Backup Database

To back up your database, use the backup command.

This section explains how to configure and run backups, including recurring backups, using Docker or Kubernetes.

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Default Configuration

• Storage: By default, backups are stored locally in the /backup directory.
• Compression: Backups are compressed using gzip by default. Use the --disable-compression flag to disable compression.
• Security: It is recommended to create a dedicated user with read-only access for backup tasks.

The backup process supports recurring backups on Docker or Docker Swarm. On Kubernetes, it can be deployed as a CronJob.

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Example: Basic Backup Configuration

Below is an example docker-compose.yml configuration for backing up a database:

services:
  pg-bkup:
    # In production, lock your image tag to a specific release version
    # instead of using `latest`. Check https://github.com/jkaninda/pg-bkup/releases
    # for available releases.
    image: jkaninda/pg-bkup
    container_name: pg-bkup
    command: backup -d database
    volumes:
      - ./backup:/backup
    environment:
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - DB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_NAME=database
      - DB_USERNAME=username
      - DB_PASSWORD=password
      ## Optional: Use JDBC connection string
      #- DB_URL=jdbc:postgresql://postgres:5432/database?user=user&password=password

    # Ensure the pg-bkup container is connected to the same network as your database
    networks:
      - web

networks:
  web:

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Backup Using Docker CLI

You can also run backups directly using the Docker CLI:

docker run --rm --network your_network_name \
  -v $PWD/backup:/backup/ \
  -e "DB_HOST=dbhost" \
  -e "DB_USERNAME=username" \
  -e "DB_PASSWORD=password" \
  jkaninda/pg-bkup backup -d database_name

Note: Use data-only flag to back up only the data without schema.

Backup Schema Only

To back up only the schema of a specific database, use the --schema-only flag:

docker run --rm --network your_network_name \
  -v $PWD/backup:/backup/ \
  -e "DB_HOST=dbhost" \
  -e "DB_PORT=5432" \
  -e "DB_USERNAME=username" \
  -e "DB_PASSWORD=password" \
  jkaninda/pg-bkup backup -d database_name --schema-only

Backup specific tables

To back up specific tables within a database, use the --tables or -t flag followed by a comma-separated list of table names:

docker run --rm --network your_network_name \
  -v $PWD/backup:/backup/ \
  -e "DB_HOST=dbhost" \
  -e "DB_PORT=5432" \
  -e "DB_USERNAME=username" \
  -e "DB_PASSWORD=password" \
  jkaninda/pg-bkup backup -d database_name --tables table1,table2

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Recurring Backups

To schedule recurring backups, use the --cron-expression flag or the BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION environment variable. This allows you to define a cron schedule for automated backups.

Example: Recurring Backup Configuration

services:
  pg-bkup:
    # In production, lock your image tag to a specific release version
    # instead of using `latest`. Check https://github.com/jkaninda/pg-bkup/releases
    # for available releases.
    image: jkaninda/pg-bkup
    container_name: pg-bkup
    command: backup -d database --cron-expression @midnight
    volumes:
      - ./backup:/backup
    environment:
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - DB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_NAME=database
      - DB_USERNAME=username
      - DB_PASSWORD=password
      ## Optional: Define a cron schedule for recurring backups
      - BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION=@midnight
      ## Optional: Delete old backups after a specified number of days
      #- BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS=7
      ## Optional: Use JDBC connection string
      #- DB_URL=jdbc:postgresql://postgres:5432/database?user=user&password=password

    # Ensure the pg-bkup container is connected to the same network as your database
    networks:
      - web

networks:
  web:

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Key Notes

• Cron Expression: Use the --cron-expression flag or BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION environment variable to define the backup schedule. For example:
  • @midnight: Runs the backup daily at midnight.
  • 0 1 * * *: Runs the backup daily at 1:00 AM.
• Backup Retention: Optionally, use the BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS environment variable to automatically delete backups older than a specified number of days.
• JDBC Connection: You can use the DB_URL environment variable to specify a JDBC connection string instead of individual database credentials.