# Database Backups

Automate backups for MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Redis databases.

SimpleBackups connects to your database — whether self-hosted, containerized, or managed by a cloud provider — and creates scheduled dumps stored on the cloud storage of your choice. You choose a connection method based on where your database runs, then configure the schedule, retention, and destination storage once.

## Supported databases

SimpleBackups supports four database engines, each with engine-specific backup and restore tooling:

- **MySQL / MariaDB** — full dumps via `mysqldump`, hot backups with Percona XtraBackup, binary log support for point-in-time recovery, and Vitess/PlanetScale compatibility
- **PostgreSQL** — full dumps via `pg_dump` in custom or plain format, with support for replicas and managed services
- **MongoDB** — full dumps via `mongodump`, with support for read replicas and Atlas collections
- **Redis** — RDB snapshot backups for cache and data store recovery

## Connection methods

How you connect SimpleBackups to your database depends on where it runs. There are four options: your own server, serverless workers for managed databases, Docker containers, and private networks via Tailscale.

### Own server

If your database runs on a server you control, connect the server to SimpleBackups using SSH or the [Backup Agent](https://simplebackups.com/docs/getting-started/features/backup-agent). When creating a backup, select your server from the **Own Server** section and provide the database connection details. SimpleBackups runs the backup command directly on the server and uploads the result to your chosen storage.

### Managed databases (serverless)

For managed databases (DBaaS) like Amazon RDS, DigitalOcean, Supabase, or PlanetScale, use serverless backup workers. These connect directly to your database host over the network — no server required.

1. Go to [Create Backup](https://my.simplebackups.com/backup/create?type=db) and under **Server**, select **Serverless backup worker**. If not yet enabled, click **Enable**

![Selecting the serverless backup worker option](https://simplebackups.com/docs/docs-assets/www-notion-so/336d10e3ad87db9e009c.png)

2. Under **Database**, choose your database type and enter the host, port, and credentials

![Choosing the database type and entering connection details](https://simplebackups.com/docs/docs-assets/www-notion-so/7df402f644d06fd6b9f3.png)

3. Complete the rest of the configuration (name, schedule, retention, storage) and click **Create Backup**

**Firewall configuration:**
If your managed database is behind a firewall, whitelist the SimpleBackups IP addresses. Toggle the **Behind a firewall** option when creating the backup to see the relevant IPs, or check the [full list of IP addresses](https://simplebackups.com/docs/help-tips-and-troubleshooting/connecting-a-server/simplebackups-ip-addresses-firewall).

SimpleBackups supports over 15 managed database providers. For provider-specific instructions, see the guides in the **Managed database providers** section of the sidebar.

### Docker containers

SimpleBackups can connect directly to databases running inside Docker containers on your server. You do not need to map container ports to the host — SimpleBackups detects running containers and connects to the database inside them.

1. Connect the server running your Docker containers to SimpleBackups. See [Connecting your server](https://simplebackups.com/docs/getting-started/architecture/connecting-your-workerserver) for instructions
2. Go to [Create Backup](https://my.simplebackups.com/backup/create?type=db) and select your server from the **Own Server** section

![Selecting the server with Docker containers](https://simplebackups.com/docs/docs-assets/media-helpkit-co/f9b680a6d078e2f4d4d9.png)

3. Click **Select a Docker Container**. SimpleBackups fetches your running containers — select the one containing the database you want to back up

![The Docker container selection dropdown](https://simplebackups.com/docs/docs-assets/media-helpkit-co/f6afc9b443e54bb8c609.png)

4. Click **Save** and fill in your database connection parameters. The default host inside the container is `127.0.0.1` or `localhost`
5. Complete the configuration and click **Create Backup**

### Private network databases

If your database is on a private network with no public access, use Tailscale to create a secure connection between your infrastructure and SimpleBackups. Tailscale lets you share specific machines without opening firewall ports or configuring complex network rules.

**Standard server setup**

Install Tailscale on the server hosting your database and confirm it is running. In the Tailscale admin console, navigate to **Machines**, click your server, then click **Share**. Click **Generate & copy invite link**, then open a support ticket with SimpleBackups and share the link with us. Once access is accepted, create a backup using the private IP assigned by Tailscale — select **Serverless** as the backup type and choose **Yes - Database publicly accessible**.

**Docker container setup**

If your database runs inside a Docker container, run a Tailscale sidecar container attached to your database container's network namespace. This eliminates the need for a bastion host:

```bash
docker run -d \
  --name=database-sb-connector \
  --network container:NAME-OF-DATABASE-CONTAINER \
  --cap-add=NET_ADMIN \
  --cap-add=NET_RAW \
  --env TS_AUTHKEY=API_KEY_FROM_TAILSCALE_ACCOUNT \
  tailscale/tailscale
```

Replace `NAME-OF-DATABASE-CONTAINER` with your database container's name and `API_KEY_FROM_TAILSCALE_ACCOUNT` with your Tailscale API key. Once the sidecar is running, verify the connection with `docker exec -it database-sb-connector tailscale status`, then use the assigned Tailscale IP as the database host in SimpleBackups.

**Access control:**
When you share a machine with SimpleBackups, only a subset of SimpleBackups workers can see your node's advertised ports — other nodes cannot access your machine. SimpleBackups does not use Tailscale SSH; disable it on your node so that SimpleBackups authenticates using the SSH key you provide. See the [Tailscale sharing documentation](https://tailscale.com/kb/1084/sharing#how-sharing-works) for details.

## Restoring a backup

Each database engine has its own restore process. SimpleBackups stores your backups as standard dump files, so you can restore them using native tools (`mysql`, `pg_restore`, `mongorestore`, `redis-cli`) or any compatible client.

- [Restore a MySQL backup](https://simplebackups.com/docs/database-backup/mysql-backup/restore-a-mysql-backup): How to download and restore a MySQL dump file.

- [Restore a PostgreSQL backup](https://simplebackups.com/docs/database-backup/postgresql-backup/restore-a-postgresql-backup): How to download and restore a PostgreSQL dump file.

- [Restore a MongoDB backup](https://simplebackups.com/docs/database-backup/mongodb-backup/restore-a-mongodb-backup): How to download and restore a MongoDB dump file.