Automatic Backing Up PostgreSQL With Backup and Whatever Gems on VPS

Its useful for ruby and rails programmer.sometimes We need our database backup at limited time in travel for that we can do something like this and the idea expanded to include every day schedule of backup.

My first initial thoughts were on Dropbox, I’ve installed the Dropbox client on my no GUI Ubuntu Server, but when I ran the Dropbox the memory usage got doubled and I remove it all together!

“backup Gem”

The backup gem is one great gem with a lot of backup options like databases, storages, compressions.

How to install

Installation is a straight forward like any Ruby Gem:
Type in terminal

$ gem install backup

or do it through gemfile

Backup Model Generator

backup generate:model –trigger=TRIGGER

Options:
–trigger=TRIGGER
[–config-path=CONFIG_PATH] # Path to your Backup configuration directory
[–databases=DATABASES] # (mongodb, mysql, postgresql, redis, riak)
[–storages=STORAGES] # (cloudfiles, dropbox, ftp, local, ninefold, rsync, s3, scp, sftp)
[–syncers=SYNCERS] # (cloud_files, rsync_local, rsync_pull, rsync_push, s3)
[–encryptors=ENCRYPTORS] # (gpg, openssl)
[–compressors=COMPRESSORS] # (bzip2, gzip, lzma, pbzip2)
[–notifiers=NOTIFIERS] # (campfire, hipchat, mail, presently, prowl, twitter)
[–archives]
[–splitter] # use `–no-splitter` to disable
# Default: true

Generate a Backup model file
Let’s create simple config file with backup generator:

$ backup generate:model –trigger miguest_backup –databases=”postgresql”

# encoding: utf-8

##
# Backup Generated: miguest_backup
# Once configured, you can run the backup with the following command:
#
# $ backup perform -t miguest_backup [-c ]
#
Backup::Model.new(:miguest_backup, ‘Description for miguest_backup’) do
##
# Split [Splitter]
#
# Split the backup file in to chunks of 250 megabytes
# if the backup file size exceeds 250 megabytes
#
split_into_chunks_of 250

##
# PostgreSQL [Database]
#
database PostgreSQL do |db|
db.name = “my_database_name”
db.username = “my_username”
db.password = “my_password”
db.host = “localhost”
db.port = 5432
# db.socket = “/tmp/pg.sock”
# db.additional_options = [“-xc”, “-E=utf8”]
# Optional: Use to set the location of this utility
# if it cannot be found by name in your $PATH
# db.pg_dump_utility = “/opt/local/bin/pg_dump”
end

##
# FTP (File Transfer Protocol) [Storage]
#
store_with FTP do |server|
server.username = “my_username”
server.password = “my_password”
server.ip = “1.2.3.4”
server.port = 21
server.path = “~/backups/”
server.keep = 5
server.passive_mode = false
end

##
# Bzip2 [Compressor]
#
compress_with Bzip2

end

Fairly be straight forward refinements are needed, usernames, passwords,… After adding all the secret stuff, the backup can be run as easy as:

run the commond from terminal as-

$ backup perform –trigger miguest_backup

backups with whenever Gem

Whenever is a Ruby gem that provides a clear syntax for writing and deploying cron jobs. And this is what I need to schedule the backups to run everyday.

Install

$ gem install whenever

Configure (Wheneverize)
Configure the whenever, but first make sure that we are in backup folder ~/Backup

$ cd ~/Backup

Then create config folder:

$ mkdir config

And then run the command:
$ wheneverize .

go to the directory Open the config/schedule.rb file and add the following:

every 1.day, :at => '4:30 am' do
command "backup perform --trigger miguest_backup"
end

Schedule to crontab
Run whenever with no arguments see the crontab entry this will create:

$ whenever
will display something like this –

30 4 * * * /bin/bash -l -c 'backup perform --trigger miguest_backup'

## [message] Above is your schedule file converted to cron syntax; your crontab file was not updated.
## [message] Run `whenever –help’ for more options.

To write (or update) this job in your crontab, use:

whenever –update-crontab

And that’s it, so what is included:

Backup of postgres database.
Sending compressed backup via FTP.
Scheduled backup every day at 4:30 am.