How to backup PostgreSQL stored to Dropbox

PostgreSQL database backup stored in your Dropbox account.

Let's see how we can easily schedule PostgreSQL backups and store them on Dropbox.

Dropbox is the quickest destination to wire up, because it uses an OAuth connection instead of an access key and secret pair. There is nothing to copy between two consoles: you authorise once and SimpleBackups writes into an app folder it creates for you.

Prerequisites

Create a SimpleBackups account
Make sure you have your server connected to your account (the one on which your PostgreSQL database is hosted)
Have a Dropbox account

1. Connect your Dropbox Account to SimpleBackups

Log into SimpleBackups and head to the Connect a Storage page
In the storage provider list select "Dropbox", and click on the Connect Dropbox button.

Connect Dropbox to SimpleBackups

You'll then be redirected to a Dropbox page asking you to grant access to your storage and create a folder named Apps > SimpleBackus.io. Sign in and hit Allow.

Grant SimpleBackups to Dropbox

And your storage is now connected!

Storage list with newly created Dropbox storage

2. Final step: Create your PostgreSQL backup

Last step is obviously to schedule your backup.

From this screen you'll be able to configure what data you're backing up (PostgreSQL in this case), where you want it to be saved (in this case your Dropbox storage), and how often you want this to be done.

FYI this section will be the same, no matter what storage you pick. And that's the beauty of it, if you want to change storage, just select another one from the list (Backblaze, AWS, or whatever you might prefer) and you'll be good to go.

Configuration form, for a PostgreSQL database backup connected to your Dropbox storage

What would you like to back up? (A)

Select "Database" (in this article we're creating a PostgreSQL backup only)
Select the server on which your database is hosted

How often should we make this backup? (B)

Select your schedule option (here we picked a daily schedule)

You can select a pre-defined schedule (daily, weekly, monthly) or a custom option allowing you to schedule it whenever you want to use CRON syntax.
Example of CRON schedule for "20:00 every Tuesday" = 0 22 * * 2

Finally, the "On demand" option won't schedule anything but will allow you to trigger the backup manually or using our API.
Define the backup retention, which is the number of backups you want to keep (kind of the history length of your backup if you prefer)

Choose the database you need to back up (C)

Select the type of your database, in this case "PostgreSQL"
Fill in the database connection form

Finalize and create

Pick the name of your backup (this is how it will be displayed in SimpleBackups interface) and where you want to store it.
Select your Storage (step 1)

That's it, your PostgreSQL backup is now ready and connected to your Dropbox account.

Run it once manually (using the "Run" backup button from the backups list), and you'll trigger your first backup!

FAQ

Do I need Dropbox API credentials to back up PostgreSQL to Dropbox?

No. Dropbox uses an OAuth connection rather than a key and secret pair. You click Connect Dropbox, sign in, and grant access, and SimpleBackups writes into an app folder it creates for you.

Where in Dropbox do the backups land?

In the app folder Dropbox creates during the authorisation step, under Apps. SimpleBackups has no access to the rest of your Dropbox account.

Is Dropbox a good destination for production database backups?

It is convenient and quick to set up, which makes it a reasonable secondary copy. For production databases an S3-compatible object store gives you finer-grained access keys, per-bucket scoping and lifecycle rules, so many teams use Dropbox alongside one rather than instead of one.

How do I restore a PostgreSQL backup stored in Dropbox?

Download the dump from the app folder, then restore it with psql for a plain SQL file or pg_restore for a custom-format archive. The restore guide covers both paths and the errors that come up most often.

Keep learning

The ultimate PostgreSQL backup script, if you would rather own the pg_dump and upload pipeline yourself.
pg_dump and pg_restore guide, for the dump options behind whichever route you pick.
How to restore a PostgreSQL backup, because a backup you have never restored is an assumption.

Scheduling, retention and restores across every destination are covered on the managed PostgreSQL backup page.

This article is part of The complete guide to PostgreSQL backup, an honest, practical reference from the team that backs up PostgreSQL every day.

How to backup PostgreSQL to Dropbox