# Implementing backups

DevFeed: [Implementing backups](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/implementing-backups-34459.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://tapoueh.org/blog/2011/10/implementing-backups/>)

Author: Dimitri Fontaine PostgreSQL Major Contributor; Author

Published: 2011-10-12T20:22:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Dimitri Fontaine](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/dimitri-fontaine.md>)

Topics: [backups](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/backups.md>), [PostgreSQL](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/postgresql.md>), [Replication](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/replication.md>)

Tags: [backups](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/backups.md>), [best-practices](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/best-practices.md>), [postgresql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/postgresql.md>), [recovery](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/recovery.md>), [replication](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/replication.md>), [test](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/test.md>)

## AI overview

The article discusses PostgreSQL backup strategy, emphasizing that replication, archiving, and dumps address different failure modes and are generally needed together. It recommends retention policies, WAL archiving, maintenance-window planning, and automated or regularly exercised restores.

## Source excerpt

I've been asked about my opinion on backup strategy and best practices, and it so happens that I have some kind of an opinion on the matter. I tend to think best practice here begins with defining properly the backup plan you want to implement. It's quite a complex matter, so be sure to ask yourself about your needs: what do you want to be protected from? The two main things to want to protect from are hardware loss (crash disaster, plane in the data center, fire, water flood, etc) and human error ( UPDATE without a where clause). Replication is an answer to the former, archiving and dumps to the latter. You generally need both.