> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://pikamug.gitbook.io/quests/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://pikamug.gitbook.io/quests/expert/storage.md).

# Storage

You may elect to change your storage option through the `storage-method` setting of [the Quests configuration file](https://pikamug.gitbook.io/quests/setup/configuration#config.yml). The available choices are described below. If you should wish to change your storage method later without losing data, first use [QuestsConverter](https://github.com/PikaMug/QuestsConverter).

### YAML

This is the default selection which will save player data to separated .yml files under the */Quests/data* folder. It is recommended for beginner and casual users as it works right "out of the box" with no additional setup required.

### MySQL

This will save player data to a local or remote MySQL database that you have configured ahead of time. Table and login settings may be specified via the `storage-data` settings. An example of such configuration might look like:

```
storage-data:
  address: localhost
  database: minecraft
  username: root
  password: myComplexPassword
  table_prefix: quests_
  pool-settings:
    max-pool-size: 10
    min-idle: 10
    max-lifetime: 1800000
    connection-timeout: 5000
```

Note that HikariCP has been shaded internally to maximize connection speed on largely-populated servers.

### Custom

A developer may opt to employ a custom storage option. See [here](https://github.com/PikaMug/Quests/tree/main/api/src/main/java/me/pikamug/quests/storage/implementation/custom).