Re: [GENERAL] Using cp to back up a database? - Mailing list pgsql-general
If you want a consistent database (you *REALLY* do), pg_dump is the correct tool.
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Larry Rosenman h
ttp://www.lerctr.org/~ler Phone: +1 214-642-9640 E-Mail: ler@lerctr.org
US Mail: 5708 Sabbia Drive, Round Rock, TX 78665-2106
From: <pgsql-general-owner@
postgresql.org> on behalf of Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net>
Date: Monday, October 9, 2017 at 8:41 AM
To: "pgsql-general@postgresql.org" <pgsql-general@postgresql.org>
Subject: [GENERAL] Using cp to back up a database?
Hi,
v8.4.20
This is what the current backup script uses:/usr/bin/psql -U postgres -c "SELECT pg_start_backup('
Incrementalbackup',true);" cp -r /var/lib/pgsql/data/* $dumpdir/data/
/usr/bin/psql -U postgres template1 -c "SELECT pg_stop_backup();"
Should it use rsync or pg_dump instead?
Thanks--World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification
It is a matter of choice. What you are doing with the script is making a backup of the entire PostgreSQL data file directory. That includes all PostgreSQL system catalogs as well as user objects. A restore of your data directory would be faster than a full restore of pg_dump as indexes and constraints would not have to be recreated. However, it does not give you the option to restore one or more selected objects.
pg_dump, on the other hand, gives you the flexibility of selecting what to backup and what to restore. FWIW, I much prefer pg_dump.
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