pleroma/docs/administration/backup.md

# Backup/Restore/Move/Remove your instance

## Backup

1. Stop the Pleroma service:
```
# sudo systemctl stop pleroma
```
2. Go to the working directory of Pleroma (default is `/opt/pleroma`).
3. Run (make sure the postgres user has write access to the destination file):
```
# sudo -Hu postgres pg_dump -d <pleroma_db> -v --format=custom --compress=9 -f </path/to/backup_location/pleroma.pgdump>
```
4. Copy `pleroma.pgdump`, `config/prod.secret.exs`, `config/setup_db.psql` (if still available) and the `uploads` folder to your backup destination. If you have other modifications, copy those changes too.
5. Restart the Pleroma service:
```
# sudo systemctl start pleroma
```

## Restore/Move

1. Optionally reinstall Pleroma (either on the same server or on another server if you want to move servers).
2. Stop the Pleroma service:
```
# sudo systemctl stop pleroma
```
3. Go to the working directory of Pleroma (default is `/opt/pleroma`).
4. Copy the above mentioned files back to their original position.
5. Drop the existing database and user if restoring in-place:
```
# sudo -Hu postgres dropdb <pleroma_db>
# sudo -Hu postgres dropuser <pleroma_user>
```
6. Restore the database schema and pleroma database user the with the original `setup_db.psql` if you have it:
```
# sudo -Hu postgres psql -f config/setup_db.psql
```

    Alternatively, run the `mix pleroma.instance gen` task again. You can ignore most of the questions, but make the database user, name, and password the same as found in your backup of `config/prod.secret.exs`. Then run the restoration of the pleroma user and schema with the generated `config/setup_db.psql` as instructed above. You may delete the `config/generated_config.exs` file as it is not needed.

7. Now restore the Pleroma instance's schema into the empty database schema:
```
# sudo -Hu postgres pg_restore -d <pleroma_db> -v -s -1 </path/to/backup_location/pleroma.pgdump>
```
8. Now restore the Pleroma instance's data into the database:
```
# sudo -Hu postgres pg_restore -d <pleroma_db> -v -a -1 --disable-triggers </path/to/backup_location/pleroma.pgdump>
```
9. If you installed a newer Pleroma version, you should run `mix ecto.migrate`[^1]. This task performs database migrations, if there were any.
10. Generate the statistics so that PostgreSQL can properly plan queries:
```
# sudo -Hu postgres vacuumdb -v --all --analyze-in-stages
```
11. Restart the Pleroma service:
```
# sudo systemctl start pleroma
```
12. If setting up on a new server, configure Nginx by using your original configuration or by using the `installation/pleroma.nginx` config sample or reference the Pleroma installation guide for your OS which contains the Nginx configuration instructions.

[^1]: Prefix with `MIX_ENV=prod` to run it using the production config file.

## Remove

1. Optionally you can remove the users of your instance. This will trigger delete requests for their accounts and posts. Note that this is 'best effort' and doesn't mean that all traces of your instance will be gone from the fediverse.
    * You can do this from the admin-FE where you can select all local users and delete the accounts using the *Moderate multiple users* dropdown.
    * You can also list local users and delete them individually using the CLI tasks for [Managing users](./CLI_tasks/user.md).
2. Stop the Pleroma service:
```
# systemctl stop pleroma
```
3. Disable pleroma from systemd:
```
# systemctl disable pleroma
```
4. Remove the files and folders you created during installation (see installation guide). This includes the pleroma, nginx and systemd files and folders.
5. Reload nginx now that the configuration is removed:
```
# systemctl reload nginx
```
6. Remove the database and database user:
```
# sudo -Hu postgres dropdb <pleroma_db>
# sudo -Hu postgres dropuser <pleroma_user>
```
7. Remove the system user:
```
# userdel -r pleroma
```
8. Remove the dependencies that you don't need anymore (see installation guide). **Make sure you don't remove packages that are still needed for other software that you have running!**