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Manual Backups

Create on-demand backups for additional data protection.

Overview

Manual backups supplement automated daily backups:

  • Create before deployments
  • Create before destructive operations
  • Create for archival purposes

Creating Manual Backups

Via CLI

postbase cloud backups create -p myapp -d production

Output:

Creating backup for production...
 
✓ Backup created
 
ID:       bkp_ManualXyz123
Status:   pending
Size:     Calculating...
 
Monitor progress with:
  postbase cloud backups info bkp_ManualXyz123 -p myapp -d production

Via API

curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  https://api.postbase.sh/projects/myapp/databases/production/backups

Manual Backup Limits

TierLimitRetention
Free1 backup7 days
ProUnlimited90 days

If at limit, delete an existing manual backup first:

postbase cloud backups delete bkp_OldBackup -p myapp -d production

Checking Backup Status

Immediate Status

postbase cloud backups info bkp_ManualXyz123 -p myapp -d production

Output:

Backup Details
 
ID:       bkp_ManualXyz123
Type:     manual
Status:   in_progress
 
Created:  2026-01-25 14:30:00 UTC
Progress: 45%
 
Estimated completion: ~2 minutes

Completed Status

Backup Details
 
ID:       bkp_ManualXyz123
Type:     manual
Status:   completed
Size:     12.5 MB
Database: production
 
Created:  2026-01-25 14:30:00 UTC
Expires:  2026-02-01 14:30:00 UTC
 
Duration: 45 seconds

Pre-Deployment Backups

Best practice: Create backup before major changes.

# 1. Create backup
postbase cloud backups create -p myapp -d production
 
# 2. Wait for completion
postbase cloud backups list -p myapp -d production --watch
 
# 3. Note the backup ID
BACKUP_ID=bkp_ManualXyz123
 
# 4. Deploy changes
npm run deploy
 
# 5. Run migrations
postbase migrate up
 
# 6. If issues, restore
postbase cloud backups restore $BACKUP_ID -p myapp -d production --force

Downloading Manual Backups

CLI Download

postbase cloud backups download bkp_ManualXyz123 \
  -p myapp -d production \
  -o ./manual-backup-2026-01-25.dump

Get Download URL

postbase cloud backups download-url bkp_ManualXyz123 \
  -p myapp -d production

URL valid for 1 hour.

Restoring from Manual Backup

# Restore with confirmation
postbase cloud backups restore bkp_ManualXyz123 -p myapp -d production
 
# Restore without confirmation
postbase cloud backups restore bkp_ManualXyz123 -p myapp -d production --force

Deleting Manual Backups

# Delete with confirmation
postbase cloud backups delete bkp_ManualXyz123 -p myapp -d production
 
# Force delete
postbase cloud backups delete bkp_ManualXyz123 -p myapp -d production --force

Only manual backups can be deleted. Automated backups expire automatically.

Listing All Backups

# All backups
postbase cloud backups list -p myapp -d production
 
# Only manual
postbase cloud backups list -p myapp -d production --type manual
 
# Only automated
postbase cloud backups list -p myapp -d production --type automated

Use Cases

Before Schema Migration

# Create safety backup
postbase cloud backups create -p myapp -d production
 
# Run migration
postbase migrate up --database-url $PROD_URL
 
# If migration fails
postbase cloud backups restore $BACKUP_ID -p myapp -d production --force
postbase migrate down --database-url $PROD_URL  # Fix and retry

Before Data Import

# Backup before import
postbase cloud backups create -p myapp -d production
 
# Import data
psql $PROD_URL < large_import.sql
 
# If import corrupted data
postbase cloud backups restore $BACKUP_ID -p myapp -d production --force

Archival/Compliance

# Create monthly archive
postbase cloud backups create -p myapp -d production
 
# Download for off-site storage
postbase cloud backups download bkp_Archive \
  -p myapp -d production \
  -o ./archive-$(date +%Y-%m).dump
 
# Upload to cold storage
aws s3 cp ./archive-2026-01.dump s3://my-cold-storage/backups/

Best Practices

  1. Create before deployments - Always have a rollback point
  2. Don't rely on single backup - PITR provides continuous protection
  3. Test restores - Regularly verify backups are restorable
  4. Monitor quotas - Delete old manual backups to stay within limits
  5. Download for compliance - Keep off-site copies for regulations