Back to Glossary

PostgreSQL Glossary

Backup (Logical vs Physical)

Logical backups dump SQL/data (pg_dump), while physical backups copy data files/WAL (pg_basebackup, file system snapshots). Example: Use pg_dump for schem…

Definition

Logical backups dump SQL/data (pg_dump), while physical backups copy data files/WAL (pg_basebackup, file system snapshots).

What Backup (Logical vs Physical) Means in PostgreSQL

Logical backups dump SQL/data (pg_dump), while physical backups copy data files/WAL (pg_basebackup, file system snapshots).

Backup (Logical vs Physical) appears frequently in production operations, architecture decisions, and troubleshooting workflows. Understanding this term helps teams reason about reliability, performance, and safe change management.

Why Backup (Logical vs Physical) Matters

Teams that understand Backup (Logical vs Physical) can make better decisions on database design, incident response, and release safety.

In modern PostgreSQL environments, this concept often connects directly to backup strategy, performance tuning, and operational confidence.

  • Improves decision quality for production operations
  • Reduces avoidable troubleshooting time
  • Strengthens reliability and recovery planning

Practical Example

Use pg_dump for schema-only export; use pg_basebackup + WAL archiving for full cluster physical backups.

Where To Learn More

You can explore deeper implementation patterns in the Vela articles library, review platform workflows in How Vela Works, and compare approaches in our PostgreSQL comparisons.

Related Glossary Topics

BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) B-tree Index Base Backup ACID Atomicity Archiving (WAL Archiving) archive_command archive_mode

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Backup (Logical vs Physical) in PostgreSQL?
Logical backups dump SQL/data (pg_dump), while physical backups copy data files/WAL (pg_basebackup, file system snapshots).
Why is Backup (Logical vs Physical) important?
Backup (Logical vs Physical) matters because it directly affects how teams build, operate, and recover PostgreSQL systems in production.
Can you give a practical Backup (Logical vs Physical) example?
Use pg_dump for schema-only export; use pg_basebackup + WAL archiving for full cluster physical backups.
How does Backup (Logical vs Physical) relate to backup, recovery, or performance?
In most production deployments, Backup (Logical vs Physical) influences one or more of these areas: data safety, restore behavior, and performance under load.
What should teams check first when implementing Backup (Logical vs Physical)?
Start with clear operational goals, test in a non-production environment, and validate behavior with repeatable runbooks before relying on it in production.