---
title: influxd-ctl backup
description: The influxd-ctl backup command backs up an InfluxDB Enterprise v1 cluster’s metastore and shard data at that point in time and stores the copy in the specified directory.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/enterprise_influxdb/v1/tools/influxd-ctl/backup/
estimated_tokens: 2132
product: InfluxDB Enterprise v1
version: v1
---

# influxd-ctl backup

The `influxd-ctl backup` command backs up an InfluxDB Enterprise cluster’s [metastore](/enterprise_influxdb/v1/concepts/glossary/#metastore) and [shard](/enterprise_influxdb/v1/concepts/glossary/#shard) data at that point in time and stores the copy in the specified directory.

To back up only the cluster metastore, use the `-strategy only-meta` flag. Backups are incremental by default, meaning they create a copy of the metastore and shard data that have changed since the previous incremental backup. If there are no existing incremental backups, the system automatically performs a complete backup.

#### Backup strategies

InfluxDB Enterprise supports the following backup strategies:

-   **only-meta**: Back up metastore data only, including users, roles, databases, continuous queries, and retention policies. This strategy does not back up shards.
-   **full**: Back up metastore and all shard data.
-   **incremental**: *(Default)* Back up metastore and shard data that has changed since the last incremental backup. If there are no existing incremental backups, the system automatically performs a full backup.

## Usage

```sh
influxd-ctl backup [flags] <backup-dir>
```

## Arguments

-   **backup-dir**: Directory to store backup files in

## Flags

| Flag | Description |
| --- | --- |
| -bufsize | Buffer size (in bytes) for writing gzip files. Default is 1048576 (1 MB). v1.12.3+ |
| -cpuprofile | Write CPU profile to the specified file path. For debugging backup performance. v1.12.3+ |
| -db | Database to backup |
| -end | End date for backup (RFC3339 timestamp) |
| -estimate | Estimate the size of the requested backup |
| -from | Data node TCP address to prefer when backing up. In v1.12.3+, the node must exist in the cluster or the command returns an error. When the preferred node doesn’t own a shard, the command falls back to other owners sorted by most recent write. See Node selection. |
| -full | Perform a full backup (deprecated in favor of -strategy full) |
| -gzipBlockCount | Number of concurrent blocks for gzip compression. Default is the number of CPU cores. Recommended: 1-2x CPU cores. v1.12.3+ |
| -gzipBlockSize | Block size (in bytes) for pgzip compression. Default is 1048576 (1 MB). Recommended >1 MB for performance. v1.12.3+ |
| -gzipCompressionLevel | Gzip compression level: default, full, speedy, or none. Default is default. v1.12.3+ |
| -rp | Retention policy to backup |
| -shard | Shard ID to backup |
| -staleness-threshold | For incremental backups, skip shards modified within this duration of the existing backup. Default is 10m (matches cache-snapshot-write-cold-duration). v1.12.3+ |
| -start | Start date for backup (RFC3339 timestamp) |
| -strategy | Backup strategy to use (only-meta, full, or incremental) |

*Also see [`influxd-ctl` global flags](/enterprise_influxdb/v1/tools/influxd-ctl/#influxd-ctl-global-flags).*

## Backup behavior

### Node selection

When backing up a shard, the command selects the best data node to read from:

1. Shard copies with zero bytes are skipped.
2. Copies are sorted by most recent write time — the most recently written copy is tried first.
3. If you specify `-from`, that node is preferred. If the preferred node doesn’t own the shard, the command falls back to other owners.
4. If the `-from` node doesn’t exist in the cluster, the command fails with: `data node "<addr>" does not exist`.

### Staleness threshold

During incremental backups, the `-staleness-threshold` flag controls when a shard is considered current and can be skipped. A shard is skipped when the existing backup timestamp plus the staleness threshold is after the shard’s last modification time.

## Examples

-   [Perform an incremental backup](#perform-an-incremental-backup)
-   [Perform a full backup](#perform-a-full-backup)
-   [Estimate the size of a backup](#estimate-the-size-of-a-backup)
-   [Backup data from a specific time range](#backup-data-from-a-specific-time-range)
-   [Backup a specific shard](#backup-a-specific-shard)

### Perform an incremental backup

```sh
influxd-ctl backup /path/to/backup-dir
```

### Perform a full backup

```sh
influxd-ctl backup -strategy full /path/to/backup-dir
```

### Estimate the size of a backup

```sh
influxd-ctl backup -estimate
```

### Backup data from a specific time range

```sh
influxd-ctl backup \
  -start 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z \
  -end 2023-06-01T00:00:00Z \
  /path/to/backup-dir
```

### Backup a specific shard

```sh
influxd-ctl backup -shard 00 /path/to/backup-dir
```

#### Related

-   [Back up and restore](/enterprise_influxdb/v1/administration/backup-and-restore/)
-   [influxd-ctl backup](/enterprise_influxdb/v1/tools/influxd-ctl/backup/)