Create a Full Backup for Redis on KubeBlocks

This guide demonstrates how to create and validate full backups for Redis clusters on KubeBlocks using the pg-basebackup method through both:

• The Backup API (direct backup operations)
• The OpsRequest API (managed backup operations with enhanced monitoring)

We will cover how to restore data from a backup in the Restore From Full Backup guide.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following:

• Environment Setup:
  • A Kubernetes cluster is up and running.
  • The kubectl CLI tool is configured to communicate with your cluster.
  • KubeBlocks CLI and KubeBlocks Operator are installed. Follow the installation instructions here.
• Namespace Preparation: To keep resources isolated, create a dedicated namespace for this tutorial:

kubectl create ns demo
namespace/demo created

Deploy a Redis Cluster

KubeBlocks uses a declarative approach for managing Redis Replication Clusters. Below is an example configuration for deploying a Redis Replication Cluster with two components, redis and redis sentinel.

Apply the following YAML configuration to deploy the cluster:

apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1
kind: Cluster
metadata:
  name: redis-replication
  namespace: demo
spec:
  terminationPolicy: Delete
  clusterDef: redis
  topology: replication
  componentSpecs:
    - name: redis
      serviceVersion: "7.2.4"
      disableExporter: false
      replicas: 2
      resources:
        limits:
          cpu: '0.5'
          memory: 0.5Gi
        requests:
          cpu: '0.5'
          memory: 0.5Gi
      volumeClaimTemplates:
        - name: data
          spec:
            storageClassName: ""
            accessModes:
              - ReadWriteOnce
            resources:
              requests:
                storage: 20Gi
    - name: redis-sentinel
      replicas: 3
      resources:
        limits:
          cpu: '0.5'
          memory: 0.5Gi
        requests:
          cpu: '0.5'
          memory: 0.5Gi
      volumeClaimTemplates:
        - name: data
          spec:
            storageClassName: ""
            accessModes:
              - ReadWriteOnce
            resources:
              requests:
                storage: 20Gi

Verifying the Deployment

Monitor the cluster status until it transitions to the Running state:

kubectl get cluster redis-replication -n demo -w

Expected Output:

NAME                CLUSTER-DEFINITION   TERMINATION-POLICY   STATUS    AGE
redis-replication   redis                Delete               Running   3m49s

Check the pod status and roles:

kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=redis-replication -L  kubeblocks.io/role -n demo

Expected Output:

NAME                                 READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE     ROLE
redis-replication-redis-0            3/3     Running   0          3m38s   primary
redis-replication-redis-1            3/3     Running   0          3m16s   secondary
redis-replication-redis-sentinel-0   2/2     Running   0          4m35s
redis-replication-redis-sentinel-1   2/2     Running   0          4m17s
redis-replication-redis-sentinel-2   2/2     Running   0          3m59s

Once the cluster status becomes Running, your Redis cluster is ready for use.

Backup Prerequisites

Before creating backups, ensure:

1. Backup repository is configured:

   • BackupRepo resource exists
   • Network connectivity between cluster and repository
   • BackupRepo status shows "Ready"

2. Cluster is ready:

   • Cluster status is "Running"
   • No ongoing operations (scaling, upgrades, etc.)

Identify Backup Configuration

Check available backup policies and schedules:

# List backup policies
kubectl get backuppolicy -n demo -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=redis-replication

# List backup schedules
kubectl get backupschedule -n demo -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=redis-replication

Expected Output:

NAME                                    BACKUP-REPO   STATUS      AGE
redis-replication-redis-backup-policy                 Available   17m

NAME                                              STATUS      AGE
redis-replication-redis-backup-schedule           Available   60m

View supported backup methods in the BackupPolicy CR 'redis-replication-redis-backup-policy':

kubectl get backuppolicy redis-replication-redis-backup-policy -n demo -oyaml | yq '.spec.backupMethods[].name'

List of Backup methods

KubeBlocks Redis supports these backup methods:

Backup via Backup API

1. Create On-Demand Backup

The datafile method uses redis BGSAVE command to perform a full backup and upload backup file using datasafed push.

Apply this manifest to create a backup:

apiVersion: dataprotection.kubeblocks.io/v1alpha1
kind: Backup
metadata:
  name: redis-backup-datafile
  namespace: demo
spec:
  backupMethod: datafile
  backupPolicyName: redis-replication-redis-backup-policy
  # Determines whether the backup contents stored in the backup repository should be deleted
  # when the backup custom resource(CR) is deleted. Supported values are `Retain` and `Delete`.
  # - `Retain` means that the backup content and its physical snapshot on backup repository are kept.
  # - `Delete` means that the backup content and its physical snapshot on backup repository are deleted.
  deletionPolicy: Delete

2. Monitor Backup and Verify Completion

Track progress until status shows "Completed":

kubectl get backup redis-backup-datafile  -n demo -w

Example Output:

NAME                    POLICY                                  METHOD     REPO            STATUS      TOTAL-SIZE   DURATION   DELETION-POLICY   CREATION-TIME          COMPLETION-TIME        EXPIRATION-TIME
redis-backup-datafile   redis-replication-redis-backup-policy   datafile   <BACKUP_REPO>   Completed   3412         10s        Delete            2025-05-17T09:24:59Z   2025-05-17T09:25:08Z

3. Validate Backup

Confirm successful completion by checking:

• Backup status shows "Completed"
• Backup size matches expectations
• Check files in the BackupRepo

The Backup resource records details including:

• Storage path
• Time range
• Backup file size

Backup via OpsRequest API

1. Create On-Demand Backup

Execute a backup using the OpsRequest API with the 'pg-basebackup' method:

apiVersion: operations.kubeblocks.io/v1alpha1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: redis-replication-backup
  namespace: demo
spec:
  clusterName: redis-replication
  force: false
  backup:
    backupPolicyName: redis-replication-redis-backup-policy
    backupMethod: datafile
    deletionPolicy: Delete
    retentionPeriod: 1mo
  type: Backup

2. Monitor Backup Progress

1. Monitor Operation Status

Track backup progress in real-time:

kubectl get ops redis-replication-backup  -n demo -w

Expected Output:

NAME                       TYPE     CLUSTER             STATUS    PROGRESS   AGE
redis-replication-backup   Backup   redis-replication   Succeed   -/-        35s

• A STATUS of 'Succeed' indicates the backup operation completed successfully.

2. Verify Completion

Check the final backup status:

kubectl get backup -n demo -l operations.kubeblocks.io/ops-name=redis-replication-backup

Example Output:

NAME                                           POLICY                                  METHOD     REPO            STATUS      TOTAL-SIZE   DURATION   DELETION-POLICY   CREATION-TIME          COMPLETION-TIME        EXPIRATION-TIME
backup-demo-redis-replication-20250517092706   redis-replication-redis-backup-policy   datafile   <BACKUP_REPO>   Completed   3458         10s        Delete            2025-05-17T09:27:06Z   2025-05-17T09:27:16Z   2025-06-16T09:27:16Z

• The backup status should show 'Completed'.

3. Validate Backup

Confirm successful completion by checking:

• Backup status shows "Completed"
• Backup size matches expectations
• Files in the BackupRepo

The Backup resource records details including:

• Storage path
• Time range
• Other metadata

Summary

This guide covered:

1. Deploying a replication Redis cluster
2. Creating full backups using:
   • Direct Backup API
   • Managed OpsRequest API
3. Monitoring and validating backups

Your Redis data is now securely backed up and ready for restoration when needed.