Backup & Restore

KalamDB provides built-in commands for backing up and restoring namespace data.

BACKUP DATABASE

Create a backup of a namespace:

BACKUP DATABASE <namespace> TO '<backup_path>';
BACKUP DATABASE IF EXISTS <namespace> TO '<backup_path>';

Example

BACKUP DATABASE chat TO '/backups/chat-2026-02-18';
BACKUP DATABASE IF EXISTS analytics TO '/backups/analytics-daily';

RESTORE DATABASE

Restore a namespace from a backup:

RESTORE DATABASE <namespace> FROM '<backup_path>';
RESTORE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS <namespace> FROM '<backup_path>';

Example

RESTORE DATABASE chat FROM '/backups/chat-2026-02-18';
RESTORE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS chat FROM '/backups/chat-latest';

SHOW BACKUPS

List available backups for a namespace:

SHOW BACKUP FOR DATABASE <namespace>;
SHOW BACKUPS FOR DATABASE <namespace>;

Example

SHOW BACKUPS FOR DATABASE chat;

Backup Strategy

For production deployments, consider:

1. Scheduled backups — Run BACKUP DATABASE on a cron schedule
2. Remote storage — Back up to S3/GCS/Azure for durability
3. Per-user backups — User table directories can be individually copied
4. Snapshot + backup — Combine CLUSTER SNAPSHOT with BACKUP DATABASE for consistent state