Backup — Protecting Your Data

Pytigon applications store data in multiple places — the database, uploaded files, configuration. A comprehensive backup strategy covers all of them.

What to Back Up

Component	Location	Method
Database (SQLite)	`[DATA]/[PRJ]/[PRJ].db`	Copy the file (while server is stopped)
Database (PostgreSQL/MySQL)	External database server	`pg_dump` / `mysqldump`
Uploaded files	VFS storage (disk or DB)	Copy VFS root directory
Project source code	`[PRJ]/`	Git repository (recommended)
Configuration	`settings_app.py`	Git repository
PIP-installed libs	`[DATA]/[PRJ]/prjlib/`	Included in file backup
Compiled extensions	`[DATA]/[PRJ]/syslib/`	Rebuild from source

SQLite Backup

SQLite databases are single files — backup is a file copy:

# Stop the application
ptig run stop

# Copy the database
cp [DATA]/[PRJ]/[PRJ].db /backup/[PRJ]_$(date +%Y%m%d).db

# Restart the application
ptig run

For zero-downtime backup, use SQLite's .backup command through sqlite3 CLI or a background task that calls VACUUM INTO.

PostgreSQL Backup

pg_dump -h localhost -U pytigon_user pytigon_db > /backup/pytigon_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Automated Backups via Tasks

Pytigon's task scheduler can automate backups:

async def nightly_backup(cmd):
    cmd("dbbackup")
    cmd("mediabackup")

def init_schedule(scheduler, cmd, http):
    scheduler.add_task("daily(at='03:00')", nightly_backup, cmd)

Restore Procedure

Stop the application
Restore the database from backup
Restore uploaded files to VFS root
Run migrations (python manage.py migrate)
Restart the application

Backup Verification

Regularly verify backups by restoring to a test environment. A backup you haven't tested is a backup you don't have.