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pg_dump and pg_restore have confusing workflows and incomplete backup defaults

5/10 Medium

PostgreSQL backup and restore tools have counter-intuitive workflows: pg_dump by default does not include global objects like roles, so backups are incomplete unless users manually dump additional information. pg_dumpall doesn't support custom format, and pg_restore requires non-obvious flags like -C to create databases. File naming conventions (.backup) are inconsistent with documentation.

PostgreSQLpg_dumppg_restorepg_dumpall
Category
docs
Workaround
hack
Stage
deploy
Freshness
persistent
Scope
single_lib
Recurring
Yes
Buyer Type
individual
Maintainer
slow

Sources

Collection History

Query: “What are the most common pain points with PostgreSQL for developers in 2025?”3/29/2026

`pg_dump` should include global objects like roles that are referred to by the database being dumped, so that backups are complete and correct by default. `pg_dumpall` doesn't support the custom format... By default PostgreSQL database dumps cannot be restored correctly unless the user dumps additional information separately!

Created: 3/29/2026Updated: 3/29/2026