External PostgreSQL databases

When Red Hat Edge Manager uses an external PostgreSQL instance instead of the bundled database container, database backup and restore remain your organization’s responsibility.

Backup behavior
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flightctl-backup detects an external database connection and does not run pg_dump against that instance. The command logs "External database detected - database backup skipped" and continues to collect PKI materials, service configuration, and other deployment artifacts. The resulting archive does not contain db/dump.sql, and metadata.json shows "databaseIncluded": false.

Restore behavior
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flightctl-restore <archive> restores PKI and configuration from the archive. If the archive does not contain db/dump.sql, the restore command prints instructions for restoring the external database before you complete device reconciliation.

Recommended practice
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Coordinate with your database administrators so that:

  • Database RPO and RTO match your Red Hat Edge Manager control plane objectives.
  • Restore order is documented: typically restore the external database to a consistent point, then run flightctl-restore with the archive. If your runbook restores the database in the same maintenance window, follow a single tested procedure.
  • Connection strings and credentials in service configuration after restore match the recovered database instance.