--- stage: Enablement group: Geo info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments --- # Back up and restore GitLab **(FREE SELF)** GitLab provides Rake tasks for backing up and restoring GitLab instances. An application data backup creates an archive file that contains the database, all repositories and all attachments. You can only restore a backup to **exactly the same version and type (CE/EE)** of GitLab on which it was created. The best way to migrate your repositories from one server to another is through backup restore. WARNING: GitLab doesn't back up items that aren't stored in the file system. If you're using [object storage](../administration/object_storage.md), be sure to enable backups with your object storage provider, if desired. ## Requirements To be able to backup and restore, ensure that Rsync is installed on your system. If you installed GitLab: - _Using the Omnibus package_, you're all set. - _From source_, you need to determine if `rsync` is installed. For example: ```shell # Debian/Ubuntu sudo apt-get install rsync # RHEL/CentOS sudo yum install rsync ``` ## Backup timestamp The backup archive is saved in `backup_path`, which is specified in the `config/gitlab.yml` file. The filename is `[TIMESTAMP]_gitlab_backup.tar`, where `TIMESTAMP` identifies the time at which each backup was created, plus the GitLab version. The timestamp is needed if you need to restore GitLab and multiple backups are available. For example, if the backup name is `1493107454_2018_04_25_10.6.4-ce_gitlab_backup.tar`, the timestamp is `1493107454_2018_04_25_10.6.4-ce`. ## Back up GitLab GitLab provides a command line interface to back up your entire instance, including: - Database - Attachments - Git repositories data - CI/CD job output logs - CI/CD job artifacts - LFS objects - Container Registry images - GitLab Pages content - Snippets - Group wikis **(PREMIUM)** Backups do not include: - [Terraform state files](../administration/terraform_state.md) - [Package registry files](../administration/packages/index.md) - [Mattermost data](https://docs.mattermost.com/administration/config-settings.html#file-storage) WARNING: GitLab does not back up any configuration files, SSL certificates, or system files. You are highly advised to read about [storing configuration files](#storing-configuration-files). WARNING: The backup command requires [additional parameters](#backup-and-restore-for-installations-using-pgbouncer) when your installation is using PgBouncer, for either performance reasons or when using it with a Patroni cluster. Depending on your version of GitLab, use the following command if you installed GitLab using the Omnibus package: - GitLab 12.2 or later: ```shell sudo gitlab-backup create ``` - GitLab 12.1 and earlier: ```shell gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create ``` If you installed GitLab from source, use the following command: ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:backup:create RAILS_ENV=production ``` If you're running GitLab from within a Docker container, run the backup from the host, based on your installed version of GitLab: - GitLab 12.2 or later: ```shell docker exec -t gitlab-backup create ``` - GitLab 12.1 and earlier: ```shell docker exec -t gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create ``` If you're using the [GitLab Helm chart](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/charts/gitlab) on a Kubernetes cluster, you can run the backup task by using `kubectl` to run the `backup-utility` script on the GitLab task runner pod. For more details, see [backing up a GitLab installation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/charts/gitlab/blob/master/doc/backup-restore/backup.md#backing-up-a-gitlab-installation). ```shell kubectl exec -it -- backup-utility ``` Similar to the Kubernetes case, if you have scaled out your GitLab cluster to use multiple application servers, you should pick a designated node (that isn't auto-scaled away) for running the backup Rake task. Because the backup Rake task is tightly coupled to the main Rails application, this is typically a node on which you're also running Puma or Sidekiq. Example output: ```plaintext Dumping database tables: - Dumping table events... [DONE] - Dumping table issues... [DONE] - Dumping table keys... [DONE] - Dumping table merge_requests... [DONE] - Dumping table milestones... [DONE] - Dumping table namespaces... [DONE] - Dumping table notes... [DONE] - Dumping table projects... [DONE] - Dumping table protected_branches... [DONE] - Dumping table schema_migrations... [DONE] - Dumping table services... [DONE] - Dumping table snippets... [DONE] - Dumping table taggings... [DONE] - Dumping table tags... [DONE] - Dumping table users... [DONE] - Dumping table users_projects... [DONE] - Dumping table web_hooks... [DONE] - Dumping table wikis... [DONE] Dumping repositories: - Dumping repository abcd... [DONE] Creating backup archive: $TIMESTAMP_gitlab_backup.tar [DONE] Deleting tmp directories...[DONE] Deleting old backups... [SKIPPING] ``` ### Storing configuration files The [backup Rake task](#back-up-gitlab) GitLab provides does _not_ store your configuration files. The primary reason for this is that your database contains items including encrypted information for two-factor authentication and the CI/CD _secure variables_. Storing encrypted information in the same location as its key defeats the purpose of using encryption in the first place. WARNING: The secrets file is essential to preserve your database encryption key. At the very **minimum**, you must backup: For Omnibus: - `/etc/gitlab/gitlab-secrets.json` - `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` For installation from source: - `/home/git/gitlab/config/secrets.yml` - `/home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml` For [Docker installations](https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/docker/), you must back up the volume where the configuration files are stored. If you created the GitLab container according to the documentation, it should be in the `/srv/gitlab/config` directory. For [GitLab Helm chart installations](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/charts/gitlab) on a Kubernetes cluster, you must follow the [Backup the secrets](https://docs.gitlab.com/charts/backup-restore/backup.html#backup-the-secrets) instructions. You may also want to back up any TLS keys and certificates, and your [SSH host keys](https://superuser.com/questions/532040/copy-ssh-keys-from-one-server-to-another-server/532079#532079). If you use Omnibus GitLab, review additional information to [backup your configuration](https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/settings/backups.html). In the unlikely event that the secrets file is lost, see the [troubleshooting section](#when-the-secrets-file-is-lost). ### Backup options The command line tool GitLab provides to backup your instance can accept more options. #### Backup strategy option The default backup strategy is to essentially stream data from the respective data locations to the backup using the Linux command `tar` and `gzip`. This works fine in most cases, but can cause problems when data is rapidly changing. When data changes while `tar` is reading it, the error `file changed as we read it` may occur, and causes the backup process to fail. To combat this, 8.17 introduces a new backup strategy called `copy`. The strategy copies data files to a temporary location before calling `tar` and `gzip`, avoiding the error. A side-effect is that the backup process takes up to an additional 1X disk space. The process does its best to clean up the temporary files at each stage so the problem doesn't compound, but it could be a considerable change for large installations. This is why the `copy` strategy is not the default in 8.17. To use the `copy` strategy instead of the default streaming strategy, specify `STRATEGY=copy` in the Rake task command. For example: ```shell sudo gitlab-backup create STRATEGY=copy ``` Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create` instead. #### Backup filename WARNING: If you use a custom backup filename, you can't [limit the lifetime of the backups](#limit-backup-lifetime-for-local-files-prune-old-backups). By default, a backup file is created according to the specification in the previous [Backup timestamp](#backup-timestamp) section. You can, however, override the `[TIMESTAMP]` portion of the filename by setting the `BACKUP` environment variable. For example: ```shell sudo gitlab-backup create BACKUP=dump ``` Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create` instead. The resulting file is named `dump_gitlab_backup.tar`. This is useful for systems that make use of rsync and incremental backups, and results in considerably faster transfer speeds. #### Confirm archive can be transferred To ensure the generated archive is transferable by rsync, you can set the `GZIP_RSYNCABLE=yes` option. This sets the `--rsyncable` option to `gzip`, which is useful only in combination with setting [the Backup filename option](#backup-filename). Note that the `--rsyncable` option in `gzip` isn't guaranteed to be available on all distributions. To verify that it's available in your distribution, run `gzip --help` or consult the man pages. ```shell sudo gitlab-backup create BACKUP=dump GZIP_RSYNCABLE=yes ``` Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create` instead. #### Excluding specific directories from the backup You can exclude specific directories from the backup by adding the environment variable `SKIP`, whose values are a comma-separated list of the following options: - `db` (database) - `uploads` (attachments) - `builds` (CI job output logs) - `artifacts` (CI job artifacts) - `lfs` (LFS objects) - `registry` (Container Registry images) - `pages` (Pages content) - `repositories` (Git repositories data) All wikis are backed up as part of the `repositories` group. Non-existent wikis are skipped during a backup. NOTE: When [backing up and restoring Helm Charts](https://docs.gitlab.com/charts/architecture/backup-restore.html), there is an additional option `packages`, which refers to any packages managed by the GitLab [package registry](../user/packages/package_registry/index.md). For more information see [command line arguments](https://docs.gitlab.com/charts/architecture/backup-restore.html#command-line-arguments). All wikis are backed up as part of the `repositories` group. Non-existent wikis are skipped during a backup. For Omnibus GitLab packages: ```shell sudo gitlab-backup create SKIP=db,uploads ``` Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create` instead. For installations from source: ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:backup:create SKIP=db,uploads RAILS_ENV=production ``` #### Skipping tar creation The last part of creating a backup is generation of a `.tar` file containing all the parts. In some cases (for example, if the backup is picked up by other backup software) creating a `.tar` file might be wasted effort or even directly harmful, so you can skip this step by adding `tar` to the `SKIP` environment variable. Adding `tar` to the `SKIP` variable leaves the files and directories containing the backup in the directory used for the intermediate files. These files are overwritten when a new backup is created, so you should make sure they are copied elsewhere, because you can only have one backup on the system. For Omnibus GitLab packages: ```shell sudo gitlab-backup create SKIP=tar ``` For installations from source: ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:backup:create SKIP=tar RAILS_ENV=production ``` #### Disabling prompts during restore During a restore from backup, the restore script may ask for confirmation before proceeding. If you wish to disable these prompts, you can set the `GITLAB_ASSUME_YES` environment variable to `1`. For Omnibus GitLab packages: ```shell sudo GITLAB_ASSUME_YES=1 gitlab-backup restore ``` For installations from source: ```shell sudo -u git -H GITLAB_ASSUME_YES=1 bundle exec rake gitlab:backup:restore RAILS_ENV=production ``` #### Back up Git repositories concurrently > [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/37158) in GitLab 13.3. When using [multiple repository storages](../administration/repository_storage_paths.md), repositories can be backed up concurrently to help fully use CPU time. The following variables are available to modify the default behavior of the Rake task: - `GITLAB_BACKUP_MAX_CONCURRENCY`: The maximum number of projects to back up at the same time. Defaults to `1`. - `GITLAB_BACKUP_MAX_STORAGE_CONCURRENCY`: The maximum number of projects to back up at the same time on each storage. This allows the repository backups to be spread across storages. Defaults to `1`. For example, for Omnibus GitLab installations with 4 repository storages: ```shell sudo gitlab-backup create GITLAB_BACKUP_MAX_CONCURRENCY=4 GITLAB_BACKUP_MAX_STORAGE_CONCURRENCY=1 ``` For example, for installations from source: ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:backup:create GITLAB_BACKUP_MAX_CONCURRENCY=4 GITLAB_BACKUP_MAX_STORAGE_CONCURRENCY=1 ``` #### Uploading backups to a remote (cloud) storage You can let the backup script upload (using the [Fog library](http://fog.io/)) the `.tar` file it creates. In the following example, we use Amazon S3 for storage, but Fog also lets you use [other storage providers](http://fog.io/storage/). GitLab also [imports cloud drivers](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/da46c9655962df7d49caef0e2b9f6bbe88462a02/Gemfile#L113) for AWS, Google, OpenStack Swift, Rackspace, and Aliyun. A local driver is [also available](#uploading-to-locally-mounted-shares). [Read more about using object storage with GitLab](../administration/object_storage.md). ##### Using Amazon S3 For Omnibus GitLab packages: 1. Add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`: ```ruby gitlab_rails['backup_upload_connection'] = { 'provider' => 'AWS', 'region' => 'eu-west-1', 'aws_access_key_id' => 'AKIAKIAKI', 'aws_secret_access_key' => 'secret123' # If using an IAM Profile, don't configure aws_access_key_id & aws_secret_access_key # 'use_iam_profile' => true } gitlab_rails['backup_upload_remote_directory'] = 'my.s3.bucket' ``` 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect ##### Digital Ocean Spaces This example can be used for a bucket in Amsterdam (AMS3): 1. Add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`: ```ruby gitlab_rails['backup_upload_connection'] = { 'provider' => 'AWS', 'region' => 'ams3', 'aws_access_key_id' => 'AKIAKIAKI', 'aws_secret_access_key' => 'secret123', 'endpoint' => 'https://ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com' } gitlab_rails['backup_upload_remote_directory'] = 'my.s3.bucket' ``` 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect If you see a `400 Bad Request` error message when using Digital Ocean Spaces, the cause may be the use of backup encryption. Because Digital Ocean Spaces doesn't support encryption, remove or comment the line that contains `gitlab_rails['backup_encryption']`. ##### Other S3 Providers Not all S3 providers are fully compatible with the Fog library. For example, if you see a `411 Length Required` error message after attempting to upload, you may need to downgrade the `aws_signature_version` value from the default value to `2`, [due to this issue](https://github.com/fog/fog-aws/issues/428). For installations from source: 1. Edit `home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml`: ```yaml backup: # snip upload: # Fog storage connection settings, see http://fog.io/storage/ . connection: provider: AWS region: eu-west-1 aws_access_key_id: AKIAKIAKI aws_secret_access_key: 'secret123' # If using an IAM Profile, leave aws_access_key_id & aws_secret_access_key empty # ie. aws_access_key_id: '' # use_iam_profile: 'true' # The remote 'directory' to store your backups. For S3, this would be the bucket name. remote_directory: 'my.s3.bucket' # Turns on AWS Server-Side Encryption with Amazon S3-Managed Keys for backups, this is optional # encryption: 'AES256' # Turns on AWS Server-Side Encryption with Amazon Customer-Provided Encryption Keys for backups, this is optional # This should be set to the encryption key for Amazon S3 to use to encrypt or decrypt your data. # 'encryption' must also be set in order for this to have any effect. # To avoid storing the key on disk, the key can also be specified via the `GITLAB_BACKUP_ENCRYPTION_KEY` environment variable. # encryption_key: '' # Specifies Amazon S3 storage class to use for backups, this is optional # storage_class: 'STANDARD' ``` 1. [Restart GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect If you're uploading your backups to S3, you should create a new IAM user with restricted access rights. To give the upload user access only for uploading backups create the following IAM profile, replacing `my.s3.bucket` with the name of your bucket: ```json { "Version": "2012-10-17", "Statement": [ { "Sid": "Stmt1412062044000", "Effect": "Allow", "Action": [ "s3:AbortMultipartUpload", "s3:GetBucketAcl", "s3:GetBucketLocation", "s3:GetObject", "s3:GetObjectAcl", "s3:ListBucketMultipartUploads", "s3:PutObject", "s3:PutObjectAcl" ], "Resource": [ "arn:aws:s3:::my.s3.bucket/*" ] }, { "Sid": "Stmt1412062097000", "Effect": "Allow", "Action": [ "s3:GetBucketLocation", "s3:ListAllMyBuckets" ], "Resource": [ "*" ] }, { "Sid": "Stmt1412062128000", "Effect": "Allow", "Action": [ "s3:ListBucket" ], "Resource": [ "arn:aws:s3:::my.s3.bucket" ] } ] } ``` ##### Using Google Cloud Storage To use Google Cloud Storage to save backups, you must first create an access key from the Google console: 1. Go to the [Google storage settings page](https://console.cloud.google.com/storage/settings). 1. Select **Interoperability**, and then create an access key. 1. Make note of the **Access Key** and **Secret** and replace them in the following configurations. 1. In the buckets advanced settings ensure the Access Control option **Set object-level and bucket-level permissions** is selected. 1. Ensure you have already created a bucket. For Omnibus GitLab packages: 1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`: ```ruby gitlab_rails['backup_upload_connection'] = { 'provider' => 'Google', 'google_storage_access_key_id' => 'Access Key', 'google_storage_secret_access_key' => 'Secret', ## If you have CNAME buckets (foo.example.com), you might run into SSL issues ## when uploading backups ("hostname foo.example.com.storage.googleapis.com ## does not match the server certificate"). In that case, uncomnent the following ## setting. See: https://github.com/fog/fog/issues/2834 #'path_style' => true } gitlab_rails['backup_upload_remote_directory'] = 'my.google.bucket' ``` 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect For installations from source: 1. Edit `home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml`: ```yaml backup: upload: connection: provider: 'Google' google_storage_access_key_id: 'Access Key' google_storage_secret_access_key: 'Secret' remote_directory: 'my.google.bucket' ``` 1. [Restart GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect ##### Using Azure Blob storage > [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/25877) in GitLab 13.4. For Omnibus GitLab packages: 1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`: ```ruby gitlab_rails['backup_upload_connection'] = { 'provider' => 'AzureRM', 'azure_storage_account_name' => '', 'azure_storage_access_key' => '', 'azure_storage_domain' => 'blob.core.windows.net', # Optional } gitlab_rails['backup_upload_remote_directory'] = '' ``` 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect For installations from source: 1. Edit `home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml`: ```yaml backup: upload: connection: provider: 'AzureRM' azure_storage_account_name: '' azure_storage_access_key: '' remote_directory: '' ``` 1. [Restart GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect For more details, see the [table of Azure parameters](../administration/object_storage.md#azure-blob-storage). ##### Specifying a custom directory for backups This option works only for remote storage. If you want to group your backups, you can pass a `DIRECTORY` environment variable: ```shell sudo gitlab-backup create DIRECTORY=daily sudo gitlab-backup create DIRECTORY=weekly ``` Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create` instead. #### Uploading to locally mounted shares You may also send backups to a mounted share (for example, `NFS`,`CIFS`, or `SMB`) by using the Fog [`Local`](https://github.com/fog/fog-local#usage) storage provider. The directory pointed to by the `local_root` key _must_ be owned by the `git` user _when mounted_ (mounting with the `uid=` of the `git` user for `CIFS` and `SMB`) or the user that you are executing the backup tasks as (for Omnibus packages, this is the `git` user). The `backup_upload_remote_directory` _must_ be set in addition to the `local_root` key. This is the sub directory inside the mounted directory that backups are copied to, and is created if it does not exist. If the directory that you want to copy the tarballs to is the root of your mounted directory, use `.` instead. Because file system performance may affect overall GitLab performance, [GitLab doesn't recommend using cloud-based file systems for storage](../administration/nfs.md#avoid-using-cloud-based-file-systems). For Omnibus GitLab packages: 1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`: ```ruby gitlab_rails['backup_upload_connection'] = { :provider => 'Local', :local_root => '/mnt/backups' } # The directory inside the mounted folder to copy backups to # Use '.' to store them in the root directory gitlab_rails['backup_upload_remote_directory'] = 'gitlab_backups' ``` 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect. For installations from source: 1. Edit `home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml`: ```yaml backup: upload: # Fog storage connection settings, see http://fog.io/storage/ . connection: provider: Local local_root: '/mnt/backups' # The directory inside the mounted folder to copy backups to # Use '.' to store them in the root directory remote_directory: 'gitlab_backups' ``` 1. [Restart GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect. #### Backup archive permissions The backup archives created by GitLab (`1393513186_2014_02_27_gitlab_backup.tar`) have the owner/group `git`/`git` and 0600 permissions by default. This is meant to avoid other system users reading GitLab data. If you need the backup archives to have different permissions, you can use the `archive_permissions` setting. For Omnibus GitLab packages: 1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`: ```ruby gitlab_rails['backup_archive_permissions'] = 0644 # Makes the backup archives world-readable ``` 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect. For installations from source: 1. Edit `/home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml`: ```yaml backup: archive_permissions: 0644 # Makes the backup archives world-readable ``` 1. [Restart GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect. #### Configuring cron to make daily backups WARNING: The following cron jobs do not [backup your GitLab configuration files](#storing-configuration-files) or [SSH host keys](https://superuser.com/questions/532040/copy-ssh-keys-from-one-server-to-another-server/532079#532079). You can schedule a cron job that backs up your repositories and GitLab metadata. For Omnibus GitLab packages: 1. Edit the crontab for the `root` user: ```shell sudo su - crontab -e ``` 1. There, add the following line to schedule the backup for everyday at 2 AM: ```plaintext 0 2 * * * /opt/gitlab/bin/gitlab-backup create CRON=1 ``` Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create` instead. For installations from source: 1. Edit the crontab for the `git` user: ```shell sudo -u git crontab -e ``` 1. Add the following lines at the bottom: ```plaintext # Create a full backup of the GitLab repositories and SQL database every day at 2am 0 2 * * * cd /home/git/gitlab && PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin bundle exec rake gitlab:backup:create RAILS_ENV=production CRON=1 ``` The `CRON=1` environment setting directs the backup script to hide all progress output if there aren't any errors. This is recommended to reduce cron spam. ### Limit backup lifetime for local files (prune old backups) WARNING: The process described in this section don't work if you used a [custom filename](#backup-filename) for your backups. To prevent regular backups from using all your disk space, you may want to set a limited lifetime for backups. The next time the backup task runs, backups older than the `backup_keep_time` are pruned. This configuration option manages only local files. GitLab doesn't prune old files stored in a third-party [object storage](#uploading-backups-to-a-remote-cloud-storage) because the user may not have permission to list and delete files. It's recommended that you configure the appropriate retention policy for your object storage (for example, [AWS S3](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/user-guide/create-lifecycle.html)). For Omnibus GitLab packages: 1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`: ```ruby ## Limit backup lifetime to 7 days - 604800 seconds gitlab_rails['backup_keep_time'] = 604800 ``` 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect. For installations from source: 1. Edit `/home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml`: ```yaml backup: ## Limit backup lifetime to 7 days - 604800 seconds keep_time: 604800 ``` 1. [Restart GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect. ## Restore GitLab GitLab provides a command line interface to restore your entire installation, and is flexible enough to fit your needs. The [restore prerequisites section](#restore-prerequisites) includes crucial information. Be sure to read and test the complete restore process at least once before attempting to perform it in a production environment. You can restore a backup only to _the exact same version and type (CE/EE)_ of GitLab that you created it on (for example CE 9.1.0). If your backup is a different version than the current installation, you must [downgrade your GitLab installation](https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/update/README.html#downgrade) before restoring the backup. ### Restore prerequisites You need to have a working GitLab installation before you can perform a restore. This is because the system user performing the restore actions (`git`) is usually not allowed to create or delete the SQL database needed to import data into (`gitlabhq_production`). All existing data is either erased (SQL) or moved to a separate directory (such as repositories and uploads). To restore a backup, you must restore `/etc/gitlab/gitlab-secrets.json` (for Omnibus packages) or `/home/git/gitlab/.secret` (for installations from source). This file contains the database encryption key, [CI/CD variables](../ci/variables/index.md), and variables used for [two-factor authentication](../user/profile/account/two_factor_authentication.md). If you fail to restore this encryption key file along with the application data backup, users with two-factor authentication enabled and GitLab Runner loses access to your GitLab server. You may also want to restore any TLS keys, certificates, or [SSH host keys](https://superuser.com/questions/532040/copy-ssh-keys-from-one-server-to-another-server/532079#532079). Starting with GitLab 12.9, if an untarred backup (like the ones made with `SKIP=tar`) is found, and no backup is chosen with `BACKUP=`, the untarred backup is used. Depending on your case, you might want to run the restore command with one or more of the following options: - `BACKUP=timestamp_of_backup`: Required if more than one backup exists. Read what the [backup timestamp is about](#backup-timestamp). - `force=yes`: Doesn't ask if the authorized_keys file should get regenerated, and assumes 'yes' for warning about database tables being removed, enabling the "Write to authorized_keys file" setting, and updating LDAP providers. If you're restoring into directories that are mount points, you must ensure these directories are empty before attempting a restore. Otherwise, GitLab attempts to move these directories before restoring the new data, which causes an error. Read more about [configuring NFS mounts](../administration/nfs.md) ### Restore for Omnibus GitLab installations This procedure assumes that: - You have installed the **exact same version and type (CE/EE)** of GitLab Omnibus with which the backup was created. - You have run `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure` at least once. - GitLab is running. If not, start it using `sudo gitlab-ctl start`. First ensure your backup tar file is in the backup directory described in the `gitlab.rb` configuration `gitlab_rails['backup_path']`. The default is `/var/opt/gitlab/backups`. It needs to be owned by the `git` user. ```shell sudo cp 11493107454_2018_04_25_10.6.4-ce_gitlab_backup.tar /var/opt/gitlab/backups/ sudo chown git.git /var/opt/gitlab/backups/11493107454_2018_04_25_10.6.4-ce_gitlab_backup.tar ``` Stop the processes that are connected to the database. Leave the rest of GitLab running: ```shell sudo gitlab-ctl stop puma sudo gitlab-ctl stop sidekiq # Verify sudo gitlab-ctl status ``` Next, restore the backup, specifying the timestamp of the backup you wish to restore: ```shell # This command will overwrite the contents of your GitLab database! sudo gitlab-backup restore BACKUP=11493107454_2018_04_25_10.6.4-ce ``` Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:restore` instead. WARNING: `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:restore` doesn't set the correct file system permissions on your Registry directory. This is a [known issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/issues/62759). In GitLab 12.2 or later, you can use `gitlab-backup restore` to avoid this issue. If there's a GitLab version mismatch between your backup tar file and the installed version of GitLab, the restore command aborts with an error message. Install the [correct GitLab version](https://packages.gitlab.com/gitlab/), and then try again. WARNING: The restore command requires [additional parameters](#backup-and-restore-for-installations-using-pgbouncer) when your installation is using PgBouncer, for either performance reasons or when using it with a Patroni cluster. Next, restore `/etc/gitlab/gitlab-secrets.json` if necessary, [as previously mentioned](#restore-prerequisites). Reconfigure, restart and check GitLab: ```shell sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure sudo gitlab-ctl restart sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:check SANITIZE=true ``` In GitLab 13.1 and later, check [database values can be decrypted](../administration/raketasks/doctor.md) especially if `/etc/gitlab/gitlab-secrets.json` was restored, or if a different server is the target for the restore. ```shell sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:doctor:secrets ``` ### Restore for Docker image and GitLab Helm chart installations For GitLab installations using the Docker image or the GitLab Helm chart on a Kubernetes cluster, the restore task expects the restore directories to be empty. However, with Docker and Kubernetes volume mounts, some system level directories may be created at the volume roots, such as the `lost+found` directory found in Linux operating systems. These directories are usually owned by `root`, which can cause access permission errors since the restore Rake task runs as the `git` user. To restore a GitLab installation, users have to confirm the restore target directories are empty. For both these installation types, the backup tarball has to be available in the backup location (default location is `/var/opt/gitlab/backups`). For Docker installations, the restore task can be run from host: ```shell # Stop the processes that are connected to the database docker exec -it gitlab-ctl stop puma docker exec -it gitlab-ctl stop sidekiq # Verify that the processes are all down before continuing docker exec -it gitlab-ctl status # Run the restore docker exec -it gitlab-backup restore BACKUP=11493107454_2018_04_25_10.6.4-ce # Restart the GitLab container docker restart # Check GitLab docker exec -it gitlab-rake gitlab:check SANITIZE=true ``` Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create` instead. WARNING: `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:restore` doesn't set the correct file system permissions on your Registry directory. This is a [known issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/issues/62759). In GitLab 12.2 or later, you can use `gitlab-backup restore` to avoid this issue. The GitLab Helm chart uses a different process, documented in [restoring a GitLab Helm chart installation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/charts/gitlab/blob/master/doc/backup-restore/restore.md). ### Restore for installation from source First, ensure your backup tar file is in the backup directory described in the `gitlab.yml` configuration: ```yaml ## Backup settings backup: path: "tmp/backups" # Relative paths are relative to Rails.root (default: tmp/backups/) ``` The default is `/home/git/gitlab/tmp/backups`, and it needs to be owned by the `git` user. Now, you can begin the backup procedure: ```shell # Stop processes that are connected to the database sudo service gitlab stop sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:backup:restore RAILS_ENV=production ``` Example output: ```plaintext Unpacking backup... [DONE] Restoring database tables: -- create_table("events", {:force=>true}) -> 0.2231s [...] - Loading fixture events...[DONE] - Loading fixture issues...[DONE] - Loading fixture keys...[SKIPPING] - Loading fixture merge_requests...[DONE] - Loading fixture milestones...[DONE] - Loading fixture namespaces...[DONE] - Loading fixture notes...[DONE] - Loading fixture projects...[DONE] - Loading fixture protected_branches...[SKIPPING] - Loading fixture schema_migrations...[DONE] - Loading fixture services...[SKIPPING] - Loading fixture snippets...[SKIPPING] - Loading fixture taggings...[SKIPPING] - Loading fixture tags...[SKIPPING] - Loading fixture users...[DONE] - Loading fixture users_projects...[DONE] - Loading fixture web_hooks...[SKIPPING] - Loading fixture wikis...[SKIPPING] Restoring repositories: - Restoring repository abcd... [DONE] - Object pool 1 ... Deleting tmp directories...[DONE] ``` Next, restore `/home/git/gitlab/.secret` if necessary, [as previously mentioned](#restore-prerequisites). Restart GitLab: ```shell sudo service gitlab restart ``` ### Restoring only one or a few projects or groups from a backup Although the Rake task used to restore a GitLab instance doesn't support restoring a single project or group, you can use a workaround by restoring your backup to a separate, temporary GitLab instance, and then export your project or group from there: 1. [Install a new GitLab](../install/index.md) instance at the same version as the backed-up instance from which you want to restore. 1. [Restore the backup](#restore-gitlab) into this new instance, then export your [project](../user/project/settings/import_export.md) or [group](../user/group/settings/import_export.md). Be sure to read the **Important Notes** on either export feature's documentation to understand what is and isn't exported. 1. After the export is complete, go to the old instance and then import it. 1. After importing the projects or groups that you wanted is complete, you may delete the new, temporary GitLab instance. A feature request to provide direct restore of individual projects or groups is being discussed in [issue #17517](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/17517). ## Alternative backup strategies If your GitLab instance contains a lot of Git repository data, you may find the GitLab backup script to be too slow. If your GitLab instance has a lot of forked projects, the regular backup task also duplicates the Git data for all of them. In these cases, consider using file system snapshots as part of your backup strategy. Example: Amazon EBS > A GitLab server using Omnibus GitLab hosted on Amazon AWS. > An EBS drive containing an ext4 file system is mounted at `/var/opt/gitlab`. > In this case you could make an application backup by taking an EBS snapshot. > The backup includes all repositories, uploads and PostgreSQL data. Example: LVM snapshots + rsync > A GitLab server using Omnibus GitLab, with an LVM logical volume mounted at `/var/opt/gitlab`. > Replicating the `/var/opt/gitlab` directory using rsync would not be reliable because too many files would change while rsync is running. > Instead of rsync-ing `/var/opt/gitlab`, we create a temporary LVM snapshot, which we mount as a read-only file system at `/mnt/gitlab_backup`. > Now we can have a longer running rsync job which creates a consistent replica on the remote server. > The replica includes all repositories, uploads and PostgreSQL data. If you're running GitLab on a virtualized server, you can possibly also create VM snapshots of the entire GitLab server. It's not uncommon however for a VM snapshot to require you to power down the server, which limits this solution's practical use. ### Back up repository data separately First, ensure you back up existing GitLab data while [skipping repositories](#excluding-specific-directories-from-the-backup): ```shell # for Omnibus GitLab package installations sudo gitlab-backup create SKIP=repositories # for installations from source: sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:backup:create SKIP=repositories RAILS_ENV=production ``` For manually backing up the Git repository data on disk, there are multiple possible strategies: - Use snapshots, such as the previous examples of Amazon EBS drive snapshots, or LVM snapshots + rsync. - Use [GitLab Geo](../administration/geo/index.md) and rely on the repository data on a Geo secondary site. - [Prevent writes and copy the Git repository data](#prevent-writes-and-copy-the-git-repository-data). - [Create an online backup by marking repositories as read-only (experimental)](#online-backup-through-marking-repositories-as-read-only-experimental). #### Prevent writes and copy the Git repository data Git repositories must be copied in a consistent way. They should not be copied during concurrent write operations, as this can lead to inconsistencies or corruption issues. For more details, [issue 270422](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/270422 "Provide documentation on preferred method of migrating Gitaly servers") has a longer discussion explaining the potential problems. To prevent writes to the Git repository data, there are two possible approaches: - Use [maintenance mode](../administration/maintenance_mode/index.md) to place GitLab in a read-only state. - Create explicit downtime by stopping all Gitaly services before backing up the repositories: ```shell sudo gitlab-ctl stop gitaly # execute git data copy step sudo gitlab-ctl start gitaly ``` You can copy Git repository data using any method, as long as writes are prevented on the data being copied (to prevent inconsistencies and corruption issues). In order of preference and safety, the recommended methods are: 1. Use `rsync` with archive-mode, delete, and checksum options, for example: ```shell rsync -aR --delete --checksum source destination # be extra safe with the order as it will delete existing data if inverted ``` 1. Use a [`tar` pipe to copy the entire repository's directory to another server or location](../administration/operations/moving_repositories.md#tar-pipe-to-another-server). 1. Use `sftp`, `scp`, `cp`, or any other copying method. #### Online backup through marking repositories as read-only (experimental) One way of backing up repositories without requiring instance-wide downtime is to programmatically mark projects as read-only while copying the underlying data. There are a few possible downsides to this: - Repositories are read-only for a period of time that scales with the size of the repository. - Backups take a longer time to complete due to marking each project as read-only, potentially leading to inconsistencies. For example, a possible date discrepancy between the last data available for the first project that gets backed up compared to the last project that gets backed up. - Fork networks should be entirely read-only while the projects inside get backed up to prevent potential changes to the pool repository. There is an **experimental** script that attempts to automate this process in [Snippet 2149205](https://gitlab.com/-/snippets/2149205). ## Backup and restore for installations using PgBouncer Do NOT backup or restore GitLab through a PgBouncer connection. These tasks must [bypass PgBouncer and connect directly to the PostgreSQL primary database node](#bypassing-pgbouncer), or they cause a GitLab outage. When the GitLab backup or restore task is used with PgBouncer, the following error message is shown: ```ruby ActiveRecord::StatementInvalid: PG::UndefinedTable ``` Each time the GitLab backup runs, GitLab will start generating 500 errors and errors about missing tables will [be logged by PostgreSQL](../administration/logs.md#postgresql-logs): ```plaintext ERROR: relation "tablename" does not exist at character 123 ``` This happens because the task uses `pg_dump`, which [sets a null search path and explicitly includes the schema in every SQL query](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/23211) to address [CVE-2018-1058](https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/postgresql-103-968-9512-9417-and-9322-released-1834/). Since connections are reused with PgBouncer in transaction pooling mode, PostgreSQL fails to search the default `public` schema. As a result, this clearing of the search path causes tables and columns to appear missing. ### Bypassing PgBouncer There are two ways to fix this: 1. [Use environment variables to override the database settings](#environment-variable-overrides) for the backup task. 1. Reconfigure a node to [connect directly to the PostgreSQL primary database node](../administration/postgresql/pgbouncer.md#procedure-for-bypassing-pgbouncer). #### Environment variable overrides By default, GitLab uses the database configuration stored in a configuration file (`database.yml`). However, you can override the database settings for the backup and restore task by setting environment variables that are prefixed with `GITLAB_BACKUP_`: - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGHOST` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGUSER` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGPORT` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGPASSWORD` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGSSLMODE` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGSSLKEY` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGSSLCERT` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGSSLROOTCERT` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGSSLCRL` - `GITLAB_BACKUP_PGSSLCOMPRESSION` For example, to override the database host and port to use 192.168.1.10 and port 5432 with the Omnibus package: ```shell sudo GITLAB_BACKUP_PGHOST=192.168.1.10 GITLAB_BACKUP_PGPORT=5432 /opt/gitlab/bin/gitlab-backup create ``` See the [PostgreSQL documentation](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/libpq-envars.html) for more details on what these parameters do. ## Additional notes This documentation is for GitLab Community and Enterprise Edition. We back up GitLab.com and ensure your data is secure. You can't, however, use these methods to export or back up your data yourself from GitLab.com. Issues are stored in the database, and can't be stored in Git itself. To migrate your repositories from one server to another with an up-to-date version of GitLab, use the [import Rake task](import.md) to do a mass import of the repository. If you do an import Rake task rather than a backup restore, you get all of your repositories, but no other data. ## Troubleshooting The following are possible problems you might encounter, along with potential solutions. ### Restoring database backup using Omnibus packages outputs warnings If you're using backup restore procedures, you may encounter the following warning messages: ```plaintext psql:/var/opt/gitlab/backups/db/database.sql:22: ERROR: must be owner of extension plpgsql psql:/var/opt/gitlab/backups/db/database.sql:2931: WARNING: no privileges could be revoked for "public" (two occurrences) psql:/var/opt/gitlab/backups/db/database.sql:2933: WARNING: no privileges were granted for "public" (two occurrences) ``` Be advised that the backup is successfully restored in spite of these warning messages. The Rake task runs this as the `gitlab` user, which doesn't have superuser access to the database. When restore is initiated, it also runs as the `gitlab` user, but it also tries to alter the objects it doesn't have access to. Those objects have no influence on the database backup or restore, but display a warning message. For more information, see: - PostgreSQL issue tracker: - [Not being a superuser](https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/201110220712.30886.adrian.klaver@gmail.com). - [Having different owners](https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/2039.1177339749@sss.pgh.pa.us). - Stack Overflow: [Resulting errors](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4368789/error-must-be-owner-of-language-plpgsql). ### When the secrets file is lost If you didn't [back up the secrets file](#storing-configuration-files), you must complete several steps to get GitLab working properly again. The secrets file is responsible for storing the encryption key for the columns that contain required, sensitive information. If the key is lost, GitLab can't decrypt those columns, preventing access to the following items: - [CI/CD variables](../ci/variables/index.md) - [Kubernetes / GCP integration](../user/project/clusters/index.md) - [Custom Pages domains](../user/project/pages/custom_domains_ssl_tls_certification/index.md) - [Project error tracking](../operations/error_tracking.md) - [Runner authentication](../ci/runners/index.md) - [Project mirroring](../user/project/repository/repository_mirroring.md) - [Web hooks](../user/project/integrations/webhooks.md) In cases like CI/CD variables and runner authentication, you can experience unexpected behaviors, such as: - Stuck jobs. - 500 errors. In this case, you must reset all the tokens for CI/CD variables and runner authentication, which is described in more detail in the following sections. After resetting the tokens, you should be able to visit your project and the jobs begin running again. Use the information in the following sections at your own risk. #### Verify that all values can be decrypted You can determine if your database contains values that can't be decrypted by using the [Secrets Doctor Rake task](../administration/raketasks/doctor.md). #### Take a backup You must directly modify GitLab data to work around your lost secrets file. WARNING: Be sure to create a full database backup before attempting any changes. #### Disable user two-factor authentication (2FA) Users with 2FA enabled can't sign in to GitLab. In that case, you must [disable 2FA for everyone](../security/two_factor_authentication.md#disabling-2fa-for-everyone), after which users must reactivate 2FA. #### Reset CI/CD variables 1. Enter the database console: For Omnibus GitLab packages: ```shell sudo gitlab-rails dbconsole ``` For installations from source: ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rails dbconsole -e production ``` 1. Examine the `ci_group_variables` and `ci_variables` tables: ```sql SELECT * FROM public."ci_group_variables"; SELECT * FROM public."ci_variables"; ``` These are the variables that you need to delete. 1. Drop the table: ```sql DELETE FROM ci_group_variables; DELETE FROM ci_variables; ``` You may need to reconfigure or restart GitLab for the changes to take effect. #### Reset runner registration tokens 1. Enter the database console: For Omnibus GitLab packages: ```shell sudo gitlab-rails dbconsole ``` For installations from source: ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rails dbconsole -e production ``` 1. Clear all tokens for projects, groups, and the entire instance: WARNING: The final `UPDATE` operation stops the runners from being able to pick up new jobs. You must register new runners. ```sql -- Clear project tokens UPDATE projects SET runners_token = null, runners_token_encrypted = null; -- Clear group tokens UPDATE namespaces SET runners_token = null, runners_token_encrypted = null; -- Clear instance tokens UPDATE application_settings SET runners_registration_token_encrypted = null; -- Clear key used for JWT authentication -- This may break the $CI_JWT_TOKEN job variable: -- https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/325965 UPDATE application_settings SET encrypted_ci_jwt_signing_key = null; -- Clear runner tokens UPDATE ci_runners SET token = null, token_encrypted = null; ``` #### Reset pending pipeline jobs 1. Enter the database console: For Omnibus GitLab packages: ```shell sudo gitlab-rails dbconsole ``` For installations from source: ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rails dbconsole -e production ``` 1. Clear all the tokens for pending jobs: ```sql -- Clear build tokens UPDATE ci_builds SET token = null, token_encrypted = null; ``` A similar strategy can be employed for the remaining features. By removing the data that can't be decrypted, GitLab can be returned to operation, and the lost data can be manually replaced. #### Fix project integrations If you've lost your secrets, the [projects' integrations settings pages](../user/project/integrations/index.md) are probably displaying `500` error messages. The fix is to truncate the `web_hooks` table: 1. Enter the database console: For Omnibus GitLab packages: ```shell sudo gitlab-rails dbconsole ``` For installations from source: ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rails dbconsole -e production ``` 1. Truncate the table: ```sql -- truncate web_hooks table TRUNCATE web_hooks CASCADE; ``` ### Container Registry push failures after restoring from a backup If you use the [Container Registry](../user/packages/container_registry/index.md), pushes to the registry may fail after restoring your backup on an Omnibus GitLab instance after restoring the registry data. These failures mention permission issues in the registry logs, similar to: ```plaintext level=error msg="response completed with error" err.code=unknown err.detail="filesystem: mkdir /var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/shared/registry/docker/registry/v2/repositories/...: permission denied" err.message="unknown error" ``` This issue is caused by the restore running as the unprivileged user `git`, which is unable to assign the correct ownership to the registry files during the restore process ([issue 62759](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/issues/62759 "Incorrect permissions on registry filesystem after restore")). To get your registry working again: ```shell sudo chown -R registry:registry /var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/shared/registry/docker ``` If you changed the default file system location for the registry, run `chown` against your custom location, instead of `/var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/shared/registry/docker`. ### Backup fails to complete with Gzip error When running the backup, you may receive a Gzip error message: ```shell sudo /opt/gitlab/bin/gitlab-backup create ... Dumping ... ... gzip: stdout: Input/output error Backup failed ``` If this happens, examine the following: - Confirm there is sufficient disk space for the Gzip operation. - If NFS is being used, check if the mount option `timeout` is set. The default is `600`, and changing this to smaller values results in this error. ### `gitaly-backup` for repository backup and restore **(FREE SELF)** > - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/333034) in GitLab 14.2. > - [Deployed behind a feature flag](../user/feature_flags.md), enabled by default. > - Recommended for production use. > - For GitLab self-managed instances, GitLab administrators can opt to [disable it](#disable-or-enable-gitaly-backup). There can be [risks when disabling released features](../administration/feature_flags.md#risks-when-disabling-released-features). Refer to this feature's version history for more details. `gitaly-backup` is used by the backup Rake task to create and restore repository backups from Gitaly. `gitaly-backup` replaces the previous backup method that directly calls RPCs on Gitaly from GitLab. The backup Rake task must be able to find this executable. It can be configured in Omnibus GitLab packages: 1. Add the following to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`: ```ruby gitlab_rails['backup_gitaly_backup_path'] = '/path/to/gitaly-backup' ``` 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect #### Disable or enable `gitaly-backup` `gitaly-backup` is under development but ready for production use. It is deployed behind a feature flag that is **enabled by default**. [GitLab administrators with access to the GitLab Rails console](../administration/feature_flags.md) can opt to disable it. To disable it: ```ruby Feature.disable(:gitaly_backup) ``` To enable it: ```ruby Feature.enable(:gitaly_backup) ```