--- title: Backup sidebar_position: 10 --- ## Create a backup This guide walk you though the steps required to create a full backup of your installation. :::info Remember to **automate** and **test** the backup process and to have it run regularly. Having an **automated** and **tested** restoring process is also recommended. ::: :::caution Feel free to pick the backup software of your choice, but know that rsync and similar tools aren't backup tools. You could use [restic](https://restic.net/) or [borg](https://borgbackup.readthedocs.io/). ::: ### Backup the configuration On common setups, you need to backup the entire `/etc/libretime` folder. ### Backup the database You need to backup the PostgreSQL database, which holds the entire data of your installation. Here is an example to dump your PostgreSQL database to a plain text SQL file: ```bash sudo -u postgres pg_dump --no-owner --no-privileges libretime > libretime.sql ``` :::note We use the `--no-owner` and `--no-privileges` flags to ignore roles and permissions details about the database. This can be useful when restoring to database or role that have different names (e.g. `airtime` to `libretime`). ::: Please read the `pg_dump` usage for additional details. ### Backup the storage You need to backup the entire file storage, which holds all the files of your installation. The path to your storage is defined in the [configuration](./configuration.md) file. ## Restore a backup ### Install or cleanup If you are restoring a backup on a fresh system, we recommend that you first [install LibreTime](./install/README.md), and **stop before the [setup tasks](./install/README.md#setup)**. If you are restoring a backup on an existing system, make sure to clean the old **database** and **files storage**. ### Restore the configuration Copy the backed configuration files back to the [configuration](./configuration.md) folder. If you are upgrading LibreTime, edit the configuration file to match the new configuration schema and update any changed values. See the [configuration](./configuration.md) documentation for more details. ### Restore the database Restore the database by using the one of the following command depending on the format of you backup file: ```bash # With a plain text SQL file sudo -u libretime libretime-api dbshell < libretime.sql # With a custom pg_dump format sudo -u postgres pg_restore --no-owner --no-privileges --dbname=libretime libretime.dump ``` :::info The `libretime-api dbshell` command is a shortcut to the `psql` command, and automatically passes the database access details (e.g. database name, user, password). ::: :::note We use the `--no-owner` and `--no-privileges` flags to ignore roles and permissions details about the database. This can be useful when restoring to database or role that have different names. ::: If you are upgrading LibreTime, make sure to apply the [database migration](./install/upgrade.md#apply-migrations). ### Restore the storage Copy the entire backed file storage back to the storage path. The path to your storage is defined in the [configuration](./configuration.md) file.