diff --git a/samples/data.yml b/samples/data.yml
index 2ecb61a92..61794b073 100644
--- a/samples/data.yml
+++ b/samples/data.yml
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@ templates:
 # any extra arguments for Docker?
 # docker_args:
 
+# TODO: SOME_SECRET to a password for the discourse user
 params:
   db_default_text_search_config: "pg_catalog.english"
+  db_password: SOME_SECRET
 
   ## Set db_shared_buffers to a max of 25% of the total memory.
   ## will be set automatically by bootstrap based on detected RAM, or you can override
@@ -24,6 +26,7 @@ env:
   LC_ALL: en_US.UTF-8
   LANG: en_US.UTF-8
   LANGUAGE: en_US.UTF-8
+  DISCOURSE_DB_PASSWORD: $db_password
 
 volumes:
   - volume:
@@ -33,12 +36,11 @@ volumes:
         host: /var/discourse/shared/data/log/var-log
         guest: /var/log
 
-# TODO: SOME_SECRET to a password for the discourse user
 hooks:
   after_postgres:
     - exec:
         stdin: |
-          alter user discourse with password 'SOME_SECRET';
+          alter user discourse with password '$db_password';
         cmd: su - postgres -c 'psql discourse'
 
         raise_on_fail: false
diff --git a/templates/postgres.15.template.yml b/templates/postgres.15.template.yml
index 548c575eb..b0beef6cb 100644
--- a/templates/postgres.15.template.yml
+++ b/templates/postgres.15.template.yml
@@ -14,22 +14,38 @@ hooks:
     - replace:
        filename: /etc/service/unicorn/run
        from: "# postgres"
-       to: |
-         if [ -f /root/install_postgres ]; then
-           /root/install_postgres
-           rm /root/install_postgres
-         fi
-         sv start postgres || exit 1
+       to: sv start postgres || exit 1
 
 run:
   - exec: DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get purge -y postgresql-13 postgresql-client-13 postgresql-contrib-13 postgresql-13-pgvector
   - exec: apt-get update && apt-get install -y postgresql-15 postgresql-client-15 postgresql-contrib-15 postgresql-15-pgvector
+
+  - file:
+     path: /etc/service/config-postgres/run
+     chmod: "+x"
+     contents: |
+       #!/bin/sh
+       if [ -f /usr/local/bin/create_db ] && [ "$CREATE_DB_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then
+         sleep 5
+         /usr/local/bin/create_db
+         if [ ! -z "$DISCOURSE_DB_PASSWORD" ]; then
+           echo "alter user discourse with password '$DISCOURSE_DB_PASSWORD';" | su - postgres -c 'psql $db_name'
+         fi
+       fi
+
   - file:
      path: /etc/service/postgres/run
      chmod: "+x"
      contents: |
         #!/bin/sh
         exec 2>&1
+        if [ -f /root/install_postgres ]; then
+          /root/install_postgres
+          rm /root/install_postgres
+        fi
+        if [ "$CREATE_DB_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then
+          sv once config-postgres
+        fi
         HOME=/var/lib/postgresql USER=postgres exec thpoff chpst -u postgres:postgres:ssl-cert -U postgres:postgres:ssl-cert /usr/lib/postgresql/15/bin/postmaster -D /etc/postgresql/15/main
 
   - file:
diff --git a/templates/postgres.template.yml b/templates/postgres.template.yml
index 95001a0f1..df3b556ee 100644
--- a/templates/postgres.template.yml
+++ b/templates/postgres.template.yml
@@ -14,20 +14,35 @@ hooks:
     - replace:
        filename: /etc/service/unicorn/run
        from: "# postgres"
-       to: |
-         if [ -f /root/install_postgres ]; then
-           /root/install_postgres
-           rm /root/install_postgres
-         fi
-         sv start postgres || exit 1
+       to: sv start postgres || exit 1
 
 run:
+  - file:
+     path: /etc/service/config-postgres/run
+     chmod: "+x"
+     contents: |
+       #!/bin/sh
+       if [ -f /usr/local/bin/create_db ] && [ "$CREATE_DB_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then
+         sleep 5
+         /usr/local/bin/create_db
+         if [ ! -z "$DISCOURSE_DB_PASSWORD" ]; then
+           echo "alter user discourse with password '$DISCOURSE_DB_PASSWORD';" | su - postgres -c 'psql $db_name'
+         fi
+       fi
+
   - file:
      path: /etc/service/postgres/run
      chmod: "+x"
      contents: |
         #!/bin/sh
         exec 2>&1
+        if [ -f /root/install_postgres ]; then
+          /root/install_postgres
+          rm /root/install_postgres
+        fi
+        if [ "$CREATE_DB_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then
+          sv once config-postgres
+        fi
         HOME=/var/lib/postgresql USER=postgres exec thpoff chpst -u postgres:postgres:ssl-cert -U postgres:postgres:ssl-cert /usr/lib/postgresql/13/bin/postmaster -D /etc/postgresql/13/main
 
   - file:
diff --git a/templates/redis.template.yml b/templates/redis.template.yml
index 9044869ee..a09b767a1 100644
--- a/templates/redis.template.yml
+++ b/templates/redis.template.yml
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ run:
      contents: |
         #!/bin/sh
         exec 2>&1
+        if [ ! -d /shared/redis_data ]; then
+          install -d -m 0755 -o redis -g redis /shared/redis_data
+        fi
         exec thpoff chpst -u redis -U redis /usr/bin/redis-server /etc/redis/redis.conf
   - file:
      path: /etc/service/redis/log/run
@@ -86,8 +89,4 @@ hooks:
     - replace:
        filename: /etc/service/unicorn/run
        from: "# redis"
-       to: |
-         if [ ! -d /shared/redis_data ]; then
-           install -d -m 0755 -o redis -g redis /shared/redis_data
-         fi
-         sv start redis || exit 1
+       to: sv start redis || exit 1
diff --git a/templates/web.template.yml b/templates/web.template.yml
index d5dd09526..b9987f5a3 100644
--- a/templates/web.template.yml
+++ b/templates/web.template.yml
@@ -60,9 +60,8 @@ run:
         if [[ -z "$PRECOMPILE_ON_BOOT" ]]; then
           PRECOMPILE_ON_BOOT=1
         fi
-        if [ -f /usr/local/bin/create_db ] && [ "$CREATE_DB_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then /usr/local/bin/create_db; fi;
-        if [ "$MIGRATE_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then su discourse -c 'bundle exec rake db:migrate'; fi
-        if [ "$PRECOMPILE_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then SKIP_EMBER_CLI_COMPILE=1 su discourse -c 'bundle exec rake assets:precompile'; fi
+        if [ "$MIGRATE_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then su discourse -c 'bundle exec rake db:migrate' || exit 1; fi
+        if [ "$PRECOMPILE_ON_BOOT" = "1" ]; then SKIP_EMBER_CLI_COMPILE=1 su discourse -c 'bundle exec rake assets:precompile' || exit 1; fi
         LD_PRELOAD=$RUBY_ALLOCATOR HOME=/home/discourse USER=discourse exec thpoff chpst -u discourse:www-data -U discourse:www-data bundle exec config/unicorn_launcher -E production -c config/unicorn.conf.rb
 
   - file: