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Restore a PostgreSQL Dump Using a SleakOps Job

Dump a PostgreSQL database and restore it into a SleakOps-managed RDS instance using a temporary Job Pod with a matching Postgres image.

warning

Before starting, create a manual RDS snapshot. Follow AWS documentation on creating DB snapshots to do so.

Prerequisites​

  • A Cluster configured in SleakOps (Cluster docs)
  • An Environment and Project already deployed
  • The source database credentials and endpoint
  • The destination RDS Dependency created in SleakOps

Let's Start​

Step 1 — Generate the dump from the source database​

Run this command from any machine that has network access to the source database. It prompts for the password:

pg_dump -h POSTGRESQL_ADDRESS -U POSTGRESQL_USERNAME -W -Fc -f dump.dump

For detailed options, refer to the SleakOps PostgreSQL dependency docs.

Step 2 — Scale up the destination RDS instance​

Temporarily increase the RDS instance class to a larger size. This significantly reduces the time to load the dump. Do this early so the resize completes before you start the restore.

Step 3 — Create a Job in SleakOps​

Create a Job using the same Postgres version as your destination RDS Dependency. This Job creates a Pod you will attach to for running the restore.

tip

Example configuration:

  • Image URL: docker.io/library/postgres
  • Image tag: 17 (match the version of your RDS)
SleakOps Job creation form — image URL and tag fields
SleakOps Job creation form — configuration preview

Step 4 — Open the Pod terminal and run the restore​

Connect to the terminal of the Pod created by the Job (for example, via Lens), then run:

pg_restore -j 8 -O -v -e --clean --if-exists --no-owner --no-privileges \
  --exit-on-error \
  -h POSTGRESQL_ADDRESS \
  -U POSTGRESQL_USERNAME \
  -W \
  -d POSTGRESQL_DATABASE \
  dump.dump

The -j 8 flag uses 8 parallel workers to speed up the restore. Adjust based on available CPU.

Step 5 — Scale the RDS instance back down​

Once the restore is complete, revert the RDS instance class to its original size.