Databases Beginner

What is Database Backup?

The process of creating copies of database data to protect against data loss from failures, corruption, or human error.

Backup strategies include logical backups (pg_dump — SQL statements to recreate data), physical backups (file-level copies of data directory), and continuous archiving (WAL shipping for point-in-time recovery).

The 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies of data, on 2 different media types, with 1 offsite copy. Test restores regularly — an untested backup is not a backup. Automate backups with cron and monitor for failures. Cloud providers offer managed backup solutions.

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Related Terms

ORM (Object-Relational Mapping)

A technique that lets you interact with a database using object-oriented code instead of writing raw SQL queries.

EXPLAIN ANALYZE

A PostgreSQL command that shows the execution plan of a query along with actual runtime statistics for performance tuning.

Write-Ahead Log (WAL)

A technique where changes are first written to a log before being applied to the database, ensuring crash recovery and data integrity.

A database command that shows how the query planner will execute a SQL query, revealing join methods, scan types, and estimated costs.

PostgreSQL's binary JSON data type that stores JSON documents with indexing, querying, and manipulation capabilities.

A middleware server that sits between applications and databases, providing connection pooling, load balancing, and query routing.

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