Database Backup

* Scheduling Guide

Database backup schedules are among the most critical cron jobs in any production system. The schedule frequency should match your recovery point objective (RPO) — how much data you can afford to lose. Most databases recommend at least a daily full backup with more frequent transaction log or incremental backups in between. Backups should run during the lowest-traffic window to minimise lock contention, and the job should verify the backup by checking file size and running a test restore periodically. Store backups off-site or in a separate cloud region from the primary database; a backup on the same server is lost in a disk failure. Retention policies — how long to keep each backup — should be encoded in the cleanup job that runs after the backup completes.