Dev Tools · 1h ago
PostgreSQL Disaster Recovery: From Cron Failures to WAL Archiving
A developer recounts a production database crash where a nightly pg_dump silently failed due to full disk, losing a week of data. They implemented a layered strategy: daily physical base backups, continuous WAL archiving, automated restore testing, and clear RPO/RTO targets. The solution uses wal-g for point-in-time recovery, reducing downtime from hours to minutes.
Meridian48 take
The article's Lord of the Rings framing is entertaining, but the core lesson—validate backups and use WAL archiving—is a critical operational practice many teams neglect.
postgresqldisaster-recovery