TableGripSchema & operations
Backup & restore
Back up and restore databases with pg_dump and mysqldump, and schedule backups that run on their own.
Right-click a connection → Back Up… or Restore…. TableGrip drives the database's own tools, so a backup made here is a normal dump you can restore anywhere.
#What each database uses
| Database | Back up | Restore |
|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | pg_dump: custom, plain SQL or parallel directory format | pg_restore (choose which tables and objects to restore from a custom or directory backup) or psql |
| MySQL / MariaDB | mysqldump / mariadb-dump with --single-transaction, including routines, triggers and events | mysql |
| SQLite | VACUUM INTO, a consistent copy of the file | |
| DuckDB | EXPORT DATABASE |
The dialog shows the equivalent command so you can copy it and run it yourself.
#Restoring safely
- Restores go into a new database by default, so an existing one is never overwritten by accident.
- Read-only connections can't be restored into.
- On Production, you have to type the target database's name again to confirm.
- A cancelled or failed backup deletes its partial file.
#Passwords and tunnels
Passwords are passed through PGPASSWORD or an owner-only --defaults-extra-file that is deleted afterwards, never on
the command line, where other users on the machine could see them. SSH tunnels work just as they do for the
connection itself.
Every run is logged to ~/.tablegrip/logs/backup/.
#Client tools
TableGrip never bundles pg_dump or mysqldump. It looks for them on your PATH and in the usual places (Homebrew,
Postgres.app, the EDB and MySQL installers, /usr/lib/postgresql), and picks the newest pg_dump that can read the
server's version.
Settings → Tools lists every copy it found and lets you choose one by hand.
#When no suitable pg_dump is installed
TableGrip offers to download the official PostgreSQL client tools (EDB's builds for macOS and Windows, pinned by
SHA-256). It tells you where they come from, how big they are and under which license, and only downloads after you
confirm. Only pg_dump, pg_restore, psql and their libraries (about 28 MB) are kept, in ~/.tablegrip/tools/, and
you can remove them from the same settings page.
Note
MySQL's client tools are GPL licensed and are never downloaded for you. Install them yourself, for example with
brew install mysql-client on macOS.
#Scheduled backups
Turn on scheduled backups in Settings → Backups. They are off until you do.
- Each schedule backs up one connection every hour, day or week while TableGrip is open.
- It keeps the newest N backups, deleting only its own older ones.
- A backup missed while the app was closed runs soon after it opens.
- The schedule says what would stop it from running: no tools, no saved password, or a folder it can't write to.