Backups
Database backup strategy: how to protect changing data
Databases are often the fastest-changing and hardest-to-recreate part of an application. Protecting them well requires more than copying database files while the service is running; the backup method should produce a known recoverable state and match how much data loss the business can accept.
Choose logical or physical methods for the workload
Logical dumps can be portable and easy to inspect, while physical or snapshot-based methods can be faster for large datasets when performed correctly. The engine, dataset size, recovery objective, and available tooling determine the right combination.
Protect consistency during backup
Transactions can change related tables while a backup runs. Use database-supported backup tools, coordinated snapshots, replication, or another engine-appropriate method so the recovered data represents a consistent point in time.
Increase frequency for high-value changing data
A daily database backup may imply losing nearly a day of orders or user activity. More frequent dumps, logs, replication-based recovery, or point-in-time mechanisms can reduce the recovery-point gap when the workload justifies the complexity.
Restore and query the result
Periodically create a test database from backup, run integrity checks, verify representative records, and make the application connect to the recovered copy. The test should prove the backup is usable, not merely that a file exists.