Backing up a Netdata Agent

:::tip

What You'll Learn

How to back up and restore Netdata Agent data including configuration, metrics, and identity files for disaster recovery scenarios.

:::

:::important

User Responsibility

Users are responsible for backing up, recovering, and ensuring their data's availability because Netdata stores data locally on each system due to its decentralized architecture.

:::

Introduction

When planning a Netdata Agent backup, it's essential to recognize the types of data that can be backed up, either individually or collectively:

Data type	Description	Location
Agent configuration	Files controlling configuration of the Netdata Agent	config directory
Metrics	Database files	/var/cache/netdata
Identity	Claim token, API key and some other files	/var/lib/netdata

Backup and Restore Scenarios

<details> <summary><strong>Backing up to restore data in case of a node failure</strong></summary>

In this standard scenario, you're backing up your Netdata Agent in case of a node failure or data corruption so that the metrics and the configuration can be recovered. The purpose is not to back up/restore the application itself.

Backup Process

mermaid

graph TB
    Start("**Start Backup Process**")
    
    Verify("**Verify Directory Paths**

Check that paths contain
expected information

/etc/netdata/
/var/cache/netdata
/var/lib/netdata")
    
    Stop("**Stop Netdata Agent**

Recommended for
Metrics/database files")
    
    Backup("**Create Backup Archive**

tar -cvpzf netdata_backup.tar.gz
/etc/netdata/ /var/cache/netdata
/var/lib/netdata")
    
    Restart("**Restart Netdata Agent**

Resume monitoring")
    
    Start --> Verify
    Verify --> Stop
    Stop --> Backup
    Backup --> Restart
    
    %% Style definitions
    classDef startEnd fill:#f9f9f9,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:16px
    classDef process fill:#ffeb3b,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:16px
    classDef complete fill:#4caf50,stroke:#000000,stroke-width:3px,color:#000000,font-size:16px
    
    %% Apply styles
    class Start startEnd
    class Verify,Stop,Backup process
    class Restart complete

Verify directory paths

Verify that the directory paths in the table above contain the information you expect.

:::note

Path Variations

The specific paths may vary depending on the installation method, Operating System, and whether it is a Docker/Kubernetes deployment.

:::
Stop the Netdata Agent

It is recommended that you stop the Netdata Agent when backing up the Metrics/database files. Backing up the Agent configuration and Identity folders is straightforward as they shouldn't be changing very frequently.
Create a backup archive

Using a backup tool such as tar you will need to run the backup as root or as the netdata user to access all the files in the directories.
bash
```
sudo tar -cvpzf netdata_backup.tar.gz /etc/netdata/ /var/cache/netdata /var/lib/netdata
```
Stopping the Netdata Agent is typically necessary to back up the database files of the Netdata Agent.

Minimizing Service Interruption

If you want to minimize the gap in metrics caused by stopping the Netdata Agent, consider implementing a backup job or script that follows this sequence:

Back up the Agent configuration Identity directories
Stop the Netdata service
Back up the database files
Restart the Netdata Agent.

</details> <details> <summary><strong>Restoring Netdata</strong></summary>

Restoration Process

Prepare for restoration

Ensure that the Netdata Agent is installed and is stopped

If you plan to deploy the Agent and restore a backup on top of it, then you might find it helpful to use the --dont-start-it option upon installation.
bash
```
wget -O /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh https://get.netdata.cloud/kickstart.sh && sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh --dont-start-it
```
:::warning

Database File Restoration

If you’re going to restore the database files, then you should first ensure that the Metrics directory is empty.
bash
```
sudo rm -Rf /var/cache/netdata
```
:::

Restore from backup archive

bash

sudo tar -xvpzf /path/to/netdata_backup.tar.gz -C /

Start the Netdata Agent

Start the Netdata Agent

</details>