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    Data Management:Logical backup and recovery for cross-cloud or self-managed MariaDB databases

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    Data Management:Logical backup and recovery for cross-cloud or self-managed MariaDB databases

    Last Updated:Mar 30, 2026

    When your MariaDB database runs on a third-party cloud or in your own infrastructure, Data Disaster Recovery (DBS) gives you a managed backup and restore service without requiring you to operate backup tooling yourself. This topic explains how to configure a logical backup schedule for your MariaDB database, then restore data from that schedule to a target database.

    Prerequisites

    Before you begin, make sure that you have:

    • Purchased a Data Disaster Recovery backup schedule with Data Source Type set to MariaDB and Backup Method set to Logical Backup. For details, see Create a backup schedule

    • A database account with permissions to back up the source database

    • (For incremental backups) Binary logging enabled on the source database. To verify, run the following command on your MariaDB instance. If log_bin returns OFF, enable binary logging before enabling incremental backup.

      SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'log_bin';

    Configure a backup schedule

    1. Log on to the Data Management (DMS) console V5.0.

    2. In the top navigation bar, choose Security and Specifications (DBS) > Disaster Recovery for Data (DBS) > Backup Plan.

      If you use the DMS console in simple mode, move the pointer over the 2023-01-28_15-57-17.png icon in the upper-left corner and choose All Features > Security and Specifications (DBS) > Disaster Recovery for Data (DBS) > Backup Plan.

    3. On the Backup Schedules page, find the backup schedule you want to configure and click Configure Backup Schedule in the Actions column.

      image.png

    4. In the Configure Backup Source and Destination step, set the parameters described in the following tables and click Next.

      Backup source

      Parameter Description
      Schedule Name The name of the backup schedule. Data Disaster Recovery generates a name automatically. Enter a descriptive name that is easy to identify. Names do not need to be unique.
      Backup Mode The backup method. Defaults to Logical Backup based on your purchase selection.
      Database Location How the source database is accessed. Options: No public network IP: Port's self-built database (accessed through the database gateway) — requires the Gateway instance ID parameter; configure a database gateway in advance. User-Created Database with Public IP Address \<IP Address:Port Number\> — requires Address and Port Number. ECS-Hosted Database — requires ECS Instance ID and Port Number. Express Connect DB/VPN Gateway/Intelligent Gateway — requires the Peer VPC parameter; configure a virtual private cloud (VPC) in advance. PolarDB — requires the PolarDB Instance ID parameter.
      Instance Region The region where the source database resides. Displayed only when Database Location is set to RDS Instance, PolarDB, ECS-Hosted Database, or No public network IP: Port's self-built database (accessed through the database gateway).
      Database Type The source database type. Default: MySQL. Displayed when Database Location is not set to RDS Instance.
      Gateway instance ID The ID of the database gateway. Displayed only when Database Location is No public network IP: Port's self-built database (accessed through the database gateway).
      Peer VPC The VPC where the source database resides. Displayed only when Database Location is Express Connect DB/VPN Gateway/Intelligent Gateway.
      ECS Instance ID The ID of the Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance running the source database. Displayed only when Database Location is ECS-Hosted Database.
      PolarDB Instance ID The ID of the PolarDB cluster to back up.
      Address The endpoint for connecting to the source database. If firewall rules are configured on the database server, click Set Whitelist to get the CIDR blocks used by Data Disaster Recovery, then add them to the server's whitelist. Displayed when Database Location is No public network IP: Port's self-built database (accessed through the database gateway), Express Connect DB/VPN Gateway/Intelligent Gateway, or User-Created Database with Public IP Address \<IP Address:Port Number\>.
      Port Number The port for connecting to the source database.
      Database Account The username of the account used to connect to the source database. The account must have backup permissions. For ApsaraDB RDS databases, read-only permissions are sufficient for backup; read and write permissions are required for backup and restoration.
      Password The password for the database account. After entering your credentials, click Test Connection to verify connectivity. Test Passed confirms the settings are valid. If Test Failed appears, click Check next to it and correct the settings.
      Compliance warranty regarding cross-border data transfers Read and accept the compliance commitment by selecting the check box.

      Backup destination

      Parameter Description
      Backup Storage Type Where backup data is stored. DBS Storage (recommended): Data Disaster Recovery manages storage without requiring an Object Storage Service (OSS) bucket. Billed by data volume. See Storage fees. OSS For User: Requires an existing OSS bucket (Standard storage class only). See Create buckets. If you select OSS For User, also set the OSS Bucket Name parameter. For large data volumes, a subscription storage plan is more cost-efficient than pay-as-you-go billing.
      Storage Encryption The encryption method for stored data. Encrypted (recommended): uses AES-256 with OSS server-side encryption. Non-encrypted: data is stored without encryption.

      image

    5. In the Edit Backup Objects step, select the databases or tables to back up in the Available section and move them to the Selected section. Click Next.

      With logical backup, you can back up individual tables, individual databases, multiple databases, or the entire instance. Click Select All in the lower-left corner of the Available section to select all objects. For the supported backup granularity, see Supported database types and features. Databases created after the backup schedule is configured are not included automatically — add them later on the Edit Backup Objects page. See Modify backup objects.

    6. In the Configure Backup Time step, set the following parameters and click Next.

      Important

      For point-in-time recovery, use Periodic Backup with at least one full backup per week. Longer intervals between full backups mean more binary logs to replay during recovery, which increases recovery time objective (RTO) and the risk of errors. Incremental backup requires binary logging enabled on the source database — verify this before enabling it (see Prerequisites).

      Parameter Description
      Full-scale Backup Frequency Periodic Backup: runs backups on a recurring schedule. Single Backup: runs one backup.
      Full Data Backup Recurrence The days of the week when Data Disaster Recovery runs full backups. Select at least one day. Required when Full-scale Backup Frequency is Periodic Backup.
      Start At The time when full backups start. Schedule during off-peak hours to minimize database impact (example: 01:00). If a previous backup is still running when the next scheduled start time arrives, Data Disaster Recovery skips that run. Required when Full-scale Backup Frequency is Periodic Backup.
      Incremental Backup Enable to back up binary log changes between full backups. Requires binary logging enabled on the source database. Displayed only when Full-scale Backup Frequency is Periodic Backup.
      Maximum Concurrent Threads for Full Data Backup The maximum number of threads for a full backup. Reduce this value to minimize the impact on database performance during backup.
      Backup network speed limit The maximum network bandwidth for backup transfers, in MB/s. The default value 0 means unlimited. Displayed only for MySQL databases.

    7. In the Edit Lifecycle step, configure the retention period for full backup data. If you enabled Incremental Backup in the previous step, also configure the retention period for incremental backup data.

    8. Click Precheck in the lower-right corner of the page.

    9. When Precheck Passed appears, click Start Task. The backup schedule is active when its status changes to Running.

      If an error occurs when starting the backup schedule, resolve it promptly. See How do I fix errors for an abnormal backup schedule? If the issue persists, contact technical support in the DingTalk group (ID: 35585947).

    Restore a MariaDB database

    Important

    Restoring a database writes data to the destination database. If an object in the backup has the same name as an object in the destination, Data Disaster Recovery renames the restored object in the format <original_name>_dbs_<restore_task_ID>_<timestamp>. Test restores on a non-production database before applying them to production.

    1. Log on to the DMS console V5.0.

    2. In the top navigation bar, choose Security and Specifications (DBS) > Disaster Recovery for Data (DBS) > Backup Plan.

      If you use the DMS console in simple mode, move the pointer over the 2023-01-28_15-57-17.png icon in the upper-left corner and choose All Features > Security and Specifications (DBS) > Disaster Recovery for Data (DBS) > Backup Plan.

    3. On the Backup Schedules page, find the backup schedule and click Manage in the Actions column.

    4. On the Configure Task page, click Restore Database in the upper-right corner.

    5. In the Set Time Restored To step, set the parameters described in the following tables and click Next.

      Recovery point

      Parameter Description
      Task Name The name of the restore task. Data Disaster Recovery generates a name automatically. Enter a descriptive name that is easy to identify. Names do not need to be unique.
      Time Range Available to Restore The time range from the point in time when the first full backup set is created to the point in time when the latest full backup set is created. With incremental backup enabled, you can restore to any point within this range. With incremental backup disabled, you can only restore to a point when a full backup completed.
      Restore To The target point in time for the restore. Must fall within the Time Range Available to Restore.

      Destination database

      Parameter Description
      Database Location The location of the destination database. Options: RDS Instance, User-Created Database with Public IP Address \<IP Address:Port Number\>, ECS-Hosted Database, Express Connect DB/VPN Gateway/Intelligent Gateway, No public network IP: Port's self-built database (accessed through the database gateway). Make sure the destination database is running before proceeding.
      Instance Region The region where the destination database resides.
      RDS Instance ID The ID of the destination ApsaraDB RDS instance.
      Database Account The username of the account used to connect to the destination database. The account must have write permissions.
      Password The password for the destination database account.
      Compliance warranty regarding cross-border data transfers Read and accept the compliance commitment by selecting the check box.

      image.png

    6. In the Configure Objects to Restore step, set the following parameters and click Precheck.

      Parameter Description
      Conflict Handling Defaults to Rename Object with the Same Name. For example, if a table named job_info already exists in the destination, the restored table is renamed to job_info_dbs_<restore_task_ID>_<timestamp>.
      Objects to Restore Select the databases or tables to restore in the Available section and move them to the Selected section. Data Disaster Recovery supports table-level and database-level restore granularity for MariaDB, which reduces the amount of data to transfer and shortens RTO. For details, see Supported database types and features.

    7. When Precheck Passed appears in the Precheck dialog box, click Start Task. To monitor progress, click Restore Tasks in the left-side navigation pane. Restoration time depends on the backup schedule specifications and the database size — a higher-spec backup schedule completes restores faster. For benchmark data, see Performance tests on logical backup and physical backup.

    API reference

    You can also create and manage backup schedules through the API:

    What's next