Guide

Backups

Every Layerbase Cloud database is backed up automatically, and you can take your own backup at any time. This page covers the automatic schedule, taking and naming a manual backup, downloading a backup, and restoring one. Restore overwrites your current data, so read the restore section before you use it.

Automatic backups

Layerbase takes a per-database dump every 12 hours while the database is running. If nothing has changed since the last backup, that run is skipped, so you do not accumulate identical copies. New databases show no backups until the first automatic run or your first manual backup.

Sleeping databases are covered separately: full volume snapshots run every 6 hours across all databases as a safety net, so a hibernated or stopped database is still protected even though its per-database dumps only run while it is up. You can see both the per-database and volume-snapshot status on the Backup Status panel in your account.

Taking a backup on demand

Open a database and find the Backups panel. Click Backup Now to capture the current state. You can give the backup an optional name (up to 64 characters) to make it easy to find later, for example before a risky migration. If you leave the name blank, the backup is labeled by its timestamp.

The database must be running to take a manual backup. If it is hibernated or stopped, the button is disabled; connect to it or start it first. Each backup in the list shows whether it was created automatically or manually, along with its size.

Renaming a backup

Click a backup's name to rename it in place (up to 64 characters). This is a label only. It does not change the backup's contents or timestamp, and it helps you keep track of which snapshot is which.

Downloading a backup

Use the download icon on any backup in the list to save that dump to your machine. This gives you an offline copy you can keep, inspect, or import elsewhere.

There is also a whole-database Export on the database page, which produces a fresh dump of the current state rather than a stored backup. Export keeps working even on a locked database, so it is the way to get your data out after a plan downgrade. For large Performance-engine databases, an export can take a few minutes, so leave the tab open while it runs.

Restoring from a backup

Restore replays a chosen backup back into the live database. Pick a backup, click Restore, and confirm. The database must be running to restore, the same as taking a backup.

Restore overwrites your current data. Whatever is in the database now is replaced by the contents of the backup, and this cannot be undone. If you are not certain, take a fresh Backup Now first so you can return to the current state, then restore the older one.

Retention

Backups follow your database through its lifecycle. Archiving a Free database keeps its data and backups; only the live address is removed until you restore it. When a database is deleted, Layerbase secures a final backup first and refuses the delete if that backup cannot be captured, so your last copy is never dropped silently. The database lifecycle page has the full retention rules, including the 90-day free-tier offload, which always keeps your most-recent backup for download.