides several pre-configured volumes, each serving a specific purpose:
| Volume Name | Description | Physical Location on OS |
|---|---|---|
mysql_data | Persistent storage for MySQL/MariaDB databases | /home/USERNAME/docker-data/volumes/USERNAME_mysql_data/_data/ |
mysql_dumps | Storage for database backups in .sql format | /home/USERNAME/docker-data/volumes/USERNAME_mysql_dumps/_data/ |
html_data | Persistent storage for website files under /var/www/html/ | /home/USERNAME/docker-data/volumes/USERNAME_html_data/_data/ |
mail_data | Persistent storage for mailboxes under /var/mail/ | /home/USERNAME/docker-data/volumes/USERNAME_mail_data/_data/ |
webserver_data | Storage for webserver vhost configurations | /home/USERNAME/docker-data/volumes/USERNAME_webserver_data/_data/ |
pg_data | Persistent storage for PostgreSQL databases | /home/USERNAME/docker-data/volumes/USERNAME_pg_data/_data/ |
mysql_data Volume​
The mysql_data volume is where MySQL and MariaDB databases are stored. It ensures that database data persists even if the database container is restarted or rebuilt.
- Path inside container:
/var/lib/mysql - Purpose: Database persistence
mysql_dumps Volume​
The mysql_dumps volume holds backup .sql dumps generated during backup operations.
It is separate from the main database volume to keep live data and backups isolated.
- Typical contents:
.sqldump files - Purpose: Backup storage
html_data Volume​
The html_data volume maps to the /var/www/html/ directory used by web servers.
This is where website source files (PHP, HTML, JS, assets) are stored.
- Path inside container:
/var/www/html/ - Purpose: Website storage
mail_data Volume​
The mail_data volume stores all email data, including user mailboxes. This ensures mail persists independently of the mail service container lifecycle.
- Path inside container:
/var/mail/ - Purpose: Mail persistence
webserver_data Volume​
The webserver_data volume is used to store configuration files for webservers such as Nginx or Apache. This allows vhost configurations to persist across restarts and be easily modified.
- Typical contents: Virtual host configs, SSL configs
- Purpose: Webserver configuration storage
pg_data Volume​
The pg_data volume holds PostgreSQL database files.
Like mysql_data, this ensures database persistence and durability.
- Path inside container:
/var/lib/postgresql/data - Purpose: Database persistence
✅ With these volumes, OpenPanel cleanly separates data, backups, configurations, and service-specific files, ensuring both persistence and maintainability.