Backup and restore
Back up and restore an AngaraBase instance — from a cold (offline) backup to an online FULL + LOG chain with point-in-time recovery (PITR).
Requires an initialized instance and the angara-cli binary. For online backups,
a running server with WAL ([transaction_log] backend = file_bin, not noop).
Which method to use
| Scenario | Method |
|---|---|
| Move an instance to another host, downtime allowed | Host migration — file copy, no backup |
| Basic offline snapshot in one file | phase 1a: backup full → *.angarabk |
| Online backup without stopping + PITR to any LSN | phase 1b: full-online + log + restore-chain |
| Back up from a central node without SSH to the DB | any of the above — via the Admin API (--addr) |
For new deployments, default to phase 1b (online + PITR). Use phase 1a when a simple offline snapshot is enough. The legacy shell wrappers are kept for compatibility.
The config flag for angara-cli is --config / -c (the server uses
--config-path); for remote execution via the Admin API, pass
--addr <host:port> instead of --config.
Cold / offline backup
The original supported method. The server must be stopped (or will be stopped by the runner).
- Copy
storage.data_directoryandstorage.transaction_log_directory. - After restore, run the txlog-level oracle.
- The source must be a correctly initialized data directory.
Pinned commands (legacy shell)
Backup:
tools/backup_restore/run.sh backup \
--data-dir /var/lib/angarabase/data \
--txlog-dir /var/lib/angarabase/transaction_log \
--out /tmp/angarabase-backup.tar.gz \
--root artifacts/backup_restore/backup
Restore:
tools/backup_restore/run.sh restore \
--archive /tmp/angarabase-backup.tar.gz \
--dest /tmp/angarabase-restore \
--force \
--root artifacts/backup_restore/restore
Oracle (post-restore verification):
tools/backup_restore/oracle.sh --root artifacts/backup_restore_oracle/run_1
Remote Admin Backup Flow (Online Backup via Admin API)
AngaraBase supports triggering backups remotely via the Admin TCP endpoint. This is the recommended approach for production deployments, as it does not require direct file system access to the database node.
Requirements
angarabase-servermust be running with the Admin API enabled ([ops] admin_addrinangarabase.confor theANGARABASE_ADMIN_ADDRenvironment variable; if no address is set, the admin listener does not start).angara-cliis run with--addr <host:port>instead of--config.- Network access to the Admin API port is required (default:
9899).
How it works
When using --addr, angara-cli connects to the running server’s Admin API and issues a RUN backup_full
command. The server coordinates the backup process internally (Fuzzy Copy, WAL Inclusion) and streams the
resulting .angarabk file back to the client over the network.
This allows operators to take backups from a central management node without SSH access to the database servers.
Storage layout note
User tables use the page-based .adb path. Legacy heap_store/*.bin is migrated to .adb on first access.
For backup/restore and triage:
- Both files per database are critical:
<db>.adband<db>.atl. heap_store/is not the source of truth after migration.- Upgrading old instances may take time proportional to
heap_storevolume. - If the backup was taken with TDE enabled (
ANGARABASE_TDE_ENABLE=1), restore requires the same valid key material; without it, startup after restore is fail-closed.
Backup/Restore v2 — phase 1a: one-file backupset
Minimal offline pipeline producing a single *.angarabk file (manifest-first format).
Capabilities
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
backup full | Offline FULL backup to a single file. |
backup inspect | Read manifest only (no payload scan). |
backup verify | Struct/hash integrity check (binary answer). |
backup restore | Local restore + txlog-level oracle (best-effort). |
Pinned commands (phase 1a)
# FULL (offline/local baseline)
angara-cli backup full \
--config /path/to/angarabase.conf \
--out /tmp/full_0001.angarabk \
--db-id base
# FULL (remote execution via Admin API)
angara-cli backup full \
--addr 127.0.0.1:9899 \
--out /tmp/full_0001.angarabk \
--db-id base
# INSPECT (manifest-only)
angara-cli backup inspect --file /tmp/full_0001.angarabk
# VERIFY v0 (struct/hash)
angara-cli backup verify --file /tmp/full_0001.angarabk --json
# RESTORE (local) into a new directory
angara-cli backup restore \
--config /path/to/angarabase.conf \
--file /tmp/full_0001.angarabk \
--target-dir /tmp/restore_0001 \
--overwrite
Evidence pack (N=3)
tools/backup_restore/evidence_v2_phase1a.sh --runs 3
Inspect vs verify
backup inspect: manifest-only, no payload scan.backup verify: struct/hash integrity; proves backupset consistency, not SQL-level correctness.
Backup/Restore v2 — phase 1b: online FULL + LOG chain + PITR
Online pipeline with point-in-time recovery support.
Capabilities
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
backup full-online | Online FULL boundary (best-effort, with backup fence). |
backup log | WAL chunk by LSN range (strictly contiguous chain). |
backup chain-validate | Binary validation of the full chain. |
backup restore-chain | PITR restore to target_lsn + oracle. |
Pinned commands (phase 1b)
# ONLINE FULL (best-effort, with backup fence)
# Local execution:
angara-cli backup full-online \
--config /path/to/angarabase.conf \
--out /tmp/full_online_0001.angarabk \
--db-id base
# Remote execution (via Admin API):
angara-cli backup full-online \
--addr 127.0.0.1:9899 \
--out /tmp/full_online_0001.angarabk \
--db-id base
# LOG chunk (LSN boundaries must be contiguous with FULL/prev LOG)
angara-cli backup log \
--config /path/to/angarabase.conf \
--out /tmp/log_0001.angarabk \
--start-lsn <u64> --end-lsn <u64> \
--db-id base
# Validate chain contiguity
angara-cli backup chain-validate \
--chain /tmp/full_online_0001.angarabk,/tmp/log_0001.angarabk \
--json
# PITR restore to target_lsn
angara-cli backup restore-chain \
--config /path/to/angarabase.conf \
--target-dir /tmp/restore_chain_0001 \
--target-lsn <u64> \
--chain /tmp/full_online_0001.angarabk,/tmp/log_0001.angarabk \
--overwrite
Evidence pack (N=3)
tools/backup_restore/evidence_v2_phase1b.sh --runs 3
Expected result
After a successful restore the server should start cleanly and previously committed data should be present:
SELECT * FROM sys.health;
SELECT * FROM sys.identity;
For PITR restores, data reflects the state at target_lsn.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Action |
|---|---|
| Restore fails with TDE error | Ensure the same ANGARABASE_TDE_MASTER_KEY_HEX is set. See Configuration — TDE knobs. |
| Chain validation fails | LSN boundaries between FULL and LOG chunks must be contiguous. Re-take the LOG chunk from the correct start LSN. |
| Oracle reports mismatch | The txlog replay-pages oracle is best-effort. Collect artifacts and file a report via Support. |
heap_store migration slow after restore | Expected for legacy-format backups. Migration is proportional to heap_store size. |
For unresolved issues see Known issues and Support.
Host migration (without dump/restore)
An alternative to backup/restore for moving AngaraBase to another host is direct data-file copying using the Instance Lease system.
When applicable
- Single-node deployment — one AngaraBase instance
- Shared storage — NFS, SAN, or manual file copy
- Same version — the same AngaraBase version on source and target
- Maintenance window — the instance can be stopped during copying
Step-by-step instructions
- Stop the source instance:
# Graceful shutdown to release the lease
kill -TERM <angarabase-pid>
# Wait for completion
ps aux | grep angarabase-server
- Verify lease release (optional):
-- On another instance or via backup connection
SELECT lease_holder_id FROM sys.identity;
- Copy data files:
# Copy data directory
rsync -av /source/data/ /target/data/
# Copy transaction log directory
rsync -av /source/txlog/ /target/txlog/
# Verify integrity
find /target/data -name "*.adb" -exec ls -la {} \;
- Start on the target host:
# Update configuration if needed
vim /target/angarabase.conf
# Start AngaraBase
angarabase-server --config-path /target/angarabase.conf
- Verify migration:
-- Check lease holder
SELECT lease_holder_hostname, recovery_mode FROM sys.identity;
-- Verify data integrity
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM your_tables;
-- Check system state
SELECT * FROM sys.health;
What to check after startup
-
lease_holder_hostnamechanged to the new host -
recovery_modeshows the recovery type - All tables are accessible and contain the expected data
- No errors in server logs
- Client connections work correctly
Limitations
- Downtime required — requires stopping the service during copying
- File consistency — files must be copied atomically
- Version compatibility — AngaraBase versions must match
- Configuration — paths in the configuration may need updates
Comparison with backup/restore
| Aspect | Host migration | Backup/restore |
|---|---|---|
| Downtime | File copy time | Backup + restore time |
| Disk space | 1x (target only) | 2x (backup + target) |
| Network | Direct copy | Through backup storage |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Point-in-time | Current state only | Any LSN |
See also
Detailed host migration instructions: Crash Recovery — Host Migration
See also
- Configuration — TDE keys,
[ops] admin_addr, WAL backend. - Diagnostics — post-restore health check.
- Crash recovery — host migration details.