Database Backups
Your data is precious. Galaxy automatically backs up every database so you're protected if something goes wrong.
How Backups Work
Galaxy creates automatic daily backups of every database. Think of them as snapshots in time. If data gets corrupted, deleted, or something breaks, you can restore from any backup point.
Every database automatically gets backups with no setup required. They just happen in the background while you sleep.
Always Protected
All Galaxy databases include automatic daily backups with a 4-day retention period at no extra cost.
Standard Backups
Every database includes automatic daily backups automatically. No cost, no configuration needed.
Retention: 4 days Cost: Included with your plan Backups per day: 1 (daily backup)
Perfect for most use cases. If something breaks today, you can restore from up to 4 days ago. For most scenarios, that's plenty of time to catch and fix problems.
Need Longer Retention?
If you need to keep backups beyond 4 days for compliance or business reasons, check out the Extended Backup Retention guide.
Backup Timing and Schedule
Backups run automatically every day during a consistent window. Understanding when they run helps you plan around large data imports or maintenance.
Backup Window
Daily backups run between 03:00 and 05:00 UTC by default. That's the timeframe when Galaxy creates your backup snapshot.
The exact time within that window can vary, but backups always happen during those two hours. If you run large data operations, avoid that window to prevent impact on your application.
Want a Different Time?
If the 03:00 to 05:00 UTC window doesn't work for your schedule, contact support. We can often arrange a custom backup window that aligns with your needs.
Just mention your preferred time when you reach out, and we'll see what we can do.
Logs and Metrics
Beyond backups, Galaxy also retains logs and performance metrics for troubleshooting and analysis.
What's Retained
Logs: Up to 10,000 lines of database activity logs are kept. Useful for debugging queries, finding errors, and understanding what happened during a specific time period.
Metrics: Performance data like CPU, memory, connections, and disk usage are retained for one full calendar month. After that, older metrics are automatically removed.
You can access both logs and metrics from your database's dashboard in Galaxy. Click into any database, then look for the Logs or Metrics sections.
If you delete your database, both logs and metrics are automatically deleted along with it. Backups remain available according to your retention policy, but the database-level logs and metrics are gone.
Downloading Backups
Need your data back? Galaxy makes backups available for download so you can restore them yourself.
From your database's Backups section in the Galaxy dashboard, you'll see a list of all available backups with their dates and sizes. Select the backup you need and download it. You can then restore the data to your database using your database tool's import features.
This gives you full control over when and how you restore data.
Common Questions
Backup Best Practices
Keep your retention period realistic. More retention means higher costs. 4 days covers most accidental deletions. Extend beyond that only if you really need long-term protection.
Test restores occasionally. Don't assume backups work until you've tested a restore yourself. Verify your recovery procedure works before you actually need it.
Combine with your own backups. Database backups are great, but consider maintaining your own backup outside Galaxy for critical data. Defense in depth is always smart.
Review backup needs regularly. As your data grows, backup costs increase. Check quarterly whether you actually need extended retention or if you can scale back.
Download important backups. For mission-critical data, download backups and store them somewhere secure and separate from Galaxy.
What's Next?
Manage Your Databases
Set up your databases and configure backup retention
Review Backup Costs
Check how much extended retention adds to your bill
Still Have Questions?
Backups are critical infrastructure, and we want you to feel confident they're protecting your data. If you have questions about your specific backup setup, reach out to support. We're here to help make sure your data is safe.