Backups and Restores

Reliable backups are essential for data resilience, recovery, and business continuity. Elestio provides built-in support for managing backups across all supported services, ensuring that your data is protected against accidental loss, corruption, or infrastructure failure. The platform includes an automated backup system with configurable retention policies and a straightforward restore process, all accessible from the dashboard. Whether you’re operating a production database or a test environment, understanding how backups and restores work in Elestio is critical for maintaining service reliability.

Cluster Backups

Elestio provides multiple backup mechanisms designed to support various recovery and compliance needs. Backups are created automatically for most supported services, with consistent intervals and secure storage in managed infrastructure. These backups are performed in the background to ensure minimal performance impact and no downtime during the snapshot process. Each backup is timestamped, versioned, and stored securely with encryption. You can access your full backup history for any given service through the dashboard and select any version for restoration. 

You can utilize different backup options depending on your preferences and operational requirements. Elestio supports manual local backups for on-demand recovery points, automated snapshots that capture the state of the service at fixed intervals, and automated remote backups using Borg, which securely stores backups on external storage volumes managed by Elestio. In addition, you can configure automated external backups to S3-compatible storage, allowing you to maintain full control over long-term retention and geographic storage preferences.

Restoring from a Backup

Restoring a backup in Elestio is a user-initiated operation, available directly from the service dashboard. Once you’re in the dashboard, select the service you’d like to restore. Navigate to the Backups section, where you’ll find a list of all available backups along with their creation timestamps.

To initiate a restore, choose the desired backup version and click on the “Restore” option. You will be prompted to confirm the operation. Depending on the type of service, the restore can either overwrite the current state or recreate the service as a new instance from the selected backup.

The restore process takes a few minutes, depending on the size of the backup and the service type. Once completed, the restored service is immediately accessible. In the case of databases, you can validate the restore by connecting to the database and inspecting the restored data.

Considerations for Backup & Restore

• Before restoring a backup, it’s important to understand the impact on your current data. Restores may overwrite existing service state, so if you need to preserve the current environment, consider creating a manual backup before initiating the restore. In critical environments, restoring to a new instance and validating the data before replacing the original is a safer approach.
• Keep in mind that restore operations are not instantaneous and may temporarily affect service availability. It’s best to plan restores during maintenance windows or periods of low traffic, especially in production environments.
• For services with high-frequency data changes, be aware of the backup schedule and retention policy. Elestio’s default intervals may not capture every change, so for high-volume databases, consider exporting incremental backups manually or using continuous replication where supported.

Monitoring Backup Health

Elestio provides visibility into your backup history directly through the dashboard. You can monitor the status, timestamps, and success/failure of backup jobs. In case of errors or failed backups, the dashboard will display alerts, allowing you to take corrective actions or contact support if necessary.

It’s good practice to periodically verify that backups are being generated and that restore points are recent and complete. This ensures you’re prepared for unexpected failures and that recovery options remain reliable.