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Chat-based backup/restore is coming soon. While backup APIs exist for managed databases, full Monk chat integration is still in development. This guide shows the planned experience and current manual operations.

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Future Chat-Based Backups

When fully integrated, you’ll be able to ask Monk: 
back up my database

show me available backups

restore from the latest backup
This natural language interface is being built.

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Current Manual Operations

Today, backup/restore operations require using integration-specific actions or provider consoles. → Databases

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Managed Database Backups Today

Many managed databases include automated backups by default: MongoDB Atlas M10+:
  • Daily automated backups
  • Configurable retention
  • Point-in-time restore available
AWS RDS:
  • Daily automated backups (1-35 days)
  • Manual snapshots
  • Point-in-time restore
DigitalOcean:
  • Daily automated backups (7-day retention)
  • No additional configuration needed
Check your provider’s integration docs for backup details:

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Databases with Backup Support

The following managed databases have backup/restore APIs:

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Production-Ready Backup APIs

MongoDB Atlas (M10+ dedicated clusters)
  • ✅ Automated daily backups
  • ✅ On-demand snapshots
  • ✅ Point-in-time restore
  • ❌ M0/M2/M5 free tier (no backup API)
AWS RDS (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle)
  • ✅ Automated daily backups (1-35 days retention)
  • ✅ Manual snapshots
  • ✅ Point-in-time restore
  • ✅ Cross-region replication
DigitalOcean Managed Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis)
  • ✅ Automated daily backups (7-day retention)
  • ✅ Fork-based restore (creates new cluster)
  • ✅ Point-in-time restore (PostgreSQL/MySQL only)
GCP Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
  • ✅ Automated backups
  • ✅ On-demand snapshots
  • ✅ Point-in-time restore
Azure Cosmos DB
  • ✅ Continuous backup (30 days retention)
  • ✅ Periodic backup mode
  • ✅ Point-in-time restore
Redis Cloud (Pro tier)
  • ✅ Remote backups to S3/GCS/Azure
  • ✅ Scheduled backups
  • ✅ Import/restore from backup
AWS DynamoDB
  • ✅ On-demand backups
  • ✅ Point-in-time restore
  • ✅ Continuous backups

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Using Backups Today

Currently, use integration-specific actions via templates or provider consoles: MongoDB Atlas example: See MongoDB Atlas Integration - includes actions for get-backup-info, create-snapshot, list-snapshots, restore AWS RDS example: See AWS RDS Integration - includes actions for backup management DigitalOcean example: See DigitalOcean Databases - includes actions for list-backups, restore

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Self-Hosted Databases

For containerized databases:
  • No automated backup API
  • Use manual procedures:
    • mongodump/mongorestore for MongoDB
    • pg_dump/pg_restore for PostgreSQL
    • mysqldump for MySQL
  • Volume snapshots (cloud provider level)

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Backup Best Practices

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Before Major Changes

Always back up before:
  • Database migrations
  • Schema changes
  • Version upgrades
  • Infrastructure changes
back up my database before migration

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Test Your Backups

Regularly verify backups can be restored: 
restore latest backup to a test database
Monk can restore backups to separate instances for testing without affecting production.

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Monitor Backup Status

Check backup health regularly: 
when was my last backup?

show me failed backups

what's my backup size?

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Automate Pre-Deployment Backups

For critical deployments, ask Monk to back up automatically: 
always back up database before deploying

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Backup Information by Provider

Each managed database provider offers different backup information: MongoDB Atlas Console:
  • View snapshots in Backup tab
  • Shows snapshot ID, date, size, status
  • Point-in-time restore window
  • Retention policy settings
AWS RDS Console:
  • Automated backups section
  • Manual snapshots list
  • Latest restorable time
  • Backup window configuration
DigitalOcean Control Panel:
  • Backups tab per database cluster
  • 7-day automated backups listed
  • Fork (restore) option per backup
  • Point-in-time selections (PostgreSQL/MySQL)
Redis Cloud Console:
  • Backup configuration in database settings
  • Remote backup schedule
  • S3/GCS/Azure backup locations
  • Import/restore interface

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Common Backup Practices

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Pre-Migration Safety

Before switching database providers, ensure you have a recent backup: For MongoDB Atlas M10+:
  • Automated daily backups are already running
  • Create on-demand snapshot via Atlas console or API if needed
For AWS RDS:
  • Automated backups enabled by default (if backup_retention_period > 0)
  • Create manual snapshot via AWS console or RDS API
For self-hosted:
  • Use mongodump, pg_dump, or mysqldump before migration
  • Store backup files securely

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Production Backup Checklist

Before deploying to production:
  • ✅ Verify automated backups are enabled (check provider console)
  • ✅ Confirm retention period meets your requirements
  • ✅ Test restore procedure (practice on staging)
  • ✅ Document backup locations and access credentials
  • ✅ Set up monitoring for backup failures (if available)

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Testing Restores

Critical: Test that you can actually restore from backups:
  1. Create test database instance
  2. Restore from backup to test instance
  3. Verify data integrity
  4. Document the restore process
  5. Time the restore (know how long it takes)
Don’t wait for an emergency to learn restore doesn’t work.

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Backup Storage Costs

Backup storage has costs: MongoDB Atlas:
  • Backup storage charged separately from cluster
  • Scales with data size
  • Check Atlas billing for costs
AWS RDS:
  • Free backup storage up to DB instance size
  • Additional storage charged at standard rates
DigitalOcean:
  • 7-day backups included
  • No additional backup storage charges
Redis Cloud:
  • Remote backup storage (S3/GCS/Azure) charged by provider
  • Not included in Redis Cloud subscription

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Next Steps