Last updated June 23, 2026
Backup & Restore Guide
This guide covers how to backup and restore your data, including database and application data.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Data Locations
- Backup Database
- Backup Application Data
- Restore Database
- Restore Application Data
- Automated Backups
- Best Practices
Related Guides:
Overview
Your data lives in two main locations:
- PostgreSQL database - User data, configurations, sessions
- Data volume - Cache, entitlements, uploaded files
Regular backups are essential for disaster recovery and data protection.
Data Locations
| Volume | Contents | Priority |
|---|---|---|
contextdx-data | Sessions, cache, entitlements | Medium |
postgres-data | Database (user data, configurations) | High |
To see your volumes:
BASH
docker volume ls | grep contextdxBackup Database
Quick Backup
BASH
# Create backup directory
mkdir -p backups
# Backup database to SQL file
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec postgres \
pg_dump -U contextdx contextdx > backups/backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sqlCompressed Backup
For larger databases, compress the backup:
BASH
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec postgres \
pg_dump -U contextdx contextdx | gzip > backups/backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql.gzBackup with Timestamp
BASH
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec postgres \
pg_dump -U contextdx contextdx > backups/backup-${TIMESTAMP}.sql
echo "Backup created: backups/backup-${TIMESTAMP}.sql"Verify Backup
Check that the backup file is valid:
BASH
# Check file size (should not be empty)
ls -lh backups/backup-*.sql
# Check file content (should start with PostgreSQL dump header)
head -20 backups/backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sqlBackup Application Data
Backup Data Volume
BASH
# Backup the data volume to a tar archive
docker run --rm \
-v contextdx-data:/data \
-v $(pwd)/backups:/backup \
alpine tar czf /backup/data-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /dataWindows PowerShell
POWERSHELL
# Backup data volume
docker run --rm `
-v contextdx-data:/data `
-v ${PWD}/backups:/backup `
alpine tar czf /backup/data-$(Get-Date -Format "yyyyMMdd").tar.gz /dataRestore Database
Standard Restore
BASH
# Stop the server first (prevents data inconsistency)
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml stop server
# Restore from backup
cat backups/backup-20240115.sql | docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec -T postgres \
psql -U contextdx contextdx
# Start server
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml start serverRestore Compressed Backup
BASH
# Stop the server
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml stop server
# Restore from compressed backup
gunzip -c backups/backup-20240115.sql.gz | docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec -T postgres \
psql -U contextdx contextdx
# Start server
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml start serverFull Database Reset and Restore
If you need to completely reset the database:
BASH
# Stop all services
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml down
# Remove the database volume
docker volume rm contextdx_postgres-data
# Start postgres only
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml up -d postgres
# Wait for postgres to be ready
sleep 10
# Restore from backup
cat backups/backup-20240115.sql | docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec -T postgres \
psql -U contextdx contextdx
# Start all services
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml up -dRestore Application Data
Restore Data Volume
BASH
# Stop services
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml down
# Remove existing volume (if needed)
docker volume rm contextdx-data
# Recreate volume and restore
docker run --rm \
-v contextdx-data:/data \
-v $(pwd)/backups:/backup \
alpine sh -c "cd /data && tar xzf /backup/data-20240115.tar.gz --strip 1"
# Start services
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml up -dAutomated Backups
Linux/macOS (Cron)
Set up daily automated backups:
BASH
# Edit crontab
crontab -e
# Add this line (runs at 2 AM daily)
0 2 * * * cd /path/to/contextdx && docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec -T postgres pg_dump -U contextdx contextdx > backups/backup-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).sqlBackup Script
Create a comprehensive backup script:
BASH
#!/bin/bash
# backup.sh - ContextDx backup script
BACKUP_DIR="/path/to/contextdx/backups"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
RETENTION_DAYS=30
# Create backup directory
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR
# Backup database
echo "Backing up database..."
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec -T postgres \
pg_dump -U contextdx contextdx | gzip > $BACKUP_DIR/db-${TIMESTAMP}.sql.gz
# Backup data volume
echo "Backing up data volume..."
docker run --rm \
-v contextdx-data:/data \
-v $BACKUP_DIR:/backup \
alpine tar czf /backup/data-${TIMESTAMP}.tar.gz /data
# Remove old backups
echo "Cleaning up old backups..."
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "*.sql.gz" -mtime +$RETENTION_DAYS -delete
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "*.tar.gz" -mtime +$RETENTION_DAYS -delete
echo "Backup complete: ${TIMESTAMP}"Make it executable and schedule:
BASH
chmod +x backup.sh
# Add to crontab (runs at 2 AM daily)
crontab -e
0 2 * * * /path/to/contextdx/backup.sh >> /path/to/contextdx/backup.log 2>&1Windows (Task Scheduler)
Create a PowerShell backup script:
POWERSHELL
# backup.ps1 - ContextDx backup script
$BackupDir = "C:\contextdx\backups"
$Timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyyMMdd_HHmmss"
$RetentionDays = 30
# Create backup directory
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $BackupDir
# Backup database
Write-Host "Backing up database..."
docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec -T postgres `
pg_dump -U contextdx contextdx | Out-File "$BackupDir\db-$Timestamp.sql"
# Compress
Compress-Archive -Path "$BackupDir\db-$Timestamp.sql" -DestinationPath "$BackupDir\db-$Timestamp.sql.zip"
Remove-Item "$BackupDir\db-$Timestamp.sql"
# Remove old backups
Get-ChildItem $BackupDir -Filter "*.zip" | Where-Object { $_.LastWriteTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-$RetentionDays) } | Remove-Item
Write-Host "Backup complete: $Timestamp"Schedule using Task Scheduler to run daily.
Best Practices
Backup Frequency
| Data Type | Recommended Frequency |
|---|---|
| Database | Daily minimum, hourly for critical data |
| Data volume | Weekly or after significant changes |
Storage Recommendations
-
Offsite backups - Store backups in a different location
- Cloud storage (S3, Azure Blob, Google Cloud Storage)
- Different physical server
- Network attached storage (NAS)
-
Encryption - Encrypt backups containing sensitive data
BASH# Encrypt backup with GPG gpg --symmetric --cipher-algo AES256 backups/backup-20240115.sql -
Retention policy - Keep multiple backup generations
- Daily backups: 7 days
- Weekly backups: 4 weeks
- Monthly backups: 12 months
Testing Restores
Regularly test your backup restoration process:
- Monthly - Verify backup files are not corrupted
- Quarterly - Perform full restore test in staging environment
- Document - Keep restore procedures documented and up-to-date
Monitoring
Set up alerts for backup failures:
BASH
# Example: Send email on backup failure
./backup.sh || echo "Backup failed on $(date)" | mail -s "ContextDx Backup Failed" admin@example.comQuick Reference
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Quick database backup | docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec postgres pg_dump -U contextdx contextdx > backup.sql |
| Compressed backup | docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec postgres pg_dump -U contextdx contextdx | gzip > backup.sql.gz |
| Restore database | cat backup.sql | docker compose -f docker-compose.production.yml exec -T postgres psql -U contextdx contextdx |
| Backup data volume | docker run --rm -v contextdx-data:/data -v $(pwd):/backup alpine tar czf /backup/data.tar.gz /data |
| List backups | ls -lh backups/ |