Guides / Compare / pgBackRest

SafeGrd vs pgBackRest

pgBackRest is the open-source standard for physical PostgreSQL backups. SafeGrd takes logical backups of PostgreSQL and more, restores them on a schedule to test them, and runs from one install command with a console and alerts.

Feature	SafeGrd	pgBackRest
Scheduled restore tests	Yes	No
Tables and row counts checked after restore	Yes	Checksums only
Console, alerts and a status badge	Yes	No
Encrypted by default	Yes	Off by default
Every backup written under Object Lock	Yes	No
Each backup uploads only what changed	Yes	Yes
Restore one table into a running database	Yes	No
Restores into a newer PostgreSQL major version	Yes	No
MySQL, MongoDB, SQLite, files and mailboxes	Yes	No
Signed record you can verify offline	Yes	No
A locked snapshot before an AI agent’s destructive command	Yes	No
Restore tests run for you, with no server of your own	Yes	No
Point-in-time recovery	No	Yes

pgBackRest is the better fit when you need point-in-time recovery or the database is too large to dump. Running both works well: SafeGrd needs only a read-only role and can read from a replica (Databases), which gives you a tested logical copy, with the schema's roles, owners and grants, next to pgBackRest's physical one.

Why teams add SafeGrd

pgbackrest verify checks file checksums. It does not restore. SafeGrd restores the newest backup and counts every row (Restore and Fire Drills).
A logical copy loads into an empty database on any server, which a physical backup of the cluster's files cannot. One table loads into a database that is running, with restore --table (Databases).
Each PostgreSQL backup uploads only the chunks of each table that changed, and can skip reading tables nobody wrote (the change log). Each backup is a restore point, with nothing between two backups.
One place for PostgreSQL and everything else you run (Surfaces).

pgBackRest details come from its documentation and repository.

SafeGrd vs pgBackRest

Why teams add SafeGrd

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