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Local pgBackRest ​

Use pgBackRest for local PostgreSQL physical backup and restore testing. This is a developer convenience and proof point for the production backup pattern, not a substitute for environment-specific backup design.

Start PostgreSQL ​

sh
cp .env.example .env
make postgres-up

The local PostgreSQL image includes pgBackRest and starts with WAL archiving enabled:

  • archive_mode=on
  • archive_command=pgbackrest --stanza=edp archive-push %p
  • wal_level=replica

pgBackRest configuration lives in:

  • postgres/pgbackrest.conf

The local repository uses the named Docker volume:

  • edp-pgbackrest

Initialize the Stanza ​

Run this once after the PostgreSQL service is healthy:

sh
make pgbackrest-stanza
make pgbackrest-check

The configured stanza name is:

  • edp

Take a Backup ​

sh
make pgbackrest-backup
make pgbackrest-info

The default Make target creates a full backup. WAL archives are pushed through PostgreSQL's archive command while the database is running.

Restore ​

Restore is intentionally a stop-the-world local operation. The target stops services that may be using PostgreSQL, then runs pgBackRest restore against the shared Postgres data volume:

sh
make pgbackrest-restore

After restore, start services again:

sh
make postgres-up

Only use this against disposable local development data unless the backup and restore procedure has been tested for the target environment.

Common Commands ​

sh
make pgbackrest-stanza
make pgbackrest-check
make pgbackrest-backup
make pgbackrest-info
make pgbackrest-restore

Troubleshooting ​

If stanza creation fails:

  • Confirm make postgres-up succeeds.
  • Confirm the PostgreSQL service is healthy.
  • Confirm postgres/pgbackrest.conf is mounted at /etc/pgbackrest/pgbackrest.conf.

If backup fails because WAL was not archived:

  • Run make pgbackrest-check.
  • Check the PostgreSQL logs for archive command failures.
  • Confirm the edp-pgbackrest volume is writable by the postgres user.

If restore fails:

  • Confirm PostgreSQL is stopped.
  • Confirm make pgbackrest-info shows at least one complete backup.
  • Use make postgres-reset only when you intentionally want to discard all local state and rebuild from scratch.