# Backups and updates

Preserve data and control external effects after restoration.

URL: /docs/operations

The administrator owns backup scheduling, retention and off-host storage. Postdot
provides commands for consistent database backups and complete bundles that can
include managed media.

Keep the deployment secrets separately. Restoring a database does not reconstruct
lost encryption keys or undo an action that already happened at a provider.

A restored instance starts with a recovery hold. Inspect the restored state and
external outcomes before explicitly resuming delivery. Do not remove the hold
merely to make the scheduler start again.

Before upgrading, take a backup and keep the matching previous image or source
revision. Replacing the image does not reverse a database migration.

Use the verified [installation guide](/docs/installation/) for the backup,
restoration and update commands. Published image versions remain future work.