---
title: Backing up PostgreSQL databases with pgBackRest to Object Storage
description: How to install pgBackRest on Scaleway Instance for backing up PostgreSQL databases to Object Storage
tags: postgresql pgbackrest backup configuration setup s3
dates:
validation: 2025-07-28
validation_frequency: 12
products:
- object-storage
- postgresql-and-mysql
difficulty: beginner
usecase:
- back-up-data
ecosystem:
- third-party
---
import Requirements from '@macros/iam/requirements.mdx'
pgBackRest aims to be a reliable, easy-to-use backup and restore solution that can seamlessly scale up to the largest databases and workloads by utilizing algorithms that are optimized for database-specific requirements.
pgBackRest can back up in three ways:
- **Full backup**: This is a backup of every file under the database directory ($PGDATA). A full backup of a PostgreSQL server is required first. It is the only backup that pgBackRest can load by itself.
- **Differential backup**: This only retrieves files that have changed since the last full backup. Both the full backup and the differential backup must be intact.
- **Incremental backup**: This retrieves files that have changed since the last backup. The last backup can be a full backup or a differential backup.
- A Scaleway account logged into the [console](https://console.scaleway.com)
- [Owner](/iam/concepts/#owner) status or [IAM permissions](/iam/concepts/#permission) allowing you to perform actions in the intended Organization
- An [SSH key](/organizations-and-projects/how-to/create-ssh-key/)
- [Instances](/instances/how-to/create-an-instance/) running a [PostgreSQL database](/tutorials/install-postgresql/) on Ubuntu/Debian or RHEL/Rocky Linux
- `sudo` privileges or access to the root user
- An [Object Storage bucket](/object-storage/quickstart/)
## Installing pgBackRest
The **PostgreSQL Global Development Group (PGDG)** provides an apt and yum repository. After importing the repository, you can install the PgBouncer package.
For Ubuntu/Debian:
1. Create the file repository configuration:
```
sh -c 'echo "deb http://apt.postgresql.org/pub/repos/apt $(lsb_release -cs)-pgdg main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pgdg.list'
```
2. Import the repository signing key:
```
wget --quiet -O - https://www.postgresql.org/media/keys/ACCC4CF8.asc | apt-key add -
```
3. Update the package lists:
```
apt update
```
4. Install the `pgbackrest` package
```
apt install -y pgbackrest
```
For RHEL/Rocky Linux:
1. Install the repository RPM:
```
dnf install -y https://download.postgresql.org/pub/repos/yum/reporpms/EL-9-x86_64/pgdg-redhat-repo-latest.noarch.rpm
```
2. Disable the built-in PostgreSQL module:
```
dnf -qy module disable postgresql
```
3. Install the `pgbackrest` package
```
dnf install -y pgbackrest
```
## Setting up pgBackRest
1. Edit the `/etc/pgbackrest.conf` with the following changes (repository configurations for example purposes only):
```
[global]
repo1-type=s3
repo1-s3-endpoint=
repo1-s3-bucket=
repo1-s3-key=
repo1-s3-key-secret=
repo1-s3-region=
repo1-path=/pgbackrest
repo1-retention-full=1
start-fast=y
archive-async=y
[db-primary]
pg1-path=/var/lib/pgsql/14/data
```
PostgreSQL data directory is `/var/lib/postgresql/14/main` in Ubuntu/Debian by default
2. Create a stanza for defining the cluster:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary stanza-create
```
## Setting up PostgreSQL
1. Edit the PostgreSQL configuration file `/etc/postgresql/14/main/postgresql.conf` as follows:
```
archive_mode = on
archive_command = 'pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary archive-push %p'
```
Changing the `archive_mode` parameter requires a restart, but a reload is sufficient if you are only changing the `archive_command` parameter.
If you want WAL archiving to be done only during backup, you can add the following command:
```
test -f /tmp/pgbackrest/db-primary-backup.lock || exit 0 && pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary archive-push %p
```
It is not a method supported by pgBackRest. This should be monitored carefully.
2. Restart PostgreSQL to apply the changes:
For RHEL/Rocky Linux:
Restart the `postgresql-14.service` to apply the changes.
```
systemctl restart postgresql-14.service
```
For Ubuntu/Debian:
Restart the PostgreSQL 14 `main` cluster to apply the changes.
```
pg_ctlcluster restart 14 main
```
3. Use the following command to check the configuration:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary check
```
## Performing backups
- To start a full backup for db-primary, use this command:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --type=full backup
```
- To start a differential backup for db-primary, use this command:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --type=diff backup
```
- To start an incremental backup for db-primary, use this command:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --type=incr backup
```
- To view a list of all backups available of db-primary, use this command:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary info
```
If there are no existing backups for a stanza, the backup type will be set to full.
## Restoring from backups
- To restore from backup to the same location on the DB server, you can start the restore process with the following command:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary restore
```
- To restore from backup to the same location on the DB server and at a specified time, you can start the restore process with the following command:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --type=time --target="2022-06-02 17:05:23" restore
```
- To restore from backup to a desired location on the DB server, you can start the restore process with the following command:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --reset-pg1-host --pg1-path=/var/lib/pgsql/14/restored restore
```
A full restore can take a long time on large databases. If the connection is lost, the restoration process may be interrupted. For this reason, running the restore command in `screen` or `tmux` will increase reliability.
If only missing files need to be added, you can use the `--delta` parameter. This parameter restores only missing files.
## Automatizing backups
If you want to back up at certain time intervals, you can add this to the cron:
1. Edit the crontab of the postgres user:
```
crontab -u postgres -e
```
2. Add the following line to the crontab and save it. This particular example runs a full backup at 00:00 on every Wednesday and an incremental backup at 00:00 on every Saturday:
```
0 0 * * 3 /usr/bin/pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --type=full backup
0 0 * * 6 /usr/bin/pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --type=incr backup
```
## Deleting old backups manually:
- To keep only the last full backup:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --repo1-retention-full=1 expire
```
- To keep only the last differential backup:
```
sudo -u postgres pgbackrest --stanza=db-primary --repo1-retention-diff=1 expire
```