Skip to content

Migration from PoracleJS

Dexter is a Go rewrite of PoracleJS with significant enhancements. This guide covers migrating from an existing PoracleJS installation.

Database Compatibility

Dexter uses the same database schema as PoracleJS. In most cases, you can point Dexter at an existing PoracleJS database and it will work immediately.

Back up first

Always back up your database before migrating: mysqldump -u root -p poracle > poracle_backup.sql

Configuration Mapping

Dexter uses the same config/local.json format. Most PoracleJS configuration keys work unchanged. Key differences:

PoracleJS Dexter Notes
npm install go build ./cmd/dexter Build step
pm2 start poracle.js ./dexter Run command
Node.js 16+ Go 1.25+ Runtime requirement
Worker threads Goroutines Concurrency model (transparent)

New Configuration Keys

These are Dexter-specific additions not present in PoracleJS:

Key Default Description
general.diademURL "" Base URL for Diadem map links in DTS
general.timezoneDbPath "" Path to timezone database for per-location scheduling
general.timezoneDbType "boltdb" Timezone database backend type
general.timezoneDbEncoding "msgpack" Encoding format for timezone database
general.timezoneDbSnappy true Snappy compression for timezone database
discord.disableCommandResponses false Suppress bot replies to legacy ! commands
discord.slash.disabled false Disable Discord slash command registration
discord.slash.deregisterOnStart false Delete and re-register all slash commands on startup
discord.slash.hideTemplateOptions true Hide the template option from slash command forms
geocoding.providerKey "" API key for the geocoding provider (e.g. Pelias)
geocoding.peliasLayers "" (Pelias) CSV list of layers to request (e.g. venue,address,street)
geocoding.peliasPreferredLayer "" (Pelias) Prefer results matching this layer
geocoding.peliasResultSize 0 (Pelias) Number of results to request
geocoding.peliasBoundaryCountry "" (Pelias) Country code filter (e.g. GB)
geocoding.tileserverTemplatePrefix "dexter-" Prefix for tileservercache template names
geocoding.tileserverTemplates {} Per-type template name overrides (bypasses prefix)
fallbacks.imgUrlStation (GitHub URL) Fallback station icon URL

TileServer Templates

PoracleJS uses the template prefix poracle- (e.g. poracle-monster, poracle-raid). Dexter defaults to dexter- but you can keep your existing templates:

{
  "geocoding": {
    "tileserverTemplatePrefix": "poracle-"
  }
}

This way you don't need to rename or duplicate your TileServerCache templates.

Slash Commands

Dexter has full slash command support. If migrating from a PoracleJS setup that used ! prefix commands:

  1. Slash commands are registered automatically on first start
  2. Legacy ! prefix commands still work alongside slash commands
  3. Users don't need to re-register — their existing profiles and filters carry over
  4. Set discord.slash.deregisterOnStart: true on first launch to cleanly register all commands

DTS Templates

Dexter's DTS system is compatible with PoracleJS templates. Your existing config/dts.json should work as-is, though note that there may be some slight differences in new lines after handlebars are processed.

New DTS Helpers

Dexter adds these Handlebars helpers not available in PoracleJS:

Helper Description
{{pvpSlug name}} URL-safe Pokemon name (e.g. Mr. Mime → Mr_Mime)
{{lowercase value}} Lowercase a string

Migration Steps

  1. Back up your PoracleJS database
  2. Stop PoracleJS
  3. Build Dexter: go build -o dexter ./cmd/dexter
  4. Copy your config/local.json and config/dts.json to the Dexter directory
  5. Set tileserverTemplatePrefix to "poracle-" if reusing templates
  6. Start Dexter: ./dexter
  7. Verify alerts are flowing, slash commands work, existing user filters are active

Feature Additions

After migrating, you can take advantage of Dexter-specific features: