Point In Time Restore

Point In Time Restore (PITR) is a database recovery technique that allows restoring a database to a specific moment in time, rather than just to the last full backup. It works by combining a full backup with transaction log backups to replay or roll back transactions up to a precise timestamp. This capability is crucial for recovering from data corruption, accidental deletions, or other errors that occur after the last backup.

Also known as: PITR, Point-in-Time Recovery, Time-Based Restore, Timestamp Recovery, PIT Recovery

Why learn Point In Time Restore?

Developers should learn and use PITR when building or managing applications that require high data availability and minimal data loss, such as financial systems, e-commerce platforms, or healthcare databases. It is essential for meeting Recovery Point Objective (RPO) requirements, enabling recovery to seconds before an incident, and is commonly implemented in relational databases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Server for disaster recovery scenarios.

Learning Resources

• docs: PostgreSQL Point-in-Time Recovery Documentation
• tutorial: MySQL Point-in-Time Recovery Tutorial
• course: SQL Server Point in Time Restore Course on Pluralsight
• docs: AWS RDS Point-in-Time Recovery Overview
• video: Point-in-Time Recovery Explained (YouTube Video)