---
title: Back up and restore data
description: Back up and restore your InfluxDB 3 Core instance by copying object storage files in the recommended order.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/core/admin/backup-restore/
estimated_tokens: 9554
product: InfluxDB 3 Core
version: core
---

# Back up and restore data

InfluxDB 3 Core persists all data and metadata to object storage. Back up your data by copying object storage files in a specific order to ensure consistency and reliability.

Currently, InfluxDB 3 Core does not include built-in backup and restore tools. Because copying files during periods of activity is a transient process, we highly recommended you follow the below procedures and copy order to minimize risk of creating inconsistent backups.

## Supported object storage

InfluxDB 3 supports the following object storage backends for data persistence:

-   **File system** (local directory)
-   **AWS S3** and S3-compatible storage ([MinIO](/influxdb3/core/object-storage/minio/))
-   **Azure Blob Storage**
-   **Google Cloud Storage**

Backup and restore procedures don’t apply to memory-based [object stores](/influxdb3/core/reference/config-options/#object-store).

## File structure

| Location | Description |
| --- | --- |
| <node_id>/ | Root directory for all node state |
| <node_id>/_catalog_checkpoint | Catalog state checkpoint file |
| <node_id>/catalog/ | Catalog log files tracking catalog state changes |
| <node_id>/wal/ | Write-ahead log files containing written data |
| <node_id>/snapshots/ | Snapshot files summarizing persisted Parquet files |
| <node_id>/dbs/<db>/<table>/<date>/ | Parquet files organized by database, table, and time |
| <node_id>/table-snapshots/<db>/<table>/ | Table snapshot files (regenerated on restart, optional for backup) |

## Backup process

Copy files in the recommended order to reduce risk of creating inconsistent backups. Perform backups during downtime or minimal load periods when possible.

**Recommended backup order:**

1. Snapshots directory
2. Database (dbs) directory
3. WAL directory
4. Catalog directory
5. Catalog checkpoint file

<!-- Tabbed content: Select one of the following options -->

**File system:**

```bash
#!/bin/bash
NODE_ID="NODE_ID"
DATA_DIR="/path/to/data"
BACKUP_DIR="/backup/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Copy in recommended order
cp -r $DATA_DIR/${NODE_ID}/snapshots "$BACKUP_DIR/"
cp -r $DATA_DIR/${NODE_ID}/dbs "$BACKUP_DIR/"
cp -r $DATA_DIR/${NODE_ID}/wal "$BACKUP_DIR/"
cp -r $DATA_DIR/${NODE_ID}/catalog "$BACKUP_DIR/"
cp $DATA_DIR/${NODE_ID}/_catalog_checkpoint "$BACKUP_DIR/"

echo "Backup completed to $BACKUP_DIR"
```

Replace `NODE_ID` with your [node ID](/influxdb3/core/reference/config-options/#node-id).

This example works with Docker containers that use volume mounts for data persistence. Adjust the `DATA_DIR` path to match your volume mount configuration.

**S3:**

```bash
#!/bin/bash
NODE_ID="NODE_ID"
SOURCE_BUCKET="SOURCE_BUCKET"
BACKUP_BUCKET="BACKUP_BUCKET"
BACKUP_PREFIX="backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"

# Copy in recommended order
aws s3 sync s3://${SOURCE_BUCKET}/${NODE_ID}/snapshots \
  s3://${BACKUP_BUCKET}/${BACKUP_PREFIX}/${NODE_ID}/snapshots/

aws s3 sync s3://${SOURCE_BUCKET}/${NODE_ID}/dbs \
  s3://${BACKUP_BUCKET}/${BACKUP_PREFIX}/${NODE_ID}/dbs/

aws s3 sync s3://${SOURCE_BUCKET}/${NODE_ID}/wal \
  s3://${BACKUP_BUCKET}/${BACKUP_PREFIX}/${NODE_ID}/wal/

aws s3 sync s3://${SOURCE_BUCKET}/${NODE_ID}/catalog \
  s3://${BACKUP_BUCKET}/${BACKUP_PREFIX}/${NODE_ID}/catalog/

aws s3 cp s3://${SOURCE_BUCKET}/${NODE_ID}/_catalog_checkpoint \
  s3://${BACKUP_BUCKET}/${BACKUP_PREFIX}/${NODE_ID}/

echo "Backup completed to s3://${BACKUP_BUCKET}/${BACKUP_PREFIX}"
```

Replace the following:

-   `NODE_ID`: your [node ID](/influxdb3/core/reference/config-options/#node-id)
-   `SOURCE_BUCKET`: your InfluxDB data bucket
-   `BACKUP_BUCKET`: your backup destination bucket

<!-- End tabbed content -->

## Restore process

Restoring overwrites existing data. Always verify you have correct backups before proceeding.

**Recommended restore order:**

1. Catalog checkpoint file
2. Catalog directory
3. WAL directory
4. Database (dbs) directory
5. Snapshots directory

#### File system restore example

```bash
#!/bin/bash
NODE_ID="NODE_ID"
BACKUP_DIR="/backup/BACKUP_DATE"
DATA_DIR="/path/to/data"

# 1. Stop InfluxDB
systemctl stop influxdb3 || docker stop influxdb3-core

# 2. Optional: Clear existing data for clean restore
rm -rf ${DATA_DIR}/${NODE_ID}/*

# 3. Restore in reverse order of backup
mkdir -p ${DATA_DIR}/${NODE_ID}
cp ${BACKUP_DIR}/_catalog_checkpoint ${DATA_DIR}/${NODE_ID}/
cp -r ${BACKUP_DIR}/catalog ${DATA_DIR}/${NODE_ID}/
cp -r ${BACKUP_DIR}/wal ${DATA_DIR}/${NODE_ID}/
cp -r ${BACKUP_DIR}/dbs ${DATA_DIR}/${NODE_ID}/
cp -r ${BACKUP_DIR}/snapshots ${DATA_DIR}/${NODE_ID}/

# 4. Set correct permissions (important for Docker)
chown -R influxdb:influxdb ${DATA_DIR}/${NODE_ID}

# 5. Start InfluxDB
systemctl start influxdb3 || docker start influxdb3-core
```

Replace the following:

-   `NODE_ID`: your [node ID](/influxdb3/core/reference/config-options/#node-id)
-   `BACKUP_DATE`: backup directory timestamp (for example, 20240115-143022)

#### S3 restore example

```bash
#!/bin/bash
NODE_ID="NODE_ID"
BACKUP_BUCKET="BACKUP_BUCKET"
BACKUP_PREFIX="backup-BACKUP_DATE"
TARGET_BUCKET="TARGET_BUCKET"

# 1. Stop InfluxDB
# Implementation depends on your deployment method

# 2. Optional: Clear existing data for clean restore
aws s3 rm s3://${TARGET_BUCKET}/${NODE_ID} --recursive

# 3. Restore from backup
aws s3 sync s3://${BACKUP_BUCKET}/${BACKUP_PREFIX}/${NODE_ID}/ \
  s3://${TARGET_BUCKET}/${NODE_ID}/

# 4. Start InfluxDB
# Implementation depends on your deployment method
```

Replace the following:

-   `NODE_ID`: your node ID
-   `BACKUP_DATE`: backup timestamp
-   `BACKUP_BUCKET`: bucket containing backup
-   `TARGET_BUCKET`: target bucket for restoration

## Important considerations

### Recovery expectations

Recovery succeeds to a consistent point in time, which is the **latest snapshot included** in the backup. Data written after that snapshot may not be present if its WAL was deleted after the backup. Any Parquet files without a snapshot reference are ignored.

### Docker considerations

When running InfluxDB 3 Core in containers:

-   **Volume consistency**: Use the same volume mounts for backup and restore operations
-   **File permissions**: Ensure container user can read restored files (use `chown` if needed)
-   **Backup access**: Mount a backup directory to copy files from containers to the host

### Table snapshot files

Files in `<node_id>/table-snapshots/` are intentionally excluded from backup:

-   These files are periodically overwritten
-   They regenerate automatically on server restart
-   Including them doesn’t harm but increases backup size unnecessarily

### Timing recommendations

-   Perform backups during downtime or minimal load periods
-   Copying files while the database is active may create inconsistent backups
-   Consider using filesystem or storage snapshots if available
-   Compression is optional but recommended for long-term storage

#### Related

-   [Manage databases](/influxdb3/core/admin/databases/)
-   [influxdb3 serve](/influxdb3/core/reference/cli/influxdb3/serve/)
-   [Install InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/core/install/)
-   [InfluxDB 3 Core internals](/influxdb3/core/reference/internals/durability/)

[backup](/influxdb3/core/tags/backup/) [restore](/influxdb3/core/tags/restore/) [administration](/influxdb3/core/tags/administration/) [object storage](/influxdb3/core/tags/object-storage/)