Microsoft Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server Introduces 10-Year Long-Term Retention Backups for Enhanced Security and Compliance

Microsoft Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server now offers Long-Term Retention (LTR) backups, enabling enterprises to securely retain backups for up to 10 years. This feature supports compliance, ransomware protection, and flexible restores across platforms using logical backups stored in Azure Backup Vaults. Unique :

Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server: Long-Term Backups Now GA

Microsoft just rolled out a game-changing feature for Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server. Long-Term Retention (LTR) backups are now generally available across all Azure regions. This update is a big deal for enterprises juggling compliance, audit readiness, and data durability.

What’s New with Long-Term Retention Backups?

LTR backups let you keep PostgreSQL backups for up to 10 years using Azure Backup service. Unlike the usual 35-day retention limit for Point-in-Time Restore, LTR is policy-driven and scalable. Plus, it offers immutability and soft delete protection, guarding your data against ransomware and accidental deletion.

“By using logical backups for long-term retention, you are gaining flexibility, future-proofing, and control over your data’s lifecycle.”

Now, Azure supports three backup types for PostgreSQL Flexible Server:

Automated Backups: Managed service snapshots, retained 7–35 days.
On-Demand Backups: Customer-initiated snapshots, retained 7–35 days.
Long-Term Backups: Logical backups using pg_dump, retained up to 10 years.

Why Logical Backups for LTR?

Logical backups use native PostgreSQL tools (pg_dump and pg_restore), which makes them version-independent and platform-agnostic. This means you can restore backups across different PostgreSQL versions, servers, or even on-premises setups. It’s open-source friendly and integrates tightly with Azure Backup Vaults for enhanced security.

“LTR leverages native PostgreSQL tools to create backups that are version-independent and platform-agnostic.”

How LTR Backups Work

When enabled, Azure Backup runs pg_dump on all databases in your flexible server. It captures data and metadata like schemas, roles, and tablespaces using a managed super user account. Backup files are securely stored in an Azure Backup Vault, designed specifically for long-term retention.

These backups include:

roles.sql – server-level roles
database.sql – schema and data dump
tablespace.sql – tablespace definitions
schema.sql – schema-only dump

Because the backups are in open-source formats, you can restore them anywhere: another flexible server, Azure VM, or on-prem PostgreSQL instance.

Setting Up and Restoring LTR Backups

Configuring LTR backups is straightforward from the Azure portal. First, create a Backup Vault with your preferred redundancy and immutability settings. Then, create a backup policy and assign your flexible server to it. Restoring involves moving backup files to an Azure Storage Account before restoring to a server.

Important Limitations

LTR restores currently only support “Restore as Files” to storage accounts.
Backup size limit is 1 TiB for LTR (larger databases need custom solutions).
LTR backups aren’t supported on replicas, only primary servers.
Daily backup schedules aren’t supported—only weekly, monthly, or yearly.
Tables with BYTEA columns larger than 500 MB aren’t supported.

Why This Matters for Tech Pros

This update brings enterprise-grade backup flexibility to Azure PostgreSQL users. It helps meet strict compliance rules like HIPAA and financial audits while protecting data against modern threats. Plus, it future-proofs your backup strategy across PostgreSQL versions and platforms.

Ready to take control of your PostgreSQL backups? Dive into Azure’s LTR backup setup today and safeguard your data for the long haul.

LTR backups use logical backups (pg_dump/pg_restore) for version-independent and platform-agnostic restores.

Backups include comprehensive metadata like roles, schemas, and tablespace definitions for complete recovery.

Azure Backup Vault ensures secure storage with immutability and soft delete protection features.

LTR backups can be configured via Azure portal with customizable retention policies and schedules.

Current limitations include a 1 TiB max database size and restore-as-files only, with future enhancements planned.

From the New blog articles in Microsoft Community Hub