How to Restore a Redshift Backup in PostgreSQL

How do I restore a backup in Amazon Redshift?

Restoring a Redshift backup recreates a cluster or reloads data from a snapshot or SQL dump into a new or existing environment.

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Description

Why would you restore a backup in Redshift?

Disaster recovery, data corruption, or environment cloning often require restoring a Redshift snapshot or SQL dump. Snapshots rebuild an entire cluster, while SQL dumps let you reload only selected objects.

Which restore options does Redshift provide?

You can 1) create a new cluster from an automatic/manual snapshot, or 2) replay a .sql dump with psql.Choose snapshots for full-cluster recovery and psql for granular control.

How to restore a snapshot with the AWS Console?

Open Redshift ➜ Snapshots ➜ pick snapshot ➜ Restore. Specify Cluster identifier, node type, VPC, and port. The service spins up a new cluster and automatically loads all data.

How to restore a snapshot with AWS CLI?

Run aws redshift restore-from-cluster-snapshot --cluster-identifier ecommerce-restore --snapshot-identifier ecommerce-snap-2023-09-01 --node-type ra3.xlplus --port 5439 --publicly-accessible.Monitor status with describe-clusters.

How to restore a logical backup with psql?

Create an empty target database, then execute psql -h endpoint -U admin -d ecommerce -f ecommerce_backup.sql.The script re-creates tables like Customers, Orders, and inserts the data.

Best practices for Redshift restores

Enable automated snapshots, keep manual snapshots before major DDL, restore to a staging cluster first, and validate row counts using queries such as SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Orders.

What common mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid restoring to the original cluster without backups of current data, and remember to open security-group ingress for your IP when replaying a psql dump.

Why How to Restore a Redshift Backup in PostgreSQL is important

How to Restore a Redshift Backup in PostgreSQL Example Usage


psql -h redshift-cluster.cg034hpkmmjt.us-east-1.redshift.amazonaws.com -U admin -d ecommerce -p 5439 -f ecommerce_backup_20230901.sql

How to Restore a Redshift Backup in PostgreSQL Syntax


-- Snapshot restore via AWS CLI
aws redshift restore-from-cluster-snapshot \
  --cluster-identifier <new_cluster_name> \
  --snapshot-identifier <snapshot_id> \
  [--node-type ra3.xlplus|dc2.large] \
  [--port 5439] \
  [--publicly-accessible|--no-publicly-accessible] 

-- Logical restore with psql (ecommerce example)
psql -h redshift-cluster.abc.us-east-1.redshift.amazonaws.com \
     -U admin \
     -d ecommerce \
     -p 5439 \
     -f ecommerce_backup_20230901.sql

Common Mistakes

Opening a new cluster with the same identifier as the source—this overwrites the existing cluster. Always pick a unique <code>--cluster-identifier</code> or rename the original before restoring.
Forgetting to allow inbound traffic on port 5439 when replaying a <code>psql</code> dump, resulting in connection timeouts. Update the VPC security group to permit your IP.