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Restore a PostgreSQL backup

Restore a PostgreSQL backup

Restore a PostgreSQL database backup.

This is a quick example of how to restore a PostgreSQL database dump.

Step 1 - Create a PostgreSQL database

Create a PostgreSQL backup for sampleDatabase  (as an example).

Step 2 - Copy your backup URL

  • Go to your backup page, then select the "Logs" tab. Afterwards, click the little "( i )" on the right next to the copy you want to download.
 
  • Under the backup restore section on the modal that just popped up, click on "Click to generate a signed download link" then copy the resulting link

Step 3 - Download your backup file

On your server download and extract the backup by runnig the following command, and use the signed download link you obtained in the previous step (ensure you enclose it in double quotes as shown):

wget -O - "PasteTheSignedDownloadLinkHereBetweenTheQuotes" | gunzip -c > postgresql-backup.pgsql

Step 4 - Create a new database & restore the backup

⚠️
The following commands will create NEW_DATABASE_NAME and import the content of sampleDatabase into it. It is a good practice to inspect the backup first before the restore.
 

Option 1

If the output file format is .pgsql (if you are using the quick export, default option) then restore the downloaded backup as shown below by running:

sudo -u DATABASE_USER createdb NEW_DATABASE_NAME
 
sudo -u DATABASE_USER psql -U DATABASE_USER -d NEW_DATABASE_NAME -c "drop schema public cascade;"
 
sudo -u DATABASE_USER pg_restore --single-transaction --no-owner -U DATABASE_USER -d NEW_DATABASE_NAME sampleDatabase.pgsql

Example for most installations:

sudo -u postgres createdb NEW_DATABASE_NAME

sudo -u postgres psql -U postgres -d NEW_DATABASE_NAME -c "drop schema public cascade;"

sudo -u postgres pg_restore --single-transaction --no-owner -U postgres -d NEW_DATABASE_NAME sampleDatabase.pgsql

Option 2

If the output file format is .sql (if you are not using the quick export option in SimpleBackups) then restore the downloaded backup as shown below by running:

sudo -u DATABASE_USER createdb NEW_DATABASE_NAME
 
sudo -u DATABASE_USER PGPASSWORD=DATABASE_PASSWORD psql --single-transaction -U DATABASE_USER -h DATABASE_HOST_IP -p DATABASE_PORT -d NEW_DATABASE_NAME < sampleDatabase.sql

Example for most installations:

sudo -u postgres createdb NEW_DATABASE_NAME
sudo -u postgres PGPASSWORD=DATABASE_PASSWORD psql --single-transaction -U postgres -h 127.0.0.1 -p 5432 -d NEW_DATABASE_NAME < sampleDatabase.sql
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Last updated on August 6, 2021

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