**Connecting Your Database for Enhanced Features:**

This guide outlines the database options and setup steps for enabling features like Chat Link Sharing in your application.

### Choose Your Database:

**1. Serverless Postgres (default):**

- Available on Vercel, Neon, and other platforms.
- Less feature-rich but a suitable option depending on your needs.
- **Connection String:** Replace placeholders with your Postgres credentials.
    - `postgres://USER:PASS@SOMEHOST.postgres.vercel-storage.com/SOMEDB?pgbouncer=true&connect_timeout=15`

**2. MongoDB Atlas (alternative):**

- **Highly Recommended:** More than a database, it's a data platform. MongoDB Atlas is a robust cloud-based platform that offers scalability, security, and a suite of developer tools. No need for a separate vector database, you can query your vector embeddings right within your operational database! 
- **Additional Features:** MongoDB Atlas is packed with unique features designed to streamline the development process such as: Atlas App Services, Atlas search (with vector search), Atlas charts, Data Federation, and more. 
- **Connection String:** Replace placeholders with your Atlas credentials.
    - `mongodb://USER:PASS@CLUSTER-NAME.mongodb.net/DATABASE-NAME?retryWrites=true&w=majority`

### Environment Variables:

#### Postgres:
| Variable           |                                                                                                                                                                              |
|--------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `POSTGRES_PRISMA_URL`  | `postgres://USER:PASS@SOMEHOST.postgres.vercel-storage.com/SOMEDB?pgbouncer=true&connect_timeout=15`                                                                                                  |
| `POSTGRES_URL_NON_POOLING` (optional) | URL for the Postgres database without pooling (specific use cases)                                                                                                               |


#### MongoDB:
| Variable           |                                                                                                                                                                              |
|--------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `MDB_URI`  | `mongodb://USER:PASS@CLUSTER-NAME.mongodb.net/DATABASE-NAME?retryWrites=true&w=majority`                                                                                                                |

### MongoDB Atlas + Prisma
When using MongoDB Atlas, you'll need to make the below changes to the file `prisma.schema`

```
...
datasource db {
  provider  = "mongodb"
  url       = env("MDB_URI")
}

//
// Storage of Linked Data
//
model LinkStorage {
  id String @id @default(uuid()) @map("_id")

// ...rest of file
```

### Initial Setup Steps:

1. **Run `npx prisma db:push`:** Create or update the database schema (run once after connecting).


### Additional Resources:

- Prisma documentation: [https://www.prisma.io/docs/](https://www.prisma.io/docs/)
- MongoDB Atlas: [https://www.mongodb.com/atlas/database](https://www.mongodb.com/atlas/database)
- Atlas App Services: [https://www.mongodb.com/docs/atlas/app-services/](https://www.mongodb.com/docs/atlas/app-services/)
- Atlas vector search: [https://www.mongodb.com/products/platform/atlas-vector-search/](https://www.mongodb.com/products/platform/atlas-vector-search)
- Atlas Data Federation: [https://www.mongodb.com/products/platform/atlas-data-federation](https://www.mongodb.com/products/platform/atlas-data-federation)