Database Backup Automation Skill

Database Backup Automation

Generate production-ready backup scripts for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and SQLite with compression, encryption, scheduling, and retention policies.

Quick Start

PostgreSQL Backup

#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/postgresql"
DB_NAME="mydb"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
BACKUP_FILE="${BACKUP_DIR}/${DB_NAME}_${DATE}.sql.gz"

pg_dump -h localhost -U postgres -d "$DB_NAME" \
  --format=custom \
  --compress=9 \
  --file="$BACKUP_FILE"

# Encrypt with GPG (optional)
gpg --symmetric --cipher-algo AES256 --batch --passphrase-file /etc/backup.key "$BACKUP_FILE"
rm "$BACKUP_FILE"

MySQL Backup

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/mysql"
DB_NAME="mydb"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

mysqldump -h localhost -u root -p"${MYSQL_PASSWORD}" \
  --single-transaction \
  --routines \
  --triggers \
  "$DB_NAME" | gzip > "${BACKUP_DIR}/${DB_NAME}_${DATE}.sql.gz"

MongoDB Backup

#!/bin/bash
mongodump --uri="mongodb://localhost:27017" \  # 27017: MongoDB port
  --db=mydb \
  --out=/var/backups/mongodb/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S) \
  --gzip

Instructions

Step 1: Gather Requirements

Ask the user for:

Database type (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, SQLite)
Database connection details (host, port, database name)
Backup schedule (cron expression or frequency)
Retention policy (days to keep)
Encryption requirement (yes/no)
Backup destination (local path, S3, GCS)

Step 2: Generate Backup Script

Use scripts/backup_script_generator.py to create a customized backup script:

python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/backup_script_generator.py \
  --db-type postgresql \
  --database mydb \
  --output /opt/backup-scripts/mydb-backup.sh \
  --compression gzip \
  --encryption gpg

Step 3: Schedule with Cron

Use scripts/backup_scheduler.py to create cron entries:

python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/backup_scheduler.py \
  --script /opt/backup-scripts/mydb-backup.sh \
  --schedule "0 2 * * *" \
  --user postgres

Step 4: Validate Backup

After backup completes, validate integrity:

python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/backup_validator.py \
  --backup-file /var/backups/postgresql/mydb_20250115.sql.gz \
  --db-type postgresql

Step 5: Generate Restore Procedure

Create matching restore script:

python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/restore_script_generator.py \
  --db-type postgresql \
  --database mydb \
  --output /opt/backup-scripts/mydb-restore.sh

Cron Schedule Reference

| Schedule | Cron Expression | Description | |----------|-----------------|-------------| | Daily 2 AM | 0 2 * * * | Low-traffic window | | Every 6 hours | 0 */6 * * * | Frequent backups | | Weekly Sunday | 0 2 * * 0 | Weekly full backup | | Monthly 1st | 0 2 1 * * | Monthly archive |

Retention Policy Example

# Keep daily backups for 7 days
# Keep weekly backups for 4 weeks
# Keep monthly backups for 12 months

find /var/backups -name "*.gz" -mtime +7 -delete  # Daily cleanup
find /var/backups/weekly -mtime +28 -delete       # Weekly cleanup
find /var/backups/monthly -mtime +365 -delete     # 365: Monthly cleanup

Output

Backup Scripts: Database-specific shell scripts with compression and encryption
Cron Entries: Ready-to-install crontab configurations
Restore Scripts: Matching restore procedures for each backup type
Validation Reports: Integrity check results for backup files

Error Handling

| Error | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | Connection refused | DB not running | Check service status: systemctl status postgresql | | Permission denied | Wrong credentials | Verify user has backup privileges | | Disk full | No space | Check space: df -h, clean old backups | | Lock timeout | Active transactions | Use --single-transaction for MySQL |

Resources

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/postgresql_backup_restore.md - PostgreSQL backup guide
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/mysql_backup_restore.md - MySQL backup guide
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/mongodb_backup_restore.md - MongoDB backup guide
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/sqlite_backup_restore.md - SQLite backup guide
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/backup_best_practices.md - Security and storage best practices
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/cron_syntax.md - Cron scheduling reference

Overview

Automate database backup processes with scheduling, compression, and encryption.

Prerequisites

Access to the PostgreSQL environment or API
Required CLI tools installed and authenticated
Familiarity with PostgreSQL concepts and terminology

Examples

Basic usage: Apply automating database backups to a standard project setup with default configuration options.

Advanced scenario: Customize automating database backups for production environments with multiple constraints and team-specific requirements.

Agent Skills: Database Backup Automation

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files