PostgreSQL Backup Skill

Atomic skill for backup and recovery

Overview

Production-ready patterns for logical backups, physical backups, and point-in-time recovery.

Prerequisites

• PostgreSQL 16+
• Sufficient disk space
• Backup storage access

Parameters

parameters:
  backup_type:
    type: string
    required: true
    enum: [logical, physical, pitr]
  format:
    type: string
    enum: [custom, directory, plain]
    default: custom

Quick Reference

pg_dump (Logical)

# Custom format (recommended)
pg_dump -Fc -f backup.dump dbname

# Parallel backup
pg_dump -Fd -j 4 -f backup_dir dbname

# Compressed
pg_dump -Fc dbname | gzip > backup.dump.gz

pg_basebackup (Physical)

pg_basebackup -D /backup -Fp -Xs -P -R

pg_restore

pg_restore -d newdb -j 4 backup.dump
pg_restore --list backup.dump  # Preview

WAL Archiving

archive_mode = on
archive_command = 'cp %p /archive/%f'

Backup Strategy

Type	Use Case	Recovery Speed
pg_dump	Logical, portable	Slow
pg_basebackup	Full cluster	Fast
WAL + base	Point-in-time	Fast + precise

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Solution
Backup failed	Disk full	Free space
Restore slow	Large DB	Use parallel
WAL missing	Archive failed	Check archive_command

Usage

Skill("postgresql-backup")