# Back up and restore a database

Use the Backups dialog to save a recovery point, download a copy, and restore when you need to.

Audience: Hosted & self-hosted. Reviewed: 2026-09-29.
Web version: https://www.forgevps.com/docs/backups

## Open the Backups dialog

Go to Databases and choose Backups beside a managed database. The dialog shows the backups available for that database, along with its nightly-backup setting and how many backups to keep.

Application database backups and self-hosted panel recovery are different things. This page covers the data in the application database you selected. It does not back up your project files, uploads, or the whole VPS.

## Take a backup now

1. Open Backups for the database you want to protect.
2. Use the action to take a backup now. This is useful before a data import or a change to your tables.
3. Wait for the operation to finish, then check that the new backup appears in the list.
4. Download it if you need a copy outside this machine.

A backup in the list is stored on the VPS. Downloading a copy gives you a way to recover if the VPS or its disk becomes unavailable. Keep that download somewhere appropriate for the data it contains.

## Set up nightly backups

1. In the same dialog, enable Back up nightly at 03:30 if you want scheduled backups.
2. Choose the number of backups to retain with Keep.
3. Return after the next scheduled run to confirm a new backup has actually appeared.

The scheduled job runs on the machine, so its clock and timezone matter. Retention controls how much backup history remains, and backups consume disk space. Increasing Keep does not create older backups that were never taken.

## Restore a saved backup

1. First confirm that you have selected the intended database and backup date.
2. If the current data may still be needed, take and download a new backup before restoring.
3. Select Restore beside the backup and read the confirmation.
4. Confirm only when you are ready to replace the database’s current tables with the saved version.
5. After restoration finishes, open representative tables and check the application.

Restoring replaces the current database contents with that backup. Changes written after the backup are lost. Coordinate with applications writing to the database so the result is not immediately changed while you are checking it.

## If there is no backup to restore

An empty list means there is no backup listed for that database yet. Turn on nightly backups or take one now to protect future changes. Enabling a schedule after data was deleted cannot recover the earlier data.

If a backup action fails, read its error and check Dashboard for disk space. Verify that the database is managed by ForgeVPS and the machine’s backup capability is set up.

- [Return to the database workflow](https://www.forgevps.com/docs/databases/markdown)
- [Import from Supabase](https://www.forgevps.com/docs/import-from-supabase/markdown)