Back up PostgreSQL to Google Drive.
Google Drive is familiar storage, handy for small teams (via rclone). Here are two ways to get your PostgreSQL data there — the manual command line, and a hands-off, encrypted, verified setup with xbackupman.
The manual way
Dump PostgreSQL to stdout, gzip it, and stream it straight to Google Drive (no temp file):
pg_dump -h HOST -U USER mydb | gzip | rclone rcat gdrive:backups/OBJECTThis works, but it's the easy 20%. You still own the hard 80%: encryption, scheduling, retention, failure alerts, and proving the backup actually restores. Restore is the reverse: gunzip | psql into an empty database.
The automated way
With xbackupman you connect your PostgreSQL database and your Google Drive bucket once, pick a schedule, and it handles the rest — AES-256-GCM encryption before upload, SHA-256 verification, retention (including GFS), anomaly detection, and one-click restore. Your backups live in your own Google Drive; we just orchestrate.
- 1. Add your PostgreSQL connection (host, port 5432, credentials — encrypted at rest).
- 2. Add your Google Drive bucket as a storage target.
- 3. Set a schedule and retention. Done — backups run and verify themselves.
FAQ
Is a plain PostgreSQL dump piped to Google Drive encrypted?
No. A raw PostgreSQL dump uploaded to Google Drive is stored as-is — anyone with bucket access can read it. xbackupman encrypts every backup with AES-256-GCM inside the worker before upload, so only ciphertext ever reaches Google Drive.
How do I know the backup will actually restore?
The manual command gives you no guarantee. xbackupman records a SHA-256 checksum and can re-download, decrypt and decompress the backup to prove it's restorable before you ever need it.
Can I schedule this and prune old copies automatically?
The command above is one-shot. xbackupman runs it on any cron schedule (down to minutes), applies simple or grandfather-father-son retention, and alerts you if a backup fails or looks anomalous.