Rule Persistence

By default, Ordo stores rules in memory. Enable file-based persistence to retain rules across restarts.

Enable Persistence

Use the --rules-dir flag to specify a directory for rule storage:

ordo-server --rules-dir ./rules

How It Works

When persistence is enabled:

1. Startup: Rules are loaded from .json, .yaml, and .yml files in the directory
2. Create/Update: Rules are saved to the directory when created or updated via API
3. Delete: Rule files are removed when deleted via API

Directory Structure

rules/
├── discount-check.json
├── loan-approval.yaml
├── fraud-detection.json
└── .versions/
    ├── discount-check/
    │   ├── v1_1704700000.json
    │   └── v2_1704800000.json
    └── loan-approval/
        └── v1_1704700000.yaml

File Formats

JSON Format

{
  "config": {
    "name": "discount-check",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "entry_step": "check_vip"
  },
  "steps": {
    "check_vip": {
      "id": "check_vip",
      "type": "decision",
      "branches": [{ "condition": "user.vip == true", "next_step": "vip_discount" }],
      "default_next": "normal_discount"
    }
  }
}

YAML Format

config:
  name: discount-check
  version: '1.0.0'
  entry_step: check_vip

steps:
  check_vip:
    id: check_vip
    type: decision
    branches:
      - condition: 'user.vip == true'
        next_step: vip_discount
    default_next: normal_discount

  vip_discount:
    id: vip_discount
    type: terminal
    result:
      code: VIP
      message: '20% discount applied'

File Naming

• File name becomes the rule name (without extension)
• discount-check.json → rule name: discount-check
• If multiple files have the same base name, JSON takes priority over YAML

Health Check

The health endpoint shows storage mode:

curl http://localhost:8080/health

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "storage": {
    "mode": "persistent",
    "rules_dir": "./rules",
    "rules_count": 3
  }
}

Best Practices

1. Use version control: Keep your rules directory in Git
2. Organize by domain: Use subdirectories for different rule categories
3. Prefer YAML for readability: YAML is easier to read and edit manually
4. Use JSON for programmatic access: JSON is better for API responses
5. Backup regularly: Implement backup strategies for production

Troubleshooting

Rules not loading

• Check file permissions
• Verify JSON/YAML syntax
• Check server logs for parsing errors

Changes not persisting

• Verify --rules-dir is specified
• Check directory write permissions
• Ensure disk space is available

Startup errors

# Check for syntax errors
cat rules/my-rule.json | jq .

# Validate YAML
python -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('rules/my-rule.yaml'))"