# Backup & Restore
URL: https://usememos.com/docs/operations/backup-restore

Your backup plan depends on both the database backend and the attachment storage backend.

## Default data directory layout [#default-data-directory-layout]

```
~/.memos/
├── memos_prod.db   # SQLite database (default)
└── assets/         # Uploaded files and attachments
```

The location is controlled by `MEMOS_DATA`. Override it at runtime or use the default.

## What to back up [#what-to-back-up]

* the database itself
* local attachment storage when attachments are not stored in the database
* deployment configuration such as environment variables, compose files, and proxy config

## SQLite backup [#sqlite-backup]

The safest offline approach is to stop Memos and copy the database file:

```bash
sudo systemctl stop memos
tar -czf memos-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C ~/.memos .
sudo systemctl start memos
```

For online backups while Memos is running, use SQLite's built-in `.backup` command which handles WAL mode correctly:

```bash
sqlite3 ~/.memos/memos_prod.db ".backup ~/.memos/memos_backup.db"
```

Automated daily backup with 7-day retention:

```bash
#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/memos"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
MEMOS_DATA="${MEMOS_DATA:-$HOME/.memos}"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
sqlite3 "$MEMOS_DATA/memos_prod.db" ".backup $BACKUP_DIR/memos-$DATE.db"
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/assets-$DATE.tar.gz" -C "$MEMOS_DATA" assets
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "memos-*.db" -mtime +7 -delete
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "assets-*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete
```

Add to cron: `0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup-memos.sh`

## MySQL backup [#mysql-backup]

```bash
# Backup
mysqldump -u memos_user -p memos_db | gzip > memos-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql.gz
tar -czf assets-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C ~/.memos assets

# Restore
gunzip < memos-backup.sql.gz | mysql -u memos_user -p memos_db
tar -xzf assets-backup.tar.gz -C ~/.memos
```

## PostgreSQL backup [#postgresql-backup]

```bash
# Backup
pg_dump -U memos_user -d memos_db -F c -f memos-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).dump
tar -czf assets-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C ~/.memos assets

# Restore
pg_restore -U memos_user -d memos_db memos-backup.dump
tar -xzf assets-backup.tar.gz -C ~/.memos
```

## Recovery mindset [#recovery-mindset]

Backups only matter if restore is realistic. Keep enough information to answer:

* where the data lived
* which database driver was in use
* whether attachments were in the database, on disk, or in object storage
* how the instance URL and proxy were configured

## Operational advice [#operational-advice]

* test restore at least once before you depend on the backup plan
* record the storage backend alongside the backup process
* treat attachment recovery as a first-class part of restore, not an afterthought