Backup automation basics

Topic: Backups recovery

Automate backup jobs with cron, systemd timers, or cloud schedulers so backups run on a schedule. Use scripts or managed services; alert on failure; verify restores periodically. Use this when moving from manual backups to reliable automated runs.

Intent: How-to

Quick answer

  • Schedule backups with cron (Linux) or EventBridge (cloud). Run when load is acceptable; for DBs use a consistent backup method (dump or snapshot with flush).
  • Script should exit non-zero on failure and log; send alerts (email, Slack) on failure. Use env or secret manager for credentials, not hardcoded in the script.
  • Retention: delete or archive old backups per policy (e.g. 7 daily, 4 weekly). Test restore on a schedule; document and fix any failure.

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Choose schedule and tool

    Decide frequency (daily, hourly) and time. Use cron or systemd timer for scripts; or managed backup service. Ensure backup is consistent for DBs (dump or quiesced snapshot).

  2. Script and error handling

    Log start, end, errors; exit non-zero on failure. Alert on failure. Use credentials from env or vault, not in script.

  3. Retention and cleanup

    Implement retention (e.g. keep 7 daily, 4 weekly); delete or archive older backups. Document retention policy.

  4. Verify and alert

    Run restore tests on a schedule; alert if restore test fails. Review backup logs and fix failures.

Summary

Schedule backups with cron or a managed service; log and alert on failure; implement retention and periodic restore tests. Use this to make backups reliable and repeatable.

Prerequisites

Steps

Step 1: Choose schedule and tool

Set frequency and time; use cron, systemd, or managed backup. Ensure DB backups are consistent.

Step 2: Script and error handling

Log and exit non-zero on failure; alert; use credentials from env or vault.

Step 3: Retention and cleanup

Automate retention; delete or archive per policy.

Step 4: Verify and alert

Run restore tests; alert on failure; fix backup issues.

Verification

Backups run on schedule; failures are alerted; retention is applied; restore tests pass.

Troubleshooting

Silent failure — Add exit codes and alerts. Restore test fails — Fix backup or restore procedure; update runbook.

Next steps

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