Backup for Docker Compose Installation

Prerequisites

Stop Write Operations (Optional but Recommended)

Before backing up, set Harbor/MSR4 to read-only mode to prevent data inconsistencies.

  • Enable Read-Only Mode in Harbor:

    1. Log in as an administrator.

    2. Go to Administration → Configuration.

    3. Under System Settings, enable Repository Read-Only mode.

    4. Click Save.

Backup Components

A complete backup includes:

  • Registry Storage (Images and Artifacts)

  • Harbor Databases (PostgreSQL and Redis)

  • Configuration Files

Backup Registry Storage (Default: /data)

If using filesystem storage, copy the image storage directory:

tar -czvf harbor-registry-backup.tar.gz /data

If using an S3-compatible backend, ensure retention policies exist on the object storage.

Backup Databases (PostgreSQL and Redis)

MSR4/Harbor uses PostgreSQL and Redis. Backup them separately.

Backup PostgreSQL:

docker exec -t harbor-db pg_dumpall -U harbor > harbor-db-backup.sql

Backup Redis (if needed - used for caching/session storage):

docker exec -t harbor-redis redis-cli save
cp /var/lib/redis/dump.rdb harbor-redis-backup.rdb

Backup Configuration Files

Back up the configuration and TLS certs from the install directory (typically /etc/harbor/):

tar -czvf harbor-config-backup.tar.gz /etc/harbor/

Restore Process

If disaster recovery is needed, follow these steps:

  1. Stop Running Containers:

    docker compose down

  2. Restore Registry Storage:

    tar -xzvf harbor-registry-backup.tar.gz -C /

  3. Restore PostgreSQL Database:

    cat harbor-db-backup.sql | docker exec -i harbor-db psql -U postgres -d registry

    Use -d registry to restore into the correct database.

  4. Restore Redis (if needed):

    cp harbor-redis-backup.rdb /var/lib/redis/dump.rdb

  5. Restore Configuration Files:

    tar -xzvf harbor-config-backup.tar.gz -C /

  6. Restart Harbor:

    docker compose up -d

  7. Automate and Schedule Backups

    For regular automated backups, use cron jobs.

  8. Edit the crontab

    crontab -e

  9. Add a scheduled task to run nightly at 2 AM:

    0 2 * * * /bin/bash -c "tar -czvf /backup/harbor-registry-$(date +\%F).tar.gz /data && docker exec -t harbor-db pg_dumpall -U harbor > /backup/harbor-db-$(date +\%F).sql"

How Long Will This Take?

Component

Estimated Time

Configuration Files (/etc/harbor/)

<1 minute

PostgreSQL DB Backup

1-5 minutes (depends on size)

Redis Backup

<1 minute

Registry Storage (/data/)

Varies (Minutes to Hours for TBs)