diff --git a/dockerfiles/super_node/Dockerfile b/dockerfiles/super_node/Dockerfile
index 2a4d2cbd..deb1a26a 100644
--- a/dockerfiles/super_node/Dockerfile
+++ b/dockerfiles/super_node/Dockerfile
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ WORKDIR /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb
 
 # app container
 FROM alpine
-WORKDIR /app
 
 ARG USER
 ARG CONFIG_FILE
@@ -38,7 +37,9 @@ ARG EXPOSE_PORT_2
 ARG EXPOSE_PORT_3
 ARG EXPOSE_PORT_4
 
-RUN adduser -D 5000 $USER
+RUN adduser -Du 5000 $USER
+WORKDIR /app
+RUN chown $USER /app
 USER $USER
 
 # chown first so dir is writable
@@ -46,12 +47,13 @@ USER $USER
 COPY --chown=5000:5000 --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/$CONFIG_FILE config.toml
 COPY --chown=5000:5000 --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/dockerfiles/super_node/startup_script.sh .
 
+
 # keep binaries immutable
 COPY --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/vulcanizedb vulcanizedb
 COPY --from=builder /go/src/github.com/pressly/goose/cmd/goose/goose goose
 COPY --from=builder /go/src/github.com/vulcanize/vulcanizedb/db/migrations migrations/vulcanizedb
 COPY --from=builder /go/src/github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/ipfs ipfs
-RUN touch vulcanizedb.log
+# XXX dir is already writeable RUN touch vulcanizedb.log
 
 EXPOSE $EXPOSE_PORT_1
 EXPOSE $EXPOSE_PORT_2
diff --git a/dockerfiles/super_node/startup_script.sh b/dockerfiles/super_node/startup_script.sh
index 7ecde43b..a1d03dc7 100755
--- a/dockerfiles/super_node/startup_script.sh
+++ b/dockerfiles/super_node/startup_script.sh
@@ -3,24 +3,26 @@
 
 # Exit if the variable tests fail
 set -e
+set +x
 
 # Check the database variables are set
-test $VDB_PG_NAME
-test $VDB_PG_HOSTNAME
-test $VDB_PG_PORT
-test $VDB_PG_USER
+test $DATABASE_HOSTNAME
+test $DATABASE_NAME
+test $DATABASE_PORT
+test $DATABASE_USER
+test $DATABASE_PASSWORD
 test $IPFS_INIT
 set +e
 
 # Export our database variables so that the IPFS Postgres plugin can use them
-export IPFS_PGHOST=$VDB_PG_HOSTNAME
-export IPFS_PGUSER=$VDB_PG_USER
-export IPFS_PGDATABASE=$VDB_PG_NAME
-export IPFS_PGPORT=$VDB_PG_PORT
-export IPFS_PGPASSWORD=$VDB_PG_PASSWORD
+export IPFS_PGHOST=$DATABASE_HOSTNAME
+export IPFS_PGUSER=$DATABASE_USER
+export IPFS_PGDATABASE=$DATABASE_NAME
+export IPFS_PGPORT=$DATABASE_PORT
+export IPFS_PGPASSWORD=$DATABASE_PASSWORD
 
 # Construct the connection string for postgres
-VDB_PG_CONNECT=postgresql://$VDB_PG_USER:$VDB_PG_PASSWORD@$VDB_PG_HOSTNAME:$VDB_PG_PORT/$VDB_PG_NAME?sslmode=disable
+VDB_PG_CONNECT=postgresql://$DATABASE_USER:$DATABASE_PASSWORD@$DATABASE_HOSTNAME:$DATABASE_PORT/$DATABASE_NAME?sslmode=disable
 
 # Run the DB migrations
 echo "Connecting with: $VDB_PG_CONNECT"
diff --git a/environments/superNode.toml b/environments/superNode.toml
index 9c77db2a..917616f1 100644
--- a/environments/superNode.toml
+++ b/environments/superNode.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
         name     = "vulcanize_public"
         hostname = "localhost"
         port     = 5432
-        user     = "ec2-user"
+        user     = "vdbm"
 
     [superNode.ethereum.sync]
         on = true
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
          name     = "vulcanize_public"
          hostname = "localhost"
          port     = 5432
-         user     = "ec2-user"
+         user     = "vdbm"
 
     [superNode.bitcoin.sync]
          on = true