Paintings ATProto Migration Plan #

Current State #

MongoDB Paintings Collection #

• Total paintings: 3,903
• With user attribution: 2,839 (73%)
• Anonymous: 1,064 (27%)

Painting Record Structure #

{
  "_id": "6519da7dcb8ff23906174fc7",
  "slug": "2023.10.01.15.41.08.676",
  "user": "auth0|63effeeb2a7d55f8098d62f9",
  "when": "2023-10-01T20:45:49.608Z",
  "bucket": "user-aesthetic-computer",
  "code": "k3d"
}

Storage Details #

• Backend: Digital Ocean Spaces (S3-compatible)
• Bucket: user-aesthetic-computer (for user paintings)
• Bucket: art-aesthetic-computer (for anonymous paintings)
• Access: Paintings stored as image files (PNG/JPEG)
• URL Pattern: Likely https://[bucket].s3.region.digitaloceanspaces.com/[slug].[ext]

ATProto Lexicon Design #

Option 1: Store Paintings as Blobs + Records #

{
  lexicon: 1,
  id: "computer.aesthetic.painting",
  defs: {
    main: {
      type: "record",
      key: "tid",
      record: {
        type: "object",
        required: ["image", "createdAt"],
        properties: {
          image: {
            type: "blob",
            accept: ["image/png", "image/jpeg", "image/webp"],
            maxSize: 10000000 // 10MB
          },
          title: {
            type: "string",
            maxLength: 100
          },
          slug: {
            type: "string", // Original aesthetic.computer slug
            maxLength: 50
          },
          code: {
            type: "string", // Short code (k3d, hxO, etc)
            maxLength: 10
          },
          createdAt: {
            type: "string",
            format: "datetime"
          },
          ref: {
            type: "string", // MongoDB _id for bidirectional link
            maxLength: 24
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: External Reference (Keep in Digital Ocean) #

{
  lexicon: 1,
  id: "computer.aesthetic.painting",
  defs: {
    main: {
      type: "record",
      key: "tid",
      record: {
        type: "object",
        required: ["url", "createdAt"],
        properties: {
          url: {
            type: "string",
            format: "uri"
          },
          thumbnail: {
            type: "blob", // Small preview blob
            accept: ["image/png", "image/jpeg"],
            maxSize: 500000 // 500KB
          },
          slug: {
            type: "string",
            maxLength: 50
          },
          code: {
            type: "string",
            maxLength: 10
          },
          createdAt: {
            type: "string",
            format: "datetime"
          },
          ref: {
            type: "string",
            maxLength: 24
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Migration Strategy #

Recommended Approach: Option 2 (External Reference) #

Pros:

• Paintings already in Digital Ocean (no need to move data)
• Smaller ATProto records (just metadata + thumbnail)
• Faster migration
• Lower storage costs on PDS
• Can still link to full-res paintings

Cons:

• Paintings not fully "on ATProto"
• Dependent on Digital Ocean availability
• URLs might break if DO structure changes

Migration Steps #

1. Create Lexicon

   • Define computer.aesthetic.painting schema
   • Test with sample painting

2. Download & Generate Thumbnails

   • Fetch full painting from Digital Ocean
   • Generate 300x300px thumbnail
   • Store thumbnail as blob in ATProto

3. Create ATProto Records

   • For each painting in MongoDB with user attribution
   • Create ATProto record with metadata + thumbnail
   • Store rkey back in MongoDB (like moods)

4. Bidirectional Links

   • MongoDB: Add atproto.rkey field
   • ATProto: Add ref field pointing to MongoDB _id

5. Handle Users Without ATProto

   • Skip the 6 blocked users (same as moods)
   • Only migrate paintings for 978 users with ATProto accounts

Implementation Plan #

Scripts Needed #

1. create-painting-lexicon.mjs - Define and register the lexicon
2. generate-painting-thumbnails.mjs - Download + create thumbnails
3. migrate-user-paintings.mjs - Main migration script
4. compare-painting-records.mjs - Verification tool

Estimated Numbers #

• Users with ATProto: 978
• Paintings to migrate: ~2,839 (only user-attributed)
• Top user: @ac25namuc with 384 paintings
• Estimated time: ~1-2 hours (with thumbnail generation)

Questions to Answer #

1. Do we want full paintings in ATProto or just metadata + thumbnails?
2. Should we migrate anonymous paintings (1,064) or only user paintings?
3. What size thumbnail is appropriate?
4. Should we batch this differently than moods (paintings are much larger)?

Next Steps #

Choose approach and I can start implementing the lexicon and migration scripts!