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70 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
70 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
# Backing up a Netdata Agent
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> **Note**
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>
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> Users are responsible for backing up, recovering, and ensuring their data's availability because Netdata stores data locally on each system due to its decentralized architecture.
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## Introduction
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When planning a Netdata Agent backup, it's essential to recognize the types of data that can be backed up, either individually or collectively:
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| Data type | Description | Location |
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|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
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| Agent configuration | Files controlling configuration of the Netdata Agent | [config directory](/docs/netdata-agent/configuration/README.md) |
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| Metrics | Database files | /var/cache/netdata |
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| Identity | Claim token, API key and some other files | /var/lib/netdata |
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## Scenarios
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### Backing up to restore data in case of a node failure
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In this standard scenario, you’re backing up your Netdata Agent in case of a node failure or data corruption so that the metrics and the configuration can be recovered. The purpose is not to backup/restore the application itself.
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1. Verify that the directory paths in the table above contain the information you expect.
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> **Note**
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> The specific paths may vary depending on installation method, Operating System, and whether it is a Docker/Kubernetes deployment.
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2. It is recommended that you [stop the Netdata Agent](/docs/netdata-agent/start-stop-restart.md) when backing up the Metrics/database files.
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Backing up the Agent configuration and Identity folders is straightforward as they shouldn’t be changing very frequently.
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3. Using a backup tool such as `tar` you will need to run the backup as _root_ or as the _netdata_ user to access all the files in the directories.
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```bash
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sudo tar -cvpzf netdata_backup.tar.gz /etc/netdata/ /var/cache/netdata /var/lib/netdata
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```
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Stopping the Netdata Agent is typically necessary to back up the database files of the Netdata Agent.
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If you want to minimize the gap in metrics caused by stopping the Netdata Agent, consider implementing a backup job or script that follows this sequence:
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- Backup the Agent configuration Identity directories
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- Stop the Netdata service
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- Backup up the database files
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- Restart the Netdata Agent.
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### Restoring Netdata
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1. Ensure that the Netdata Agent is installed and is [stopped](/docs/netdata-agent/start-stop-restart.md)
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If you plan to deploy the Agent and restore a backup on top of it, then you might find it helpful to use the [`--dont-start-it`](/packaging/installer/methods/kickstart.md#other-options) option upon installation.
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```bash
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wget -O /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh https://get.netdata.cloud/kickstart.sh && sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh --dont-start-it
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```
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> **Note**
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> If you are going to restore the database files, then you should first ensure that the Metrics directory is empty.
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>
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> ```bash
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> sudo rm -Rf /var/cache/netdata
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> ```
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2. Restore the backup from the archive
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```bash
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sudo tar -xvpzf /path/to/netdata_backup.tar.gz -C /
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```
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3. [Start the Netdata Agent](/docs/netdata-agent/start-stop-restart.md)
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