YugabyteDB Anywhere Incremental Backups 101

YugabyteDB Anywhere offers a self-managed deployment option that allows users to handle aspects like data location and security while Yugabyte manages database operations. The blog explores the process of creating incremental backups in YugabyteDB Anywhere, which are based on filesystem differences rather than specific SQL changes, to reduce time and storage needs. Incremental backups, which only include data changed since the previous backup, can be done more frequently than full backups, helping meet Restore Point Objectives. These backups involve capturing YSQL schema dumps, snapshot exports, and copying SST files from Tablet Leader nodes, all stored in Azure Blob Storage. The size of incremental backups can vary due to factors like compaction and tablet leader changes, but they are linked to full backups, which affect their retention and expiry dates. Incremental backups provide a cost-effective alternative to full backups by reducing the storage footprint and enabling more frequent backups without significant impact on resources, thus supporting tighter Recovery Point and Recovery Time Objectives.