Back up a Database Cluster

This page walks you through the steps to back up your database cluster. The process also applies to single-server instances.

Backing up a cluster is an online operation. Your database remains available during the backup.

Consult the gadmin Command Glossary to view the help files for the gadmin backup commands.

1. Prerequisites

  • You have access to the TigerGraph Linux user account on your cluster. All commands must be run from the TigerGraph Linux user.

  • You have provided valid configurations for database backup.

2. Procedure

2.1. Data backup

To back up a database cluster, run the following command:

$ gadmin backup create <tag>

Replace <tag> with a custom tag for the backup. A timestamp is suffixed to the tag you provided to form the full tag of the backup. If no tag is provided, the system uses the default backup followed by the timestamp when the backup is created as the tag for the backup.

For example, run the following command to create a backup for a database cluster:

$ gadmin backup create weekly

This creates a backup named weekly-<timestamp> at the backup location you configured.

You can also make weekly the entire tag by using the flag --custom-tag:

$ gadmin backup create weekly --custom-tag

This creates a backup named weekly without the -<timestamp> suffix.