Manual Recovery

You can run PITR through pgsql-pitr.yml, but in advanced scenarios you may want to execute recovery manually with pgBackRest primitives for tighter control.

This guide summarizes the manual workflow. For an end-to-end sandbox demo with detailed command output, see Recovery Example.

Prerequisites

• A cluster with pgBackRest backup and WAL archiving enabled
• A clear recovery target (time, lsn, xid, restore point, or latest)
• Shell access as admin and postgres user

Use a sandbox for rehearsal before production execution.

Check Backup

Switch to postgres and verify available backup sets:

sudo su - postgres
pb info

pb is the Pigsty alias for pgbackrest with automatic stanza detection.

Run PITR

Choose a recovery target and generate recovery operations:

pg-pitr -t "2025-07-13 03:03:00+00"

Typical sequence:

1. Stop Patroni and PostgreSQL.
2. Run pgbackrest restore with the selected target.
3. Start PostgreSQL and replay WAL.
4. Verify data state, then promote if correct.
5. Re-enable archive mode and restart services.
6. Rebuild replicas if needed and resume cluster automation.

Post-Recovery Checklist

• Verify business data at the target point.
• Confirm cluster role and service endpoints.
• Reinitialize replicas if timeline diverges.
• Take a fresh full backup after recovery.

Related

• Script reference: Instance Recovery (pg-fork + pg-pitr)
• PITR concepts: PITR Overview
• Automated workflow: Pig pitr Command