Server backups and recovery guides
A backup job can succeed while recovery still fails. This collection follows the work needed to recover a self-hosted application, from assembling its data and configuration to checking that the restored service responds.
Start with a restore you can verify
For an existing Compose application, begin with the general recovery guide. If n8n is your first self-hosted service, start with the n8n guide instead. Database migration comes after you have a recovery point; monitoring helps you notice a failure once the service is running.
For developers running applications on a Linux server who can use SSH and Docker Compose. The guides use DigitalOcean Droplets, Spaces, or Managed PostgreSQL where the workflow calls for them.
Back Up a Docker Compose App and Test the Restore
Collect database exports, configuration, and files, then test them in an isolated restore.
A server snapshot can get a machine back. This guide keeps the application data, Compose files, and database dump you need to prove the app can return.
Run a Private n8n Server and Test the Restore
Apply the recovery workflow to n8n, including the encryption key needed for saved credentials.
A workflow server needs to survive a bad update or a lost Droplet. Keep its credentials, execution history, and configuration in an encrypted backup, then restore it somewhere safe.
Migrate n8n from SQLite to PostgreSQL on DigitalOcean with a tested cutover
Plan the move from SQLite to PostgreSQL with checks before switching the running service.
Changing one database setting is not a migration. Keep a verified recovery point, move the app data, and prove the new database before you retire the old one.
Monitor a Website with Uptime Kuma
Monitor the application from a separate server so an outage can still be detected.
A monitor on the same server as your app can disappear with the problem. Put Uptime Kuma elsewhere, then test the alert with a controlled failure.
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