my-recipes/backend/AUTOMATIC_BACKUP.md

Automatic Backup System

✅ Setup Complete!

The backend now automatically runs backups when the application starts. No cron setup needed!

How It Works

When you start the backend:

cd backend
uvicorn main:app --reload

The backup scheduler starts automatically and you'll see:

⏰ Backup scheduler started: EVERY 1 MINUTE (testing mode)
⚠️  WARNING: Test mode active! Change BACKUP_INTERVAL to 'weekly' for production

Testing (Current Setting)

Currently set to: BACKUP_INTERVAL=test

• Runs every 1 minute
• Check backend console logs for backup status
• Check R2 bucket for new files

Expected console output:

[2025-12-21 15:30:45] INFO: Starting scheduled backup...
[2025-12-21 15:30:53] INFO: ✅ Scheduled backup completed: recipes_db_20251221_153045.sql.gz

Change to Production Schedule

After testing works, update .env:

# Change from:
BACKUP_INTERVAL=test

# To one of these:
BACKUP_INTERVAL=weekly    # Sunday at 2:00 AM (recommended)
BACKUP_INTERVAL=daily     # Every day at 2:00 AM
BACKUP_INTERVAL=disabled  # Turn off automatic backups

Then restart the backend:

# Stop current server (Ctrl+C)
# Start again
uvicorn main:app --reload

You'll see:

⏰ Backup scheduler started: WEEKLY on Sundays at 2:00 AM
✅ Backup scheduler is running

Available Options

Setting	Description	When it runs
test	Testing mode	Every 1 minute
daily	Daily backups	Every day at 2:00 AM
weekly	Weekly backups	Sundays at 2:00 AM
disabled	No automatic backups	Never (manual only)

Manual Backup Still Available

Admin users can still trigger manual backups from the Admin Panel in the UI, regardless of the automatic schedule.

Monitoring

Check if scheduler is running

Look for these messages in backend console when starting:

⏰ Backup scheduler started: ...
✅ Backup scheduler is running

Watch backup logs in real-time

The scheduled backups show in your backend console:

[2025-12-21 15:30:45] INFO: Starting scheduled backup...
[2025-12-21 15:30:53] INFO: ✅ Scheduled backup completed: recipes_db_20251221_153045.sql.gz

Verify backups are created

• Check R2 bucket in Cloudflare dashboard
• Look for files: recipes_db_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.sql.gz

Production Deployment

When deploying to production:

1. Update .env:

   BACKUP_INTERVAL=weekly
   

2. Keep the backend running:

   • Use systemd, docker, or process manager
   • The scheduler only runs while the backend is running

3. Using Docker:

   # In your Dockerfile or docker-compose.yml
   # No additional cron setup needed!
   # The app handles scheduling internally
   

Troubleshooting

"Backup scheduler is DISABLED"

• Check .env has BACKUP_INTERVAL set
• Not set to disabled

No backups running in test mode

• Check backend console for error messages
• Verify R2 credentials in .env
• Verify database credentials in .env
• Check that APScheduler is installed: pip install APScheduler

Backups not running at scheduled time

• Backend must be running 24/7
• Use systemd or docker in production
• Check server timezone matches expected schedule

Want to disable automatic backups

BACKUP_INTERVAL=disabled

Benefits Over Cron

✅ No external setup - Works immediately when backend starts ✅ Cross-platform - Works on Windows, Linux, Docker ✅ Easy testing - Just change one env variable ✅ Logs in console - See backup status in backend logs ✅ No permissions issues - Runs with same permissions as backend

Next Steps

1. Test now: Start backend and wait 1-2 minutes
2. Verify: Check console logs and R2 bucket
3. Switch to weekly: Change .env to BACKUP_INTERVAL=weekly
4. Restart backend: The new schedule takes effect