Backup Types

To ensure data reliability:

GaussDB(for MySQL) supports multiple backup types. Automated backup is enabled by default. For details about automated backup, see Configuring a Same-Region Backup Policy.
GaussDB(for MySQL) periodically creates full backups and incremental backups for your instance. You can restore data to a specific point of time using a backup. For details, see Restoring Instance Data to a Specific Point in Time.
GaussDB(for MySQL) backs up data at the DB instance level.
Automated and manual backup files cannot be downloaded.

Based on different dimensions, there are the following backup types:

Full backup and incremental backup based on data volume
Manual backup and automated backup based on backup methods
Same-region backup and cross-region backup based on backup regions

**Table 1** Comparison of backup types
Backup Type	Enabled by Default	Retention Period	Description	How to View
Full backups	Yes	Full backups are retained till the retention period expires.	A full backup is to back up all data of your DB instance in the current point of time. You can use a full backup to restore the complete data generated when the backup was created. Full backups include automated backups and manual backups.	Click the instance name. On the Backups page, click the Full Backups tab and view the backup size.
Incremental backups	Yes	Incremental backups are retained till the retention period expires.	GaussDB(for MySQL) automatically backs up the updated data since the last automated or incremental backup was made every five minutes or after a certain amount of data is reached. Incremental backups are automated backups.	Click the instance name. On the Backups page, click the Incremental Backups tab and view the backup size.
Same-region backups	Yes	1 to 732 days	Backup files are stored in the same region as the DB instance. Same-region backup (automated backup) is enabled by default and cannot be disabled.	If cross-region backup is available: Click Backups in the left navigation pane. On the Same-Region Backups tab, view the backup size. If cross-region backup is not available: Click Backups in the left navigation pane and view the backup size.
Cross-region backups	No	1 to 1,825 days	GaussDB(for MySQL) can store backup files in a region different from the region where your instance is located. After you enable cross-region backup, the backup files are automatically stored in the region you specify.	Click Backups in the left navigation pane. On the Cross-Region Backups tab, view the backup size. NOTE: To configure cross-region backup policies, contact customer service.
Automated backups	Yes	1 to 732 days	GaussDB(for MySQL) saves automated backups based on the retention period you specified.	-
Manual backups	Yes	Manual backups are always retained until you delete them manually.	Manual backups are user-initiated full backups of instances. They are retained until you delete them manually.	-