Backup, export and restore

The data in your AuraDB instance can be backed up, exported, and restored using snapshots.

A snapshot is a copy of the data in an instance at a specific point in time.

The Snapshots tab within an AuraDB instance shows a list of available snapshots.

To access the Snapshots tab:

  1. Navigate to the Neo4j Aura Console in your browser.

  2. Select the instance you want to access.

  3. Select the Snapshots tab.

Snapshots are kept in the system for 7 days for Professional instances, and 60 days for Enterprise instances. Only the latest snapshot is available for Free instances.

Snapshot types

Scheduled

AuraDB Professional AuraDB Enterprise

A Scheduled snapshot is a snapshot that is automatically triggered when you first create an instance, when changes to the underlying system occur (for example, a new patch release), and at a cadence depending on your plan type.

Scheduled snapshots are run automatically once a day for Professional instances and once an hour for Enterprise instances. Only one scheduled snapshot is retained per day after 7 days for Enterprise instances.

For AuraDB Enterprise database instances running Neo4j v4.x, from day 0 to 7 scheduled snapshots run automatically once every 6 hours. From day 8 to 60, snapshots run once a day.

Load

AuraDB Professional AuraDB Enterprise

A Load snapshot is a snapshot that is automatically triggered when you load a dump file from the Import Database tab of an instance or when you run the Neo4j Admin database upload command.

On Demand

An On Demand snapshot is a snapshot that you manually trigger by selecting Take snapshot from the Snapshots tab of an instance.

Snapshot actions

Restore

Restoring a snapshot overwrites the data in your instance, replacing it with the data contained in the snapshot.

You can restore data in your instance to a previous snapshot by selecting Restore next to the snapshot you want to restore.

Restoring a snapshot requires you to confirm the action by typing RESTORE and selecting Restore.

Export/Create

By selecting the ellipses (…​) button next to an existing snapshot, you can:

  • Export - Download the instance as .dump file, allowing you to store a local copy and work on your data offline.

  • Create instance from snapshot - Create a new AuraDB instance using the data from the snapshot.

The ability to Export or Create an instance from a Scheduled Enterprise snapshot is limited to 14 days.

Additionally, for Enterprise instances running Neo4j version 5, the ability to export or create an instance from a Scheduled snapshot is limited to the first full snapshot, taken once per day.