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Create a snapshot of your database you can download, archive, or restore from. Hiveku also runs automatic backups in the background — manual backups are for extra peace of mind before risky migrations or as a compliance record.

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Where to Find Backups

In your project, go to Database > Backups tab. You’ll see a list of existing backups with ID, branch, description, table count, row count, size, and creation date.

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Create a Backup

1

Open the Backups tab

Go to Database > Backups.
2

Click + Create Backup

A form opens for the new backup.
3

Choose the branch

Most projects have at least two database branches:
  • main — production schema and data
  • dev — staging or development
Pick the branch whose data you want to snapshot.
4

Add a description

Optional but recommended. A short note like “before adding users.stripe_customer_id” helps you find the right backup months later.
5

Click Create

The backup runs in the background. Small databases finish in seconds; larger ones can take several minutes.
6

Wait for completion

The new backup appears in the list once done, with row count and size filled in.

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What Gets Backed Up

A Hiveku backup is a full SQL dump of the selected branch:
  • All tables (schema)
  • All rows (data)
  • Indexes, constraints, and relations
  • Stored functions and views
Roles and extension state are not included — those are managed at the project level.

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Download a Backup

1

Find the backup in the list

Backups are sorted newest first.
2

Click Download

You get a .sql file containing the full dump. The download link is signed and short-lived — if it expires, click download again.
3

Store it safely

Backups may contain PII, auth tokens, or other sensitive fields. Store downloaded backups encrypted, and limit access.
Backup files often contain user data. Treat them like production secrets — don’t leave them in Downloads, don’t email them, and delete them when you no longer need them.

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Delete a Backup

Click the trash icon next to any backup and confirm. Deletion is immediate and irreversible.

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Automatic Backups

Hiveku runs automatic backups on a regular schedule regardless of your manual backups. Retention depends on your plan. See the backups reference for schedule and retention details. Manual backups are useful when:
  • You’re about to run a migration and want a rollback point
  • You need a compliance snapshot with a known description
  • You want a dated archive you control

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Restoring a Backup

Hiveku doesn’t have a one-click restore button in the dashboard today. Your two options:
Restoring replaces current data. Always create a fresh backup of your current state before restoring, in case you want to undo. Ask AI to do this for you — it’s easy to forget.

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Storage & Retention

Backups are stored in S3 with encryption at rest. Retention is determined by your plan — see Database > Backups settings for your project’s retention policy and storage usage.

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Verify a Backup

1

Download the .sql file

Use the Download button.
2

Open it and scan

The file starts with CREATE TABLE statements, then INSERT statements for data. Confirm all your expected tables are listed.
3

Spot-check row counts

For a key table (e.g., users), count INSERT lines (grep -c "INSERT INTO users" backup.sql) and compare to the row count shown in the Backups tab.

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Troubleshooting

Usually means the database is very large and timed out during dump. Contact support — they can run a custom backup with extended timeouts or incremental snapshots.
Ask AI in your project: “Restore the database from backup ID X.” For time-sensitive production restores, contact support — they can do emergency restores and handle complex cases (cross-branch, partial recovery).
Usually one or two tables with jsonb or bytea columns storing large blobs. Check table sizes in the SQL editor:
SELECT
  relname AS table_name,
  pg_size_pretty(pg_total_relation_size(relid)) AS total_size
FROM pg_catalog.pg_statio_user_tables
ORDER BY pg_total_relation_size(relid) DESC
LIMIT 10;
Consider moving large blobs to object storage and keeping only references in the database.
Expected — main and dev branches diverge as you test. Back up each branch separately if you want snapshots of both.

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What’s Next?

Set Up Your Database

Create tables and relationships

Backups Reference

Automatic schedules and retention policies