Backup and restore your authentik instance

This guide outlines the critical components to back up and restore in authentik.

PostgreSQL database

Backup

• Role: Stores all persistent data (users, policies, configurations, etc.).
• Impact of Loss: Complete data loss, requiring full restoration to recover functionality.
• Backup Guidance:
  • Use PostgreSQL's native tools (pg_dump, pg_dumpall, or continuous archiving).
  • Exclude system databases: template0 and template1.
• Official Documentation: PostgreSQL Backup and Restore

Restore

• Restoration Importance: Essential for full recovery; authentik will not function without it.
• Restoration Guidance:
  • Use PostgreSQL's pg_restore or other official methods.

Redis database

Backup

• Role: Manages temporary data:
  • User sessions (lost data = users must reauthenticate).
  • Pending tasks (e.g., queued emails, outpost syncs).
• Impact of Loss: Service interruptions (e.g., users logged out), and potential permanent data loss (e.g., queued emails).
• Backup Guidance:
  • Use Redis' SAVE or BGSAVE.
• Official Documentation: Redis Persistence

Restore

• Restoration Importance: Service impact but no permanent data loss.
• Restoration Guidance:
  • Follow Redis' Import Data Guide to restore an RDB file.

Static directories

These directories are mounted as volumes in containerized installations and must be restored if they were part of the backup to maintain authentik’s expected functionality.

Directory	Purpose	Backup and Restore Notes
/media	Stores application icons, flow backgrounds, and uploaded files.	Only required if not using S3 external storage. External storage should be backed up using the AWS S3 Sync utility.
/certs	Stores TLS certificates in the filesystem.	Backup if you rely on these certificates present in the filesystem. Not needed if authentik has already imported them, as certificates are stored in the database.
/custom-templates	Stores custom changes to the authentik UI.	Required if you modified authentik's default appearance.
/blueprints	Stores blueprints.	Optional but recommended if using custom blueprints.