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Does running pg_dump on live db produce consistent backups?

Submitted by: @import:stackexchange-dba··
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pg_dumpproducebackupsconsistentliverunningdoes

Problem

I have a 3GB database that is constantly modified and I need to make backups without stopping the server (Postgres 8.3).

My pg_dump runs for 5 minutes. What if the data is modified during the process? Do I get consistent backups? I don't want to find out when disaster strikes.

Postgres documentation http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.3/static/app-pgdump.html doesn't say anything about this.

Solution

From the manual:


It makes consistent backups even if the database is being used
concurrently.

So yes, you can trust the backup. Of course, it's PostgreSQL, you can trust your data in PostgreSQL.

Context

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#13742, answer score: 77

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