Backup Command (backup)

Source: pgBackRest Command Docs: backup

With multiple repositories, pgBackRest backs up to the highest priority repository, such as repo1. Use --repo to select another repository.

pgBackRest has no built-in scheduler. Use cron or another scheduler to run it.

See Perform a Backup for more details and examples.

Command Options

Backup Annotation Option (--annotation)

Annotate backup with user-defined key/value pairs.

Attach informative key/value pairs to the backup. Repeat this option to attach multiple annotations.

When --set specifies a backup, the info command includes its annotations in text output. JSON output always includes annotations.

example: --annotation=source="Sunday backup for website database"

Check Archive Option (--archive-check)

Check that WAL segments are in the archive before backup completes.

Check that the WAL archive contains all segments necessary for backup consistency. Keep the default unless you use another archive method.

This option must be enabled if archive-copy is enabled.

default: y
example: --no-archive-check

Copy Archive Option (--archive-copy)

Copy WAL segments needed for consistency to the backup.

Store WAL segments necessary for consistency directly in the backup. This protects against corruption in the WAL archive. The archive still stores these segments, so this option uses additional space.

When you use this option, give archive-push and backup the same compress-type, such as lz4. Otherwise, pgBackRest must recompress WAL segments with the backup compression type. This can require substantial processing when the backup generates a large amount of WAL.

After a restore, these WAL segments are in pg_xlog/pg_wal. PostgreSQL uses them before it calls restore_command.

The archive-check option must be enabled if archive-copy is enabled.

default: n
example: --archive-copy

Check Archive Mode Option (--archive-mode-check)

Check the PostgreSQL archive_mode setting.

Enabled by default, this option disallows PostgreSQL archive_mode=always.

A standby can push WAL segments with the same logical contents as primary segments but different checksums. Disable archiving from multiple sources to avoid these conflicts.

CAUTION:

If you disable this option, make sure that only one archiver writes to the repository through archive-push.

default: y
example: --no-archive-mode-check

Archive Timeout Option (--archive-timeout)

Archive timeout.

Set the maximum wait, in seconds, for each WAL segment to reach the pgBackRest archive repository. The check and backup commands use this timeout while waiting for WAL segments necessary for backup consistency.

default: 1m
allowed: [100ms, 1d]
example: --archive-timeout=30

Backup from Standby Option (--backup-standby)

Backup from the standby cluster.

Enable backups from the standby to reduce primary cluster load. Configure both the primary and standby hosts to use this option.

The following modes are supported:

• y - Standby is required for backup.
• prefer - Backup from standby if available otherwise backup from primary.
• n - Backup from primary only.

default: n
example: --backup-standby=y

Page Checksums Option (--checksum-page)

Validate data page checksums.

Validate all data page checksums during a cluster backup. pgBackRest enables this option automatically when the cluster has data page checksums enabled.

Checksum validation failures do not stop a backup. pgBackRest writes warnings to the log and, with default settings, the console. It stores the invalid page list in the backup manifest.

example: --no-checksum-page

Path/File Exclusions Option (--exclude)

Exclude paths/files from the backup.

All exclusions are relative to $PGDATA. An exclusion ending in / excludes files in the directory but keeps the directory itself. For example, --exclude=junk/ excludes files in $PGDATA/junk. Without a final /, an exclusion matches either the exact file name or the name followed by /. For example, --exclude=junk excludes the $PGDATA/junk directory and all its files.

Use this feature with care. An excluded critical file can make the backup inconsistent. Test your restores.

pgBackRest logs each excluded file and its exclusion rule at info level. Review the list to make sure all exclusions are intended.

NOTE: Delta restores do not preserve exclusions. They remove files and directories that the backup excluded.

Do not use this option to exclude PostgreSQL logs. Use PostgreSQL log_directory to move logs outside PGDATA. This also preserves logs after a restore.

Specify multiple exclusions on the command line or in a configuration file.

example: --exclude=junk/

Expire Auto Option (--expire-auto)

Automatically run the expire command after a successful backup.

This setting is enabled by default. Disable it with care: pgBackRest then keeps all backups and archives indefinitely, which can fill the repository. Run expire regularly to prevent this.

Automatic expiration after a successful backup uses the backup command configuration. Options set only in an expire command section, such as [global:expire], do not apply. To use those options, disable automatic expiration and run expire separately.

default: y
example: --expire-auto

Force Option (--force)

Force an offline backup.

With --no-start-stop, pgBackRest runs a backup even if it detects that PostgreSQL is running. Use this option with extreme care. It will probably produce a bad backup.

A backup might still be useful in these conditions. For example, after a server crash, you might only be able to mount the cluster volume as read-only. A backup can then be useful even if postmaster.pid exists. Prefer to restore the previous backup and replay WAL. However, an unarchived WAL segment might contain a critical transaction.

default: n
example: --force

Manifest Save Threshold Option (--manifest-save-threshold)

Manifest save threshold during backup.

Set how often pgBackRest saves the manifest during a backup. The manifest stores checksums so that backup resume can work efficiently. The actual threshold is 1% of backup size or manifest-save-threshold, whichever is greater.

default: 1GiB
allowed: [1B, 1TiB]
example: --manifest-save-threshold=8GiB

Online Option (--online)

Perform an online backup.

Specify –no-online to prevent pgBackRest from calling the database cluster backup start/stop functions. Shut down PostgreSQL first. pgBackRest reports an error if PostgreSQL is running.

Use this option for offline backups. pgBackRest copies pg_xlog/pg_wal without changes and automatically disables archive-check for the backup.

default: y
example: --no-online

Resume Option (--resume)

Allow resume of failed backup.

Enable or disable backup resume. After a backup fails, resume can substantially reduce the time for another backup of the same type. This feature adds complexity. You can disable it in environments that do not need it.

default: y
example: --no-resume

Start Fast Option (--start-fast)

Force a checkpoint to start backup quickly.

Pass y to the backup start function fast parameter to force a checkpoint and start the backup immediately. Otherwise, the backup waits for the next regular checkpoint.

default: n
example: --start-fast

Type Option (--type)

Backup type.

The following backup types are supported:

• full - Copy all database cluster files without dependencies on earlier backups.
• incr - Create an incremental backup from the last successful backup.
• diff - Create an incremental backup based on the last full backup.

default: incr
example: --type=full

General Options

Allow Run as Root Option (--allow-root)

Allow the command to run as the root user.

By default, only restore can run as root because it manages file ownership. Other commands can create root-owned files, for example in the repository. The PostgreSQL user cannot access these files, which causes later commands to fail.

Enable this option to run another command as root. Preferably, run pgBackRest as the user that owns the repository and PostgreSQL cluster.

default: n
example: --allow-root

Buffer Size Option (--buffer-size)

Buffer size for I/O operations.

Set the buffer size for copy, compression, encryption, and other operations. Options determine the number of buffers. Each operation can also use more memory. For example, gz compression can use an additional 256KiB.

Allowed values are 16KiB, 32KiB, 64KiB, 128KiB, 256KiB, 512KiB, 1MiB, 2MiB, 4MiB, 8MiB, and 16MiB.

default: 1MiB
example: --buffer-size=2MiB

pgBackRest Command Option (--cmd)

pgBackRest command.

pgBackRest can generate a command string, for example when restore generates the restore_command setting. It uses the command that started the pgBackRest process unless you specify the cmd option.

CAUTION:

Wrapping the pgBackRest command may cause unpredictable behavior and is not recommended.

default: [path of executed pgbackrest binary]
example: --cmd=/var/lib/pgsql/bin/pgbackrest_wrapper.sh

SSH Client Command Option (--cmd-ssh)

SSH client command.

Use this option to select a different SSH client or when the ssh command is not in $PATH.

default: ssh
example: --cmd-ssh=/usr/bin/ssh

Compress Option (--compress)

Use file compression.

Backup files are compatible with command-line compression tools.

This option is deprecated. Use compress-type instead.

default: y
example: --no-compress

Compress Level Option (--compress-level)

File compression level.

Set the file compression level when compress-type is not none or when compress=y (deprecated).

default (depending on compress-type):
    bz2 - 9
    gz - 6
    lz4 - 1
    zst - 3

allow range (depending on compress-type):
    bz2 - [1, 9]
    gz - [-1, 9]
    lz4 - [-5, 12]
    zst - [-7, 22]

example: --compress-level=9

Network Compress Level Option (--compress-level-network)

Network compression level.

Set the network compression level when compress-type=none and the command runs on a host other than the repository host. Compression reduces network traffic. When compress-type is not none, pgBackRest ignores compress-level-network and uses compress-level. This prevents compression of the same file twice.

default: 1
allowed: [-5, 12]
example: --compress-level-network=1

Compress Type Option (--compress-type)

File compression type.

The following compression types are supported:

• none - no compression
• bz2 - bzip2 compression format
• gz - gzip compression format
• lz4 - lz4 compression format (not available on all platforms)
• zst - Zstandard compression format (not available on all platforms)

default: gz
example: --compress-type=none

Config Option (--config)

pgBackRest configuration file.

Use this option to select a configuration file other than the default.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH "/" PROJECT_CONFIG_FILE
example: --config=/conf/pgbackrest/pgbackrest.conf

Config Include Path Option (--config-include-path)

Path to additional pgBackRest configuration files.

pgBackRest combines files with the .conf extension in this location with its configuration file. The result is one configuration file.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH "/" PROJECT_CONFIG_INCLUDE_PATH
example: --config-include-path=/conf/pgbackrest/conf.d

Config Path Option (--config-path)

Base path of pgBackRest configuration files.

Set the default base path for --config and --config-include-path. Explicit command-line values for these options override this setting.

For example, specify only --config-path=/conf/pgbackrest to set the --config default to /conf/pgbackrest/pgbackrest.conf. This also sets the --config-include-path default to /conf/pgbackrest/conf.d.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH
example: --config-path=/conf/pgbackrest

Database Timeout Option (--db-timeout)

Database query timeout.

Set the database query timeout in seconds. This includes backup start/stop functions, which can each take substantial time. Keep a high timeout unless these functions will return quickly. For example, you have set start-fast=y and know the cluster will generate few WAL segments during the backup.

NOTE: The db-timeout option must be less than the protocol-timeout option.

default: 30m
allowed: [100ms, 7d]
example: --db-timeout=600

Delta Option (--delta)

Restore or backup using checksums.

By default, a restore expects existing but empty PostgreSQL data and tablespace directories. Enable this option for a delta restore that uses checksums.

During a backup, use checksums instead of timestamps to determine which files to copy.

default: n
example: --delta

I/O Timeout Option (--io-timeout)

I/O timeout.

Set the connection and read/write timeout in seconds.

The complete read/write operation can take longer than this timeout. However, it must make some progress before the timeout, even if only one byte.

default: 1m
allowed: [100ms, 1h]
example: --io-timeout=120

Lock Path Option (--lock-path)

Path where lock files are stored.

pgBackRest creates lock files in this path to prevent conflicting operations from running at the same time.

default: /tmp/pgbackrest
example: --lock-path=/backup/db/lock

Neutral Umask Option (--neutral-umask)

Use a neutral umask.

Set the umask to 0000 to control repository permissions. The default directory mode is 0750. The default file mode is 0640.

To use the executing user’s umask, set neutral-umask=n in the configuration file or --no-neutral-umask on the command line.

default: y
example: --no-neutral-umask

Set Process Priority Option (--priority)

Set process priority.

Set the process priority, or niceness, used by the kernel scheduler. Positive values decrease priority. Negative values increase priority. Processes usually lack permission to increase their priority.

allowed: [-20, 19]
example: --priority=19

Process Maximum Option (--process-max)

Max processes to use for compress/transfer.

Each process compresses and transfers data to increase command speed. Do not set process-max so high that database performance decreases.

default: 1
allowed: [1, 999]
example: --process-max=4

Protocol Timeout Option (--protocol-timeout)

Protocol timeout.

Set how many seconds a local or remote process waits for a new protocol message. This prevents an indefinite wait.

NOTE: The protocol-timeout option must be greater than the db-timeout option.

default: 31m
allowed: [100ms, 7d]
example: --protocol-timeout=630

Keep Alive Option (--sck-keep-alive)

Keep-alive enable.

Enables keep-alive messages on socket connections.

default: y
example: --no-sck-keep-alive

Stanza Option (--stanza)

Defines the stanza.

A stanza contains the configuration for a PostgreSQL database cluster. It defines the cluster location, backup method, archive options, and other settings. Most database servers have one PostgreSQL cluster and one stanza. A backup server has a stanza for each cluster that needs a backup.

Choose a stanza name that describes the databases in the cluster. The primary and all replicas use the same stanza name. A functional name, such as app or dw, is preferable to a local cluster name, such as main or prod.

example: --stanza=main

Keep Alive Count Option (--tcp-keep-alive-count)

Keep-alive count.

Set how many TCP keep-alive messages can be lost before the connection is considered dead.

This option is available on systems that support the TCP_KEEPCNT socket option.

allowed: [1, 32]
example: --tcp-keep-alive-count=3

Keep Alive Idle Option (--tcp-keep-alive-idle)

Keep-alive idle time.

Set how many seconds of network inactivity must pass before the operating system sends a TCP keep-alive message.

This option is available on systems that support the TCP_KEEPIDLE socket option.

allowed: [1, 3600]
example: --tcp-keep-alive-idle=60

Keep Alive Interval Option (--tcp-keep-alive-interval)

Keep-alive interval time.

Set how many seconds to wait before retransmitting a TCP keep-alive message that has no acknowledgement.

This option is available on systems that support the TCP_KEEPINTVL socket option.

allowed: [1, 900]
example: --tcp-keep-alive-interval=30

TLSv1.2 cipher suites Option (--tls-cipher-12)

Allowed TLSv1.2 cipher suites.

All TLS connections between the pgBackRest client and server use encryption. Connections to object stores, such as S3, also use encryption by default.

NOTE: The absolute minimum security level for any transport connection is TLSv1.2.

Change the accepted cipher suites if necessary. The example is suitable unless you have specific security requirements. By default, this option is unset and the underlying OpenSSL library default applies.

example: --tls-cipher-12=HIGH:MEDIUM:+3DES:!aNULL

TLSv1.3 cipher suites Option (--tls-cipher-13)

Allowed TLSv1.3 cipher suites.

All TLS connections between the pgBackRest client and server use encryption. Connections to object stores, such as S3, also use encryption by default.

NOTE: The absolute minimum security level for any transport connection is TLSv1.2.

Change the accepted cipher suites if necessary. By default, this option is unset and the underlying OpenSSL library default applies.

example: --tls-cipher-13=TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256

Log Options

Console Log Level Option (--log-level-console)

Level for console logging.

The following log levels are supported:

• off - No logging at all (not recommended)
• error - Log only errors
• warn - Log warnings and errors
• info - Log info, warnings, and errors
• detail - Log detail, info, warnings, and errors
• debug - Log debug, detail, info, warnings, and errors
• trace - Log trace (very verbose debugging), debug, info, warnings, and errors

default: warn
example: --log-level-console=error

File Log Level Option (--log-level-file)

Level for file logging.

The following log levels are supported:

• off - No logging at all (not recommended)
• error - Log only errors
• warn - Log warnings and errors
• info - Log info, warnings, and errors
• detail - Log detail, info, warnings, and errors
• debug - Log debug, detail, info, warnings, and errors
• trace - Log trace (very verbose debugging), debug, info, warnings, and errors

default: info
example: --log-level-file=debug

Std Error Log Level Option (--log-level-stderr)

Level for stderr logging.

Select the log levels that write to stderr instead of stdout, which log-level-console controls. Output to stderr excludes the timestamp and process.

The following log levels are supported:

• off - No logging at all (not recommended)
• error - Log only errors
• warn - Log warnings and errors
• info - Log info, warnings, and errors
• detail - Log detail, info, warnings, and errors
• debug - Log debug, detail, info, warnings, and errors
• trace - Log trace (very verbose debugging), debug, info, warnings, and errors

default: off
example: --log-level-stderr=error

Log Path Option (--log-path)

Path where log files are stored.

pgBackRest stores log files in this path. If log-level-file=off, no log path is necessary.

default: /var/log/pgbackrest
example: --log-path=/backup/db/log

Log Subprocesses Option (--log-subprocess)

Enable logging in subprocesses.

Enable file logging for subprocesses created by this process. Use the level specified by log-level-file.

default: n
example: --log-subprocess

Log Timestamp Option (--log-timestamp)

Enable timestamp in logging.

Include timestamps in console and file logs. Disable this option for special uses, such as documentation generation.

default: y
example: --no-log-timestamp

Maintainer Options

Page Header Check Option (--page-header-check)

Check PostgreSQL page headers.

Enabled by default, this option adds page header checks.

Disable this option only when necessary, for example for encrypted pages.

default: y
example: --no-page-header-check

Force PostgreSQL Version Option (--pg-version-force)

Force PostgreSQL version.

Use the specified PostgreSQL version instead of the version detected from pg_control or WAL headers. This is mainly useful for PostgreSQL forks or development versions whose values differ from the release version. The version that PostgreSQL reports through server_version_num must match the forced version.

WARNING:

Use this option with care. pgBackRest still reads pg_control and WAL headers in the official open-source PostgreSQL format for the specified version. Changes to fields that pgBackRest uses can cause unexpected behavior. Generally, the fork must add all custom struct members after the standard PostgreSQL members for this option to work correctly.

example: --pg-version-force=15

Repository Options

Set Repository Option (--repo)

Set repository.

Set the repository for a command to operate on.

For example, select a repository for a restore instead of letting pgBackRest choose one.

allowed: [1, 256]
example: --repo=1

Azure Repository Container Option (--repo-azure-container)

Azure repository container.

Azure container used to store the repository.

Set repo-path=/ to store the repository in the container root. Usually, specify a prefix such as /repo. The container can then also store logs and other Azure-generated content.

example: --repo1-azure-container=pg-backup

Azure Repository Key Type Option (--repo-azure-key-type)

Azure repository key type.

The following types are supported for authorization:

• shared - Shared key
• sas - Shared access signature
• auto - Automatically authorize using Azure managed identities

default: shared
example: --repo1-azure-key-type=sas

Azure Repository URI Style Option (--repo-azure-uri-style)

Azure URI Style.

The following URI styles are supported:

• host - Connect to account.endpoint host.
• path - Connect to endpoint host and prepend account to URIs.

default: host
example: --repo1-azure-uri-style=path

Block Incremental Backup Option (--repo-block)

Enable block incremental backup.

Block incremental backup divides files into blocks that can be backed up independently. This saves repository space. It can also improve delta restore performance because pgBackRest can fetch individual blocks without reading the entire repository file.

NOTE: The repo-bundle option must be enabled before repo-block can be enabled.

File size and age determine block size. Older or larger files generally use larger blocks. Files above the age threshold do not use block incremental backup.

For maximum efficiency, enable block incremental for all backup types, including full backups. Full backups become slightly larger. Later differential and incremental backups use their block maps to save space.

default: n
example: --repo1-block

Repository Bundles Option (--repo-bundle)

Bundle files in repository.

Combine smaller files into bundles to reduce the number of repository files. Fewer file writes usually improve efficiency, especially with object stores such as S3. Zero-length files have only manifest entries and no stored file contents. This saves time and space.

default: n
example: --repo1-bundle

Repository Bundle Limit Option (--repo-bundle-limit)

Limit for file bundles.

Set the maximum file size for inclusion in bundles. Larger files are stored separately.

A resumed backup cannot reuse bundled files. Higher limits put more files in bundles and leave fewer files available for resume.

default: 2MiB
allowed: [8KiB, 1PiB]
example: --repo1-bundle-limit=10MiB

Repository Bundle Size Option (--repo-bundle-size)

Target size for file bundles.

Set the target size of one file bundle. The uncompressed bundle can be as large as repo-bundle-size + repo-bundle-limit. Do not set this option to the maximum file size your filesystem permits.

Avoid very large bundles. A retry must repeat the entire bundle.

default: 20MiB
allowed: [1MiB, 1PiB]
example: --repo1-bundle-size=10MiB

Repository Cipher Type Option (--repo-cipher-type)

Cipher used to encrypt the repository.

The following cipher types are supported:

• none - The repository is not encrypted
• aes-256-cbc - Advanced Encryption Standard with 256 bit key length

pgBackRest always encrypts data on the client, even when the repository type, such as S3, supports encryption.

default: none
example: --repo1-cipher-type=aes-256-cbc

GCS Repository Bucket Option (--repo-gcs-bucket)

GCS repository bucket.

GCS bucket used to store the repository.

Set repo-path=/ to store the repository in the bucket root. Usually, specify a prefix such as /repo. The bucket can then also store logs and other GCS-generated content.

example: --repo1-gcs-bucket=/pg-backup

GCS Repository Endpoint Option (--repo-gcs-endpoint)

GCS repository endpoint.

Set the endpoint for the storage service connection. You can select a local GCS server or another endpoint.

default: storage.googleapis.com
example: --repo1-gcs-endpoint=localhost

GCS Repository Key Type Option (--repo-gcs-key-type)

GCS repository key type.

The following types are supported for authorization:

• auto - Authorize using the instance service account.
• service - Service account from locally stored key.
• token - For local testing, e.g. fakegcs.

When repo-gcs-key-type=service, pgBackRest reloads credentials when it renews the authentication token.

default: service
example: --repo1-gcs-key-type=auto

GCS Repository Project ID Option (--repo-gcs-user-project)

GCS project ID.

GCS project ID used to determine request billing.

example: --repo1-gcs-user-project=my-project

Repository Hardlink Option (--repo-hardlink)

Hardlink files between backups in the repository.

Hard-link differential and incremental backup files to their full backups. Each backup then appears to be a full backup at the filesystem level. Use care: changes to hard-linked files can affect every backup in the set.

default: n
example: --repo1-hardlink

Deprecated Name: hardlink

Repository Host Option (--repo-host)

Repository host when operating remotely.

This setting is not necessary for backups and archives on a locally mounted filesystem.

example: --repo1-host=repo1.domain.com

Deprecated Name: backup-host

Repository Host Certificate Authority File Option (--repo-host-ca-file)

Repository host certificate authority file.

Use a CA file other than the system default for connecting to the repository host.

example: --repo1-host-ca-file=/etc/pki/tls/certs/ca-bundle.crt

Repository Host Certificate Authority Path Option (--repo-host-ca-path)

Repository host certificate authority path.

Use a CA path other than the system default for connecting to the repository host.

example: --repo1-host-ca-path=/etc/pki/tls/certs

Repository Host Certificate File Option (--repo-host-cert-file)

Repository host certificate file.

pgBackRest sends this certificate to the repository host to prove the client identity.

example: --repo1-host-cert-file=/path/to/client.crt

Repository Host Command Option (--repo-host-cmd)

Repository host pgBackRest command.

Set this option only when the pgBackRest command path differs between the local and repository hosts. Otherwise, the repository host uses the local command path.

default: [path of executed pgbackrest binary]
example: --repo1-host-cmd=/usr/lib/backrest/bin/pgbackrest

Deprecated Name: backup-cmd

Repository Host Configuration Option (--repo-host-config)

pgBackRest repository host configuration file.

Set the repository host configuration file location. This is necessary only when it differs from the local configuration file location.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH "/" PROJECT_CONFIG_FILE
example: --repo1-host-config=/conf/pgbackrest/pgbackrest.conf

Deprecated Name: backup-config

Repository Host Configuration Include Path Option (--repo-host-config-include-path)

pgBackRest repository host configuration include path.

Set the repository host configuration include path. This is necessary only when it differs from the local configuration include path.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH "/" PROJECT_CONFIG_INCLUDE_PATH
example: --repo1-host-config-include-path=/conf/pgbackrest/conf.d

Repository Host Configuration Path Option (--repo-host-config-path)

pgBackRest repository host configuration path.

Set the repository host configuration path. This is necessary only when it differs from the local configuration path.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH
example: --repo1-host-config-path=/conf/pgbackrest

Repository Host Key File Option (--repo-host-key-file)

Repository host key file.

This key proves that the certificate owner sent the client certificate.

example: --repo1-host-key-file=/path/to/client.key

Repository Host Port Option (--repo-host-port)

Repository host port when repo-host is set.

Use this option to specify a non-default port for the repository host protocol.

NOTE: When repo-host-type=ssh, repo-host-port has no default. The command specified by cmd-ssh supplies its configured port.

default (depending on repo-host-type):
    tls - 8432

allowed: [0, 65535]
example: --repo1-host-port=25

Deprecated Name: backup-ssh-port

Repository Host Protocol Type Option (--repo-host-type)

Repository host protocol type.

The following protocol types are supported:

• ssh - Secure Shell.
• tls - pgBackRest TLS server.

default: ssh
example: --repo1-host-type=tls

Repository Host User Option (--repo-host-user)

Repository host user when repo-host is set.

Set the user for repository host operations. Prefer a separate user, such as pgbackrest, to the postgres user. If PostgreSQL runs on the repository host, you can add postgres to the pgbackrest group. This gives it read access to the repository without permission to damage its contents accidentally.

default: pgbackrest
example: --repo1-host-user=repo-user

Deprecated Name: backup-user

Repository Path Option (--repo-path)

Path where backups and archive are stored.

The repository is where pgBackRest stores backups and archives WAL segments.

To estimate repository space, take some backups. Record the sizes of full, incremental, and differential backups (full/incr/diff). Measure how much WAL the database generates each day. These measurements give an approximate space requirement. Requirements will probably change as the database changes.

default: /var/lib/pgbackrest
example: --repo1-path=/backup/db/backrest

Archive Retention Option (--repo-retention-archive)

Number of backups worth of continuous WAL to retain.

NOTE: WAL segments required to make a backup consistent are always retained until the backup is expired regardless of how this option is configured.

If this value is unset and repo-retention-full-type is count (the default), archive retention follows backup retention. When repo-retention-archive-type is full, it uses repo-retention-full. When the archive type is diff, it uses repo-retention-diff. Thus, WAL expires only for backups that have already expired. If repo-retention-full-type is time, the default removes archives older than the oldest full backup retained to satisfy repo-retention-full.

Set this option when repo-retention-archive-type is incr. With limited disk space, use it with repo-retention-archive-type to expire WAL segments more aggressively. However, backups with expired WAL cannot support PITR. This is not recommended.

allowed: [1, 9999999]
example: --repo1-retention-archive=2

Deprecated Name: retention-archive

Archive Retention Type Option (--repo-retention-archive-type)

Backup type for WAL retention.

When set to full, retain archive logs for the number of full backups specified by repo-retention-archive. When set to diff, count both full and differential backups. Thus, if the latest backup is full, it counts as a differential for repo-retention. When set to incr, count full, differential, and incremental backups. Prefer the default, which expires WAL only when full backups expire.

default: full
example: --repo1-retention-archive-type=diff

Deprecated Name: retention-archive-type

Differential Retention Option (--repo-retention-diff)

Number of differential backups to retain.

When a differential backup expires, its dependent incremental backups also expire. If this option is unset, differential backups remain until their parent full backups expire.

The differential backup count includes full backups. In most cases, this slightly reduces the number of differential backups retained.

allowed: [1, 9999999]
example: --repo1-retention-diff=3

Deprecated Name: retention-diff

Full Retention Option (--repo-retention-full)

Full backup retention count/time.

When a full backup expires, its dependent differential and incremental backups also expire. If this option is unset, pgBackRest reports a warning. For indefinite retention, use the maximum value.

allowed: [1, 9999999]
example: --repo1-retention-full=2

Deprecated Name: retention-full

Full Retention Type Option (--repo-retention-full-type)

Retention type for full backups.

Select whether repo-retention-full specifies a number of days or a count of full backups to keep.

With time, pgBackRest removes full backups older than repo-retention-full only if another retained backup is at least that old. For example, set repo-retention-full to 30 days with two full backups aged 25 and 35 days. Neither expires. Removing the 35-day backup would leave only the 25-day backup, which cannot satisfy the 30-day policy. Archived WAL older than the oldest remaining full backup expires automatically unless you explicitly set repo-retention-archive-type and repo-retention-archive.

With count, pgBackRest expires full backups that exceed repo-retention-full. For example, with repo-retention-full set to 4, completion of a fifth full backup expires the oldest, leaving 4.

Only successfully completed backups count toward retention. For example, set repo-retention-full-type to count and repo-retention-full to 2. The oldest full backup expires only after 3 full backups complete.

default: count
example: --repo1-retention-full-type=time

Backup History Retention Option (--repo-retention-history)

Days of backup history manifests to retain.

When a backup completes, pgBackRest copies its manifest to backup.history. By default, these files never expire. They support analysis, such as measurements of backup and WAL growth over time.

Set repo-retention-history to the number of days of backup history manifests to retain. History always includes unexpired backups. Set repo-retention-history=0 to keep history only for unexpired backups.

When a full backup history manifest expires, its dependent differential and incremental backup history manifests also expire.

allowed: [0, 9999999]
example: --repo1-retention-history=365

S3 Repository Bucket Option (--repo-s3-bucket)

S3 repository bucket.

S3 bucket used to store the repository.

Set repo-path=/ to store the repository in the bucket root. Usually, specify a prefix such as /repo. The bucket can then also store logs and other AWS-generated content.

example: --repo1-s3-bucket=pg-backup

S3 Repository Endpoint Option (--repo-s3-endpoint)

S3 repository endpoint.

The AWS endpoint should be valid for the selected region.

For custom/test configurations the repo-storage-ca-file, repo-storage-ca-path, repo-storage-host, repo-storage-port, and repo-storage-verify-tls options may be useful.

example: --repo1-s3-endpoint=s3.amazonaws.com

S3 Repository Key Type Option (--repo-s3-key-type)

S3 repository key type.

The following types are supported:

• shared - Shared keys
• auto - Automatically retrieve temporary credentials
• web-id - Automatically retrieve web identity credentials
• pod-id - Automatically retrieve EKS pod identity credentials
• process - Retrieve credentials by executing a process

default: shared
example: --repo1-s3-key-type=auto

S3 Repository KMS Key ID Option (--repo-s3-kms-key-id)

S3 repository KMS key.

Enables S3 server-side encryption using the specified AWS key management service key.

example: --repo1-s3-kms-key-id=bceb4f13-6939-4be3-910d-df54dee817b7

S3 Authentication Process Command Option (--repo-s3-process-cmd)

S3 authentication process command.

Set the command and optional arguments that retrieve temporary S3 credentials. The first list entry is the command. The remaining entries are its parameters.

The process must output JSON with AccessKeyId, SecretAccessKey, SessionToken, and Expiration fields. pgBackRest refreshes credentials automatically before they expire. See Process Credential Provider for the format.

example: --repo1-s3-process-cmd=/usr/local/bin/get-credentials --repo1-s3-process-cmd=--role --repo1-s3-process-cmd=my-role

S3 Repository Region Option (--repo-s3-region)

S3 repository region.

The AWS region where the bucket was created.

example: --repo1-s3-region=us-east-1

S3 Repository Requestor Pays Option (--repo-s3-requester-pays)

S3 repository requester pays.

Enables S3 requester pays.

default: n
example: --no-repo1-s3-requester-pays

S3 Repository Role Option (--repo-s3-role)

S3 repository role.

When repo-s3-key-type=auto, set the AWS role name used to retrieve temporary credentials. Use the name, not the full ARN.

example: --repo1-s3-role=authrole

S3 Repository Service Option (--repo-s3-service)

S3 signing service.

Set the signing service for SigV4 authentication. The default is s3 for standard S3 endpoints. For an S3 Outposts endpoint, use s3-outposts.

default: s3
example: --repo1-s3-service=s3-outposts

S3 Repository STS Endpoint Option (--repo-s3-sts-host)

S3 repository STS endpoint.

When repo-s3-key-type=web-id, this endpoint retrieves temporary credentials. To use regional STS, select a regional endpoint, such as sts.us-east-1.amazonaws.com. Regional STS might be necessary for GovCloud or China regions, or to reduce latency.

default: sts.amazonaws.com
example: --repo1-s3-sts-host=sts.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

S3 Repository URI Style Option (--repo-s3-uri-style)

S3 URI Style.

The following URI styles are supported:

• host - Connect to bucket.endpoint host.
• path - Connect to endpoint host and prepend bucket to URIs.

default: host
example: --repo1-s3-uri-style=path

SFTP Repository Host Option (--repo-sftp-host)

SFTP repository host.

The SFTP host containing the repository.

example: --repo1-sftp-host=sftprepo.domain

SFTP Repository Host Fingerprint Option (--repo-sftp-host-fingerprint)

SFTP repository host fingerprint.

Generate the SFTP host fingerprint with the hash type specified by repo-sftp-host-key-hash-type. Use awk '{print $2}' ssh_host_xxx_key.pub | base64 -d | (md5sum or sha1sum) -b. SSH host keys are usually in /etc/ssh.

example: --repo1-sftp-host-fingerprint=f84e172dfead7aeeeae6c1fdfb5aa8cf

SFTP Host Key Check Type Option (--repo-sftp-host-key-check-type)

SFTP host key check type.

The following SFTP host key check types are supported:

• strict - pgBackRest never adds host keys to ~/.ssh/known_hosts automatically. It refuses connections when a host key changes or is absent from the known hosts files. Add each new host manually.
• accept-new - pgBackRest automatically adds new host keys to the user’s known hosts file. It refuses connections when a host key changes.
• fingerprint - pgBackRest compares the host key with the repo-sftp-host-fingerprint value.
• none - pgBackRest does not check host keys.

default: strict
example: --repo1-sftp-host-key-check-type=accept-new

SFTP Repository Host Key Hash Type Option (--repo-sftp-host-key-hash-type)

SFTP repository host key hash type.

Set the hash type used to calculate the remote host key digest at SSH startup. Newer libssh2 versions support sha256 as well as md5 and sha1.

example: --repo1-sftp-host-key-hash-type=sha256

SFTP Repository Host Port Option (--repo-sftp-host-port)

SFTP repository host port.

SFTP repository host port.

default: 22
allowed: [1, 65535]
example: --repo1-sftp-host-port=22

SFTP Repository Host User Option (--repo-sftp-host-user)

SFTP repository host user.

User on the host used to store the repository.

example: --repo1-sftp-host-user=pg-backup

SFTP Known Hosts File Option (--repo-sftp-known-host)

SFTP known hosts file.

Set a known hosts file to check during SFTP authentication. By default, pgBackRest searches ~/.ssh/known_hosts, ~/.ssh/known_hosts2, /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts, and /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts2. If you configure file paths, it searches those files. Use absolute paths or paths that start with a tilde. Repeat repo-sftp-known-host to specify multiple files. To check known hosts files, do not set repo-sftp-host-fingerprint.

See also the repo-sftp-host-check-type option.

example: --repo1-sftp-known-host=/home/postgres/.ssh/known_hosts

SFTP Repository Private Key File Option (--repo-sftp-private-key-file)

SFTP private key file.

SFTP private key file used for authentication.

example: --repo1-sftp-private-key-file=~/.ssh/id_ed25519

SFTP Repository Public Key File Option (--repo-sftp-public-key-file)

SFTP public key file.

Set the SFTP public key file for authentication. This file is optional for builds that use OpenSSL. Other builds require it.

example: --repo1-sftp-public-key-file=~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Repository Storage CA File Option (--repo-storage-ca-file)

Repository storage CA file.

Use a CA file other than the system default for storage (e.g. S3, Azure) certificates.

example: --repo1-storage-ca-file=/etc/pki/tls/certs/ca-bundle.crt

Deprecated Names: repo-azure-ca-file, repo-s3-ca-file

Repository Storage TLS CA Path Option (--repo-storage-ca-path)

Repository storage CA path.

Use a CA path other than the system default for storage (e.g. S3, Azure) certificates.

example: --repo1-storage-ca-path=/etc/pki/tls/certs

Deprecated Names: repo-azure-ca-path, repo-s3-ca-path

Repository Storage Host Option (--repo-storage-host)

Repository storage host.

Connect to a host other than the storage (e.g. S3, Azure) endpoint. This is typically used for testing.

example: --repo1-storage-host=127.0.0.1

Deprecated Names: repo-azure-host, repo-s3-host

Repository Storage Port Option (--repo-storage-port)

Repository storage port.

Port to use when connecting to the storage (e.g. S3, Azure) endpoint (or host if specified).

default: 443
allowed: [1, 65535]
example: --repo1-storage-port=9000

Deprecated Names: repo-azure-port, repo-s3-port

Repository Storage Tag Option (--repo-storage-tag)

Repository storage tag(s).

For an object store repository, such as S3, specify the tags to add to objects. Repeat this option to add multiple tags.

pgBackRest cannot change these tags. Before you run stanza-create, set them correctly to give the entire repository uniform tags.

example: --repo1-storage-tag=key1=value1

Repository Storage Upload Chunk Size Option (--repo-storage-upload-chunk-size)

Repository storage upload chunk size.

Object stores, such as S3, support uploads in chunks for files too large to fit in memory. For smaller files, chunks also reduce the memory used for uploads.

Larger chunks usually improve performance because they reduce upload requests. More files can fit in a single request without division into chunks. However, larger chunks use more memory. Each process needs a chunk buffer, so a larger process-max value also increases total memory use.

Valid chunk sizes depend on the storage type and platform. For example, AWS S3 requires a minimum chunk size of 5MiB. To find minimum and maximum values, search for the term that matches your storage type. Use “part size” for AWS S3, “chunk size” for GCS, and “block size” for Azure.

By default, PostgreSQL creates files no larger than 1GiB. For larger files, pgBackRest increases the chunk size in increments, up to the allowed maximum, to complete the upload.

default (depending on repo-type):
    azure - 4MiB
    gcs - 4MiB
    s3 - 5MiB

allow range (depending on repo-type):
    azure - [4MiB, 1GiB]
    gcs - [4MiB, 1GiB]
    s3 - [5MiB, 1GiB]

example: --repo1-storage-upload-chunk-size=16MiB

Repository Storage Certificate Verify Option (--repo-storage-verify-tls)

Repository storage certificate verify.

Enable or disable verification of the storage server TLS certificate, for example for S3 or Azure. Disable verification only for testing or other cases that use a self-signed certificate.

default: y
example: --no-repo1-storage-verify-tls

Deprecated Names: repo-azure-verify-tls, repo-s3-verify-ssl, repo-s3-verify-tls

Repository Symlink Option (--repo-symlink)

Create symlinks within the repository.

Create latest and tablespace symlinks. These mainly help with snapshot-based, in-place repository recovery, which is uncommon.

Most users probably do not need this feature. It remains enabled by default for compatibility. Disable it for Posix-like storage that cannot support symlinks.

default: y
example: --no-repo1-symlink

Repository Type Option (--repo-type)

Type of storage used for the repository.

The following repository types are supported:

• azure - Azure Blob Storage Service
• cifs - Like posix, but disables links and directory fsyncs
• gcs - Google Cloud Storage
• posix - Posix-compliant file systems
• s3 - AWS Simple Storage Service
• sftp - Secure File Transfer Protocol

For an NFS mount used as a posix repository, follow the PostgreSQL filesystem rules. See Creating a Database Cluster - File Systems.

default: posix
example: --repo1-type=cifs

Stanza Options

PostgreSQL Database Option (--pg-database)

PostgreSQL database.

Set the database name for PostgreSQL connections. The default is usually suitable, but some installations do not have this database.

For compatibility, pgBackRest ignores the PGDATABASE environment variable.

default: postgres
example: --pg1-database=backupdb

PostgreSQL Host Option (--pg-host)

PostgreSQL host for operating remotely.

Use this option when the PostgreSQL host and repository host differ.

example: --pg1-host=db.domain.com

Deprecated Name: db-host

PostgreSQL Host Certificate Authority File Option (--pg-host-ca-file)

PostgreSQL host certificate authority file.

Use a CA file other than the system default for connecting to the PostgreSQL host.

example: --pg1-host-ca-file=/etc/pki/tls/certs/ca-bundle.crt

PostgreSQL Host Certificate Authority Path Option (--pg-host-ca-path)

PostgreSQL host certificate authority path.

Use a CA path other than the system default for connecting to the PostgreSQL host.

example: --pg1-host-ca-path=/etc/pki/tls/certs

PostgreSQL Host Certificate File Option (--pg-host-cert-file)

PostgreSQL host certificate file.

pgBackRest sends this certificate to the PostgreSQL host to prove the client identity.

example: --pg1-host-cert-file=/path/to/client.crt

PostgreSQL Host Command Option (--pg-host-cmd)

PostgreSQL host pgBackRest command.

Set this option only when the pgBackRest command path differs between the local and PostgreSQL hosts. Otherwise, the PostgreSQL host uses the local command path.

default: [path of executed pgbackrest binary]
example: --pg1-host-cmd=/usr/lib/backrest/bin/pgbackrest

Deprecated Name: db-cmd

PostgreSQL Host Configuration Option (--pg-host-config)

pgBackRest database host configuration file.

Set the PostgreSQL host configuration file location. This is necessary only when it differs from the local configuration file location.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH "/" PROJECT_CONFIG_FILE
example: --pg1-host-config=/conf/pgbackrest/pgbackrest.conf

Deprecated Name: db-config

PostgreSQL Host Configuration Include Path Option (--pg-host-config-include-path)

pgBackRest database host configuration include path.

Set the PostgreSQL host configuration include path. This is necessary only when it differs from the local configuration include path.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH "/" PROJECT_CONFIG_INCLUDE_PATH
example: --pg1-host-config-include-path=/conf/pgbackrest/conf.d

PostgreSQL Host Configuration Path Option (--pg-host-config-path)

pgBackRest database host configuration path.

Set the PostgreSQL host configuration path. This is necessary only when it differs from the local configuration path.

default: CFGOPTDEF_CONFIG_PATH
example: --pg1-host-config-path=/conf/pgbackrest

PostgreSQL Host Key File Option (--pg-host-key-file)

PostgreSQL host key file.

This key proves that the certificate owner sent the client certificate.

example: --pg1-host-key-file=/path/to/client.key

PostgreSQL Host Port Option (--pg-host-port)

PostgreSQL host port when pg-host is set.

Use this option to specify a non-default port for the PostgreSQL host protocol.

NOTE: When pg-host-type=ssh, pg-host-port has no default. The command specified by cmd-ssh supplies its configured port.

default (depending on pg-host-type):
    tls - 8432

allowed: [0, 65535]
example: --pg1-host-port=25

Deprecated Name: db-ssh-port

PostgreSQL Host Protocol Type Option (--pg-host-type)

PostgreSQL host protocol type.

The following protocol types are supported:

• ssh - Secure Shell.
• tls - pgBackRest TLS server.

default: ssh
example: --pg1-host-type=tls

PostgreSQL Host User Option (--pg-host-user)

PostgreSQL host logon user when pg-host is set.

This user owns the remote pgBackRest process and starts PostgreSQL connections. Use the PostgreSQL cluster owner, usually the default user postgres.

default: postgres
example: --pg1-host-user=db_owner

Deprecated Name: db-user

PostgreSQL Path Option (--pg-path)

PostgreSQL data directory.

Use the data_directory value reported by PostgreSQL. Other sources can provide this value, but they might be unavailable during a restore or offline backup. Set it here as a precaution.

Each online backup compares pg-path with the value reported by PostgreSQL. Thus, this setting should stay current.

example: --pg1-path=/data/db

Deprecated Name: db-path

PostgreSQL Port Option (--pg-port)

PostgreSQL port.

Set the PostgreSQL port. Most clusters use the default port, so this setting is usually unnecessary.

default: 5432
allowed: [0, 65535]
example: --pg1-port=6543

Deprecated Name: db-port

PostgreSQL Socket Path Option (--pg-socket-path)

PostgreSQL unix socket path.

Set the Unix socket directory selected at PostgreSQL startup. pgBackRest searches the standard location for your OS automatically. Usually, set this option only if unix_socket_directories in postgresql.conf specifies another directory.

example: --pg1-socket-path=/var/run/postgresql

Deprecated Name: db-socket-path

PostgreSQL Database User Option (--pg-user)

PostgreSQL database user.

Set the database user for PostgreSQL connections. If unset, pgBackRest uses the local OS user or PGUSER.

example: --pg1-user=backupuser