# Operations
URL: https://usememos.com/docs/operations

Keep your Memos instance running as its data and usage grow. These pages connect the application's architecture to practical work: recovering memos and attachments, changing versions, and investigating slow or unreliable behavior.

<Cards>
  <Card title="Architecture" href="/docs/operations/architecture" icon="Network">
    Understand how the frontend, API, database, and attachment storage fit together.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Backup & Restore" href="/docs/operations/backup-restore" icon="Database">
    Back up the database, attachments, and deployment configuration, then verify a restore.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Upgrade" href="/docs/operations/upgrade" icon="RefreshCw">
    Prepare for migrations, replace the running version, and check the instance after startup.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Performance Tuning" href="/docs/operations/performance-tuning" icon="Activity">
    Investigate database contention, storage, and deployment constraints before changing settings.
  </Card>
</Cards>

## Choose the question you need to answer [#choose-the-question-you-need-to-answer]

| If you want to know…                                       | Start with…                                               |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Which parts of the system store data or handle requests?   | [Architecture](/docs/operations/architecture)             |
| What do I need to recover a complete instance?             | [Backup & Restore](/docs/operations/backup-restore)       |
| How do I move to a new version and prepare for migrations? | [Upgrade](/docs/operations/upgrade)                       |
| Where should I look when the instance becomes slow?        | [Performance Tuning](/docs/operations/performance-tuning) |

Establish and test a restore procedure before your first upgrade. Memos applies database migrations at startup; after a migration, recovery depends on restoring a compatible backup rather than simply restarting the older binary. Include every attachment store still in use in that recovery plan.

For a specific failure, start with [Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting). For planned database or storage changes, return to [Configuration](/docs/configuration).