Backups management

When deploying the Formance Platform in production on your own infrastructure, you are responsible for the deployment of a proper backup mechanism. This mechanism will typically be based on the specifics of the cloud provider you are using. Let's discuss however some general principles that should be followed.

PostgreSQL databases must be backed up first. The OpenSearch / ElasticSearch cluster can be completely rebuilt from the data in the PostgreSQL databases.
If you're using Flows, you also need to back up Temporal data correctly (or use their Cloud version).

Snapshots

We recommend using snapshots. This will enable you to restore all your data at once and have a consistent backup. Most cloud providers support snapshot backups on their databases.

Replication

It is recommended to replicate your data in multiple locations. This will ensure that you can recover from a disaster in one location. For example, you could replicate your data in multiple regions of the same cloud provider, or even in multiple cloud providers. Based on your cloud provider, you might have access to specific replication mechanisms. For example, AWS offers Cross-Region Replication.

Testing and validation

As obvious as it might sound, prior to deploying the Formance Platform in production, you should have tested and validated your backup mechanism. This includes testing the backup procedure itself, but also the restoration procedure.