Backing up a Cloud SQL database – Backup and Restore Procedures

Backing up a Cloud SQL database
Follow these steps:

1. List your Cloud SQL instances:
   First, list your Cloud SQL instances to get the name of the instance you want to back up. Use the following command:

gcloud sql instances list

2. Start a backup:
   Now, initiate a backup for your Cloud SQL instance. Use the following command:

gcloud sql backups create –instance=[INSTANCE_NAME]

Replace [INSTANCE_NAME] with the name of your Cloud SQL instance that you obtained from the list command.
For example, let’s say your Cloud SQL instance is named my-instance. The command would be as follows:
gcloud sql backups create –instance=my-instance

This command triggers a backup for the specified Cloud SQL instance.

3. Monitor the backup’s status:
   You can monitor the status of your backup using the following command:

gcloud sql backups list –instance=[INSTANCE_NAME]

Replace [INSTANCE_NAME] with your Cloud SQL instance’s name. This command shows a list of backups and their statuses.
Here are some notes:
• Ensure that you have the necessary permissions to perform these operations
• Customize the instance’s name and other parameters based on your requirements
Restoring a Google Cloud SQL database involves selecting a specific backup and restoring it to your Cloud SQL instance. The following subsection walks through the steps to restore a Cloud SQL database using the gcloud command-line tool:
Prerequisites:
Make sure you have the gcloud command-line tool installed, and you’ve authenticated with your Google Cloud account.
Restoring a Cloud SQL database
Follow these steps:

1. List the available backups:
   List the available backups for your Cloud SQL instance. Use the following command:

“`bash
gcloud sql backups list –instance=[INSTANCE_NAME]
“`

Replace [INSTANCE_NAME] with the name of your Cloud SQL instance.
Here’s an example:

“`bash
gcloud sql backups list –instance=my-instance
“`

This command shows a list of backups and their statuses.

2. Restore the database:
   Choose a specific backup from the list and use the following command to restore it:

“`bash
gcloud sql backups restore [BACKUP_ID] –restore-instance=[NEW_INSTANCE_NAME]
“`

Replace [BACKUP_ID] with the ID of the backup you want to restore.
Replace [NEW_INSTANCE_NAME] with the name you want to give to the restored instance.
Here’s an example:

“`bash
gcloud sql backups restore my-instance-20210901-123456 –restore-instance=my-restored-instance
“`

This command restores the selected backup to a new Cloud SQL instance.

3. Monitor the restore status:
   You can monitor the status of the restore operation using the following command:

“`bash
gcloud sql operations list –instance=[NEW_INSTANCE_NAME]
“`

Replace [NEW_INSTANCE_NAME] with the name of your newly restored Cloud SQL instance.
Here’s an example:

“`bash
gcloud sql operations list –instance=my-restored-instance
“`

This command shows the status of the restore operation.
Here are some notes:
• Ensure that you have the necessary permissions to perform these operations
• Customize the instance names, backup IDs, and other parameters based on your requirements

4. Google Cloud Spanner:
   • Backup: Cloud Spanner offers continuous, incremental backups, allowing you to restore your database to any point in time within the backup retention window
   • Restore: PITR is supported, and you can choose a specific timestamp or a transaction to restore to