On Mon, Aug 11, 2025 at 9:01 AM Nick Cleaton <n...@cleaton.net> wrote:
> If I take an instantaneous filesystem-level snapshot of the postgres > data directory underneath a running postgres server, is that a safe > backup without doing any pg_start_backup/pg_stop_backup ? > > It seems like it should be, so long as I get an atomic snapshot that > includes both data and wal, because starting up from that snapshot > should look the same as recovering from an unclean postgres shutdown > due to a kernel panic. > We once restored a whole-system VMware snapshot to a new VM (new IP address and everything). When I logged in, PG started up without a hiccup; it took a couple of minutes while WALs rolled forward, but that's to be expected. Postgresql didn't (and doesn't) know anything about when snapshots are taken. -- Death to <Redacted>, and butter sauce. Don't boil me, I'm still alive. <Redacted> lobster!
