2. Installation

2.1 Prerequisites#

MIRAJ is distributed as ready-to-use binaries for 64-bit Windows (Standard and Express editions), with no external dependencies to install. Choose the archive matching the edition you want (see 1.3): it contains miraj-server.exe, miraj-cli.exe and, for embedded use from a Delphi or C++ application or any language able to load a C DLL, miraj.dll.

A 32-bit library (miraj.dll built for Win32 applications) is available separately for applications that need it; the default 64-bit executable cannot be loaded by a 32-bit process.

No installation in the sense of an installer is required: copy the executables wherever you like and run them. The folder from which miraj-server or miraj-cli is launched does not matter: it is the data folder (--root) that determines where your databases live.

To build MIRAJ yourself (other platforms, debugging, contributing), see 2.7.

2.2 Starting miraj-server#

miraj-server.exe --root D:\donnees --log

This command opens (or creates if it does not exist) the data folder D:\donnees, then starts listening on 127.0.0.1:7007. The local root account, with no password, is created automatically the first time the folder is opened.

Command-line options#

All options accept a case-insensitive name (--Root and --root are equivalent). miraj-server --help displays the complete list.

Each command-line option can also be set permanently in miraj_config.xml (see 2.4); in case of conflict, the command line takes precedence.

2.3 Installing and Using miraj-cli#

miraj-cli needs no particular installation: it is a standalone executable that directly opens a data folder, without going through a network server.

miraj-cli.exe --root D:\donnees

MIRAJ 1.0.0 Standard - tapez \help pour l'aide, \q pour quitter.
miraj>

Command-line options#

See 13. miraj-cli for the complete reference of interactive mode commands (\d, \l, \history, source, etc.).

2.4 Configuration File#

Like a classic SQL server configuration file, MIRAJ reads an XML file at startup:

• <data folder>/miraj_config.xml — your settings, read at startup. If it does not exist yet, MIRAJ creates a commented skeleton.
• <data folder>/miraj_default.xml — regenerated at every startup, lists all recognized variables with their default value. It is a reference document only: it is never read back by the server.

Order of precedence, from lowest to highest: engine default value, then miraj_config.xml, then command-line argument.

2.5 Data Folder Layout#

The data folder (--root) is the unit of administration of a MIRAJ server or console: everything belonging to an installation resides there.

D:\donnees\
├── miraj_config.xml         (your settings)
├── miraj_default.xml        (reference, regenerated at every startup)
├── miraj\
│   ├── accounts.mra         (encrypted account vault)
│   ├── server.log           (with --log: errors, bugs, incidents)
│   └── slow.log             (with --slow-query-log)
└── ma_base\                 (one database = one subfolder)
    ├── journal.mrl          (the database's write journal)
    ├── clients.mrj          (one table = one .mrj file)
    └── clients.bmrj         (the table's externalized BLOBs, if any)

• One database = one subfolder of the data folder.
• One table = one .mrj file in its database's subfolder, in the internal MIRA v2 format.
• BLOB values of a table whose size exceeds --lob-threshold are kept in a separate store, <table>.bmrj, next to the .mrj file.
• Each database has its own write journal, journal.mrl, replayed on opening if the last shutdown was not clean.
• The account vault (accounts.mra) is shared by the data folder; it is encrypted, and its key is stored outside the data folder by default (see below and 11. Server Administration).

2.6 Default Security#

• Local listening only. Without --bind, miraj-server listens only on 127.0.0.1: no remote machine can connect to it until you have explicitly chosen another listening address.
• Administrator account created on first launch. When the data folder is created, a local root account with no password is created automatically; it is the only type of account authorized to manage other accounts. Give it a password as soon as possible:

  ALTER USER root@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'un-mot-de-passe-solide';

• Account vault keys stored outside the data folder, by default in the profile of the account running the server (--key-dir to choose another location).

Details on account management, privileges, encryption in transit (TLS) and monitoring are covered in 11. Server Administration and 10. Accounts and Privileges.

2.7 Building from Source#

This section is intended for advanced users who want to build MIRAJ themselves (other platform, debugging, continuous integration).

Prerequisites#

• rustup; the exact toolchain (1.98.1) is installed automatically thanks to the repository's rust-toolchain.toml file.
• On Windows, if cargo is not in the PATH:

  $env:Path = "$env:USERPROFILE\.cargo\bin;$env:Path"

Building the Standard edition (multi-core)#

cargo build --workspace --release

Building the Express edition (free, single-threaded)#

Editions are selected by the parallel Cargo feature, enabled by default:

cargo build --workspace --release --no-default-features

Verifying the build#

cargo test --workspace
cargo test --workspace --no-default-features
cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets

Starting the compiled binaries#

target/release/miraj-server --root D:\donnees --lang fr
target/release/miraj-cli --help

The Cluster edition is built with the cluster Cargo feature (cargo build --workspace --release --features cluster); see 12. Cluster and Replication.