Back to Glossary

PostgreSQL Backup Tooling

pg_restore

Understand pg_restore for PostgreSQL logical restores, parallel restore options, and safer recovery runbook patterns.

Definition

A utility to restore backups created by pg_dump (custom, directory, tar formats), supporting parallelism and selective restore.

Core pg_restore Workflow

pg_restore imports logical artifacts created by pg_dump and supports selective object restore, schema filtering, and parallel jobs.

It is common in migration rehearsals, environment rebuilds, and partial data recovery scenarios.

  • Restore full database or targeted objects
  • Use parallel jobs to reduce restore windows
  • Control schema ownership, privileges, and ordering

Performance and RTO Considerations

Parallel restore can improve throughput, but gains depend on CPU, storage bandwidth, lock contention, and dump format.

Measure end-to-end restore readiness including post-restore index state, permissions, and application smoke tests.

  • Tune job parallelism based on host and storage limits
  • Time full restore from artifact fetch to application-ready state
  • Treat restore runtime as a tracked operational KPI

Operational Considerations

Treat restore speed as an SLO-backed metric. If restores exceed RTO, adjust strategy before incidents happen.

If logical restore cannot meet targets, move critical workloads to physical backup + WAL replay paths.

Common Failure Modes

  • Mismatched extensions or database version assumptions
  • Role/ownership differences between source and target
  • Insufficient storage/IO during parallel restore
  • No tested runbook for partial-object restore workflows

Related Glossary Topics

pgbench pg_dump pg_basebackup PITR (Point-in-Time Recovery) Physical vs Logical Backup Primary Key Partitioning ACID

Frequently Asked Questions

What is pg_restore used for?
pg_restore restores logical backups created by pg_dump and supports selective, parallelized recovery workflows.
Can pg_restore restore one table?
Yes. pg_restore supports object-level restore options for specific tables, schemas, and database objects.
Does pg_restore improve RTO?
It can, especially with parallel jobs, but large datasets still require measured validation against real RTO objectives.
Is pg_restore a replacement for PITR?
No. pg_restore is logical restore tooling. PITR relies on physical backups plus WAL replay.
How should teams test pg_restore?
Run scheduled drills using production-like data volume and verify application behavior, access controls, and performance post-restore.