# Storage

As mentioned earlier, data is stored in files, and these files are relative to `STORAGEDIR` (compiled into the programs or specified as an option). In particular, the following directory structure can exist, whereby directories are created as needed by the Recorder:

* `cards/`, optional, may contains user cards. This card is then stored here and used with, e.g., `ocat --last` to show a user's name and optional avatar. User cards are typically stored in a subdirectory called `username`, and therein a JSON file `[username].json`. When reading cards, the Recorder will first attempt to open `[username]/[device]/[username].json` and then `[username]/[username].json`.
* `config/`, optional, contains the JSON of a [device configuration](http://owntracks.org/booklet/features/remoteconfig/) (`.otrc`)  which was requested remotely via a [dump command](http://owntracks.org/booklet/tech/json/#_typecmd). Note that this will contain sensitive data. You can use this `.otrc` file to restore the OwnTracks configuration on your device by copying to the device and opening it in OwnTracks.
* `ghash/`, unless disabled, reverse Geo data (using a Google service) is collected into an LMDB database located in this directory. This LMDB database also contains named databases which are used by your optional Lua hooks, as well as a `topic2tid` database which can be used for TID re-mapping.
* `last/` contains the last location published by devices. E.g. Jane's last publish from her iPhone would be in `last/jjolie/iphone/jjolie-iphone.json`. The JSON payload contained therein is enhanced with the fields `user`, `device`, `topic`, and `ghash`. If a device's `last/` directory contains a file called `extra.json` (i.e. matching the example, this would be `last/jjolie/iphone/extra.json`), the content of this file is merged into the existing JSON for this user and returned by the API. Note, that you cannot overwrite existing values. So, an `extra.json` containing `{ "tst" : 11 }` will do nothing because the `tst` element we obtain from location data overrules, but adding `{ "beverage" : "water" }` will do what you want. These values are returned via the API in the LAST object. A file `http.json` which should contain either a single JSON object or an array of JSON objects is returned to clients in HTTP mode.
* `monitor` a file which contains a timestamp and the last received topic (see Monitoring below).
* `msg/` contains messages received by the Messaging system.
* `photos/` optional; contains the binary photos from a card.
* `rec/` the Recorder data proper. One subdirectory per user, one subdirectory therein per device. Data files are named `YYYY-MM.rec` (e.g. `2015-08.rec` for the data accumulated during the month of August 2015. The content is a time stamp obtained from `tst` (or _now_, i.e. `time(0)` if there is no `tst` in the payload) followed by record type and message payload.
* `waypoints/` contains a directory per user and device. Therein are individual files named by a timestamp with the JSON payload of published (i.e. shared) waypoints. The file names are timestamps because the `tst` of a waypoint is its key. If a user publishes all waypoints from a device (Publish Waypoints), the payload is stored in this directory as `username-device.otrw`. (Note, that this is the JSON [waypoints import format](http://owntracks.org/booklet/tech/json/#_typewaypoints).) You can use this `.otrw` file to restore the waypoints on your device by copying to the device and opening it in OwnTracks.

You should definitely **not** modify or touch these files: they remain under the control of the Recorder. You can of course, remove old `.rec` files if they consume too much space.