# Back up and restore GitLab **(CORE ONLY)**

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.

CAUTION: **Warning:**
GitLab won't back up items that aren't stored in the filesystem. 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 will be saved in `backup_path`, which is specified in the
`config/gitlab.yml` file. The filename will be `[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

CAUTION: **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).

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 <container name> gitlab-backup create
  ```

- GitLab 12.1 and earlier:

  ```shell
  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 <gitlab task-runner pod> 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 won't
be 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 Unicorn/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.

CAUTION: **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 will cause 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 will take 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

CAUTION: **Warning:**
If you use a custom backup filename, you will not be able to
[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 will then be `dump_gitlab_backup.tar`. This is useful for
systems that make use of rsync and incremental backups, and will result in
considerably faster transfer speeds.

#### Rsyncable

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 choose what should be exempt from the backup by adding the environment
variable `SKIP`. The available options are:

- `db` (database)
- `uploads` (attachments)
- `repositories` (Git repositories data)
- `builds` (CI job output logs)
- `artifacts` (CI job artifacts)
- `lfs` (LFS objects)
- `registry` (Container Registry images)
- `pages` (Pages content)

Use a comma to specify several options at the same time:

All wikis will be backed up as part of the `repositories` group. Non-existent
wikis will be 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 will be
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.

Repositories can be backed up concurrently to help fully utilize 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:

```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/30f5b9a5b711b46f1065baf755e413ceced5646b/Gemfile#L88)
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: '<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'll probably want to 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 ACCOUNT NAME>',
    'azure_storage_access_key' => '<AZURE STORAGE ACCESS KEY>',
    'azure_storage_domain' => 'blob.core.windows.net', # Optional
   }
   gitlab_rails['backup_upload_remote_directory'] = '<AZURE BLOB CONTAINER>'
   ```

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 ACCOUNT NAME>'
           azure_storage_access_key: '<AZURE STORAGE ACCESS KEY>'
         remote_directory: '<AZURE BLOB CONTAINER>'
   ```

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 will be copied to, and will be 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 GitLab's overall performance,
[GitLab doesn't recommend using EFS for storage](../administration/nfs.md#avoid-using-awss-elastic-file-system-efs).

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`)
will have owner/group `git`/`git` and 0600 permissions by default. This is
meant to avoid other system users reading GitLab's 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

CAUTION: **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)

CAUTION: **Warning:**
The process described in this section will not 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'll
need to [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 will be either erased
(SQL) or moved to a separate directory (such as repositories and uploads).

To restore a backup, you'll also need to 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/README.md#gitlab-cicd-environment-variables), 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 will
lose 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=<timestamp>`, 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 that database tables will be 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 installation from source

```shell
# Stop processes that are connected to the database
sudo service gitlab stop

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.

Restart GitLab:

```shell
sudo service gitlab restart
```

### 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 unicorn
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:create` instead.

CAUTION: **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).
On GitLab 12.2 or later, you can use `gitlab-backup restore` to avoid this
issue.

Next, restore `/etc/gitlab/gitlab-secrets.json` if necessary, as previously
mentioned.

Reconfigure, restart and check GitLab:

```shell
sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
sudo gitlab-ctl restart
sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:check SANITIZE=true
```

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.

There is a [known issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/omnibus-gitlab/-/issues/3470)
for restore not working with `pgbouncer`. To work around the issue, the Rails
node must bypass `pgbouncer` and connect directly to the primary
database node. You can do this by setting `gitlab_rails['db_host']` and
`gitlab_rails['port']` to connect to the primary database node and
[reconfiguring GitLab](../administration/restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure).

### 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 <name of container> gitlab-ctl stop unicorn
docker exec -it <name of container> gitlab-ctl stop puma
docker exec -it <name of container> gitlab-ctl stop sidekiq

# Verify that the processes are all down before continuing
docker exec -it <name of container> gitlab-ctl status

# Run the restore
docker exec -it <name of container> gitlab-backup restore BACKUP=11493107454_2018_04_25_10.6.4-ce

# Restart the GitLab container
docker restart <name of container>

# Check GitLab
docker exec -it <name of container> gitlab-rake gitlab:check SANITIZE=true
```

Users of GitLab 12.1 and earlier should use the command `gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create` instead.

CAUTION: **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).
On 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).

### Restoring only one or a few project(s) or group(s) 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/README.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 server contains a lot of Git repository data, you may find the
GitLab backup script to be too slow. In this case you can consider using
filesystem 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 filesystem 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 filesystem at `/mnt/gitlab_backup`.
> Now we can have a longer running rsync job which will create 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.

## 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/README.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/README.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 will have started running again.

Use the information in the following sections at your own risk.

#### Check for undecryptable values

You can determine if you have undecryptable values in the database 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.

CAUTION: **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:

   CAUTION: **Caution:**
   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 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 filesystem 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.
