PostgreSQL 17 introduces native incremental backup support, and SQLBackupAndFTP v12.7.34 fully integrates with this new functionality to make backups faster and more efficient.
Previously, incremental backups in PostgreSQL were possible only via WAL-based archiving, which was more complex to set up and manage. With PostgreSQL 17’s new built-in incremental backup mechanism, SQLBackupAndFTP can now perform incrementals directly using PostgreSQL’s own capabilities — no continuous WAL archiving required.
Official PostgreSQL documentation: pg_basebackup — Incremental Backups in PostgreSQL 17
Key benefits:
- Uses PostgreSQL 17’s native incremental backup functionality.
- No dependency on WAL archiving for incremental backups.
- Smaller backup sizes and faster execution times.
- Easy to automate alongside full and incremental backups.
- Compatible with all major cloud storage providers (AWS S3, Azure Blob, Google Cloud, etc.).
How to use incremental backups in PostgreSQL 17 with SQLBackupAndFTP:
- Upgrade to latest version of SQLBackupAndFTP — Download here.
- Make sure your PostgreSQL version is 17 or newer.
- Enable the
summarize_waloption in PostgreSQL configuration (see our step-by-step guide here). - Schedule your backups — for example, weekly full + hourly incremental.
When to use incremental backups:
- Large databases where full backups take too long or are too large.
- Systems needing frequent restore points without heavy storage usage.