ToplingDB Quick Start
ToplingDB is a configurable and observable extension of RocksDB. It supports dynamic tuning via YAML files and enables real-time monitoring through a built-in Web Server.
Update hugegraph.properties
backend=rocksdb
serializer=binary
rocksdb.data_path=.
rocksdb.wal_path=.
# Path to YAML configuration file
# For security reasons, HG only allows YAML files to be located under the `conf/graphs` directory
rocksdb.option_path=./conf/graphs/rocksdb_plus.yaml
# Enable Web Server
rocksdb.open_http=true
Initialize the database (required on the first startup, or a new configuration was manually added under ‘conf/graphs/’)
cd *hugegraph-${version}
bin/init-store.sh
Start server
bin/start-hugegraph.sh
Starting HugeGraphServer...
Connecting to HugeGraphServer (http://127.0.0.1:8080/graphs)....OK
Verify ToplingDB Is Working Properly
Prerequisite: Ensure Core Parameters Are Correctly Configured
Check that hugegraph.properties
includes:
# Configuration file path
rocksdb.option_path=./conf/graphs/rocksdb_plus.yaml
# Enable Web Server
rocksdb.open_http=true
Method 1: Access the Web Monitoring Interface
Visualize the Web monitoring page. Example screenshot:

Verify via terminal:
# Access http://localhost:2011 (port depends on listening_ports in YAML config)
curl http://localhost:2011 | grep topling
The following output indicates the page is working:
<p><a href="https://topling.cn">Topling Inc.</a>This is <strong>Engine Inspector</strong>, for metrics, see <a href='javascript:grafana()'>Grafana</a>!</p>
Method 2: Check ToplingDB Initialization Info in Logs
tail -f logs/hugegraph-server.log | grep -i topling
Similar output indicates ToplingDB is the storage engine:
2025-10-14 08:56:25 [db-open-1] [INFO] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStdSessions - SidePluginRepo found. Will attempt to open multi CFs RocksDB using Topling plugin.
2025-10-14 08:56:25 [db-open-1] [INFO] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStdSessions - Topling HTTP Server has been started according to the listening_ports specified in ./conf/graphs/rocksdb_plus.yaml
Common Troubleshooting
Issue 1: Startup Failure Due to YAML Format Error
Sample log during startup:
2025-10-15 01:55:50 [db-open-1] [INFO] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStdSessions - SidePluginRepo found. Will attempt to open multi CFs RocksDB using Topling plugin.
21:1: (891B):ERROR:
sideplugin/rockside/3rdparty/rapidyaml/src/c4/yml/parse.cpp:3310: ERROR parsing yml: parse error: incorrect indentation?
Solutions:
- Check YAML indentation (must use spaces, not tabs)
- Validate YAML syntax:
python -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('conf/graphs/rocksdb_plus.yaml'))"
- Review specific error messages in logs
Issue 2: Web Server Port Conflict
Sample log during startup:
2025-10-15 01:57:34 [db-open-1] [INFO] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStdSessions - SidePluginRepo found. Will attempt to open multi CFs RocksDB using Topling plugin.
2025-10-15 01:57:34 [db-open-1] [ERROR] o.a.h.b.s.r.RocksDBStore - Failed to open RocksDB 'rocksdb-data/data/g'
org.rocksdb.RocksDBException: rocksdb::Status rocksdb::SidePluginRepo::StartHttpServer(): null context when constructing CivetServer. Possible problem binding to port.
at org.rocksdb.SidePluginRepo.startHttpServer(Native Method) ~[rocksdbjni-8.10.2-20250804.074027-4.jar:?]
Solutions:
- Check if the port is occupied:
lsof -i :2011
- Modify
listening_ports
in the YAML file - Restart HugeGraph Server
Issue 3: Database Initialization Failure
Sample output indicating lock acquisition failure, possibly due to write permission issues or another process locking the DB:
Caused by: org.rocksdb.RocksDBException: While lock file: rocksdb-data/data/m/LOCK: Resource temporarily unavailable
at org.rocksdb.SidePluginRepo.nativeOpenDBMultiCF(Native Method)
at org.rocksdb.SidePluginRepo.openDB(SidePluginRepo.java:22)
Solutions:
- Confirm correct config path:
rocksdb.option_path=./conf/graphs/rocksdb_plus.yaml
- Check data directory permissions: ensure read/write access for the running user
- Review detailed logs:
bin/init-store.sh 2>&1 | tee init.log
Related Documentation
- ToplingDB YAML Configuration Explained – Understand each parameter in the config file
- HugeGraph Configuration Guide – Reference for core HugeGraph settings
- ToplingDB GitHub Repository – Official docs and latest updates