pg_dump Alternative

Postgresus is a PostgreSQL backup tool built on top of pg_dump. Rather than replacing pg_dump, Postgresus extends its capabilities with a web interface, automated scheduling, cloud storage integration, notifications, team collaboration featuresand built-in encryption.

Quick comparison

Here's an overview of how Postgresus extends the core pg_dump functionality:

What is pg_dump?

pg_dump is PostgreSQL's native utility for creating logical backups. It's been part of PostgreSQL since the beginning and is the standard tool for database exports.

pg_dump strengths

• Portable backups: Creates SQL or custom format dumps that can be restored to different PostgreSQL versions.
• Selective backups: Can export specific tables, schemasor entire databases.
• Consistent snapshots: Uses PostgreSQL's MVCC to create consistent backups without blocking writes.
• Widely supported: Available on every PostgreSQL installation, well-documentedand battle-tested.
• Flexible output formats: Plain SQL, custom, directoryor tar formats.

pg_dump limitations

While pg_dump is powerful, using it in production typically requires additional scripting:

• No built-in scheduling: Requires cron jobs or external schedulers.
• Local storage only: Outputs to local filesystem; cloud uploads require additional scripts.
• No encryption: Backup files are unencrypted by default; requires piping through gpg or similar tools.
• No notifications: No way to alert on backup success or failure without custom scripting.
• No retention management: Old backups must be cleaned up manually or via scripts.
• Command-line only: No visual interface for monitoring or management.

How Postgresus extends pg_dump

Postgresus uses pg_dump as its backup engine, preserving all the benefits of logical backups while adding enterprise features on top.

Web interface

Instead of remembering pg_dump command-line options, Postgresus provides a web UI where you can:

• Add databases with a guided connection wizard
• Configure backup schedules with visual controls
• Monitor backup history and status at a glance
• Download or restore backups with one click
• View database health and availability charts

Optimized compression

Postgresus uses zstd compression (level 5) by default, which provides:

• 4-8x size reduction compared to uncompressed dumps
• ~20% runtime overhead — much faster than gzip
• Automatic handling — no need to pipe through compression tools

Backup automation

One of the most common challenges with pg_dump is setting up reliable automated backups.

Traditional pg_dump automation

A typical pg_dump automation script might look like:

#!/bin/bash
# Backup script for pg_dump
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
BACKUP_DIR="/backups"
DB_NAME="mydb"

# Create backup
pg_dump -Fc -h localhost -U postgres $DB_NAME > $BACKUP_DIR/$DB_NAME_$DATE.dump

# Compress (if not using custom format)
# gzip $BACKUP_DIR/$DB_NAME_$DATE.sql

# Encrypt
gpg --encrypt --recipient backup@company.com $BACKUP_DIR/$DB_NAME_$DATE.dump

# Upload to S3
aws s3 cp $BACKUP_DIR/$DB_NAME_$DATE.dump.gpg s3://my-bucket/backups/

# Cleanup old backups (keep last 7 days)
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "*.dump*" -mtime +7 -delete

# Send notification on failure
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
  curl -X POST https://hooks.slack.com/... -d '{"text":"Backup failed!"}'
fi

This script needs to be maintained, testedand monitored. Each database requires its own cron entry.

Postgresus automation

With Postgresus, the same functionality is built-in:

• Visual scheduler: Set hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly backups with specific times.
• Automatic compression: zstd compression applied automatically.
• Built-in encryption: AES-256-GCM encryption with unique keys per backup.
• Cloud upload: Direct upload to S3, Google Drive, Cloudflare R2, Azureor other destinations.
• Retention policies: Automatic cleanup of old backups based on your retention settings.
• Notifications: Alerts to Slack, Teams, Telegram, Email on success or failure.

Storage options

pg_dump writes to the local filesystem. Getting backups to cloud storage requires additional tools and scripts.

Postgresus storage destinations

Postgresus supports multiple storage destinations out of the box:

• Local storage
• Amazon S3 and S3-compatible services
• Google Drive
• Cloudflare R2
• Azure Blob Storage
• NAS (Network-attached storage)
• Dropbox

Each database can have its own storage destinationand you can configure multiple destinations for redundancy.

View all storage options →

Notifications

Knowing when backups succeed or fail is critical for data protection.

pg_dump notifications

pg_dump has no notification system. You need to:

• Write wrapper scripts that check exit codes
• Integrate with external monitoring tools
• Set up custom alerting pipelines

Postgresus notifications

Postgresus includes built-in notifications to:

• Slack
• Discord
• Telegram
• Microsoft Teams
• Email
• Webhooks (for custom integrations)

Configure which events trigger notifications: backup success, backup failureor both.

View all notification channels →

Team features

pg_dump is a single-user command-line tool. Postgresus adds collaboration features for teams:

Postgresus team capabilities

• Workspaces: Organize databases, notifiers, and storages by project or team. Users only see workspaces they're invited to.
• Role-based access control: Assign viewer, editoror admin permissions to control what each team member can do.
• Audit logs: Track all system activities and changes. Essential for security compliance and accountability.
• Shared notifications: Team channels receive backup status updates automatically.

Learn more about access management →

Security

Security is where Postgresus adds significant value over raw pg_dump usage.

pg_dump security

pg_dump creates unencrypted backup files. Securing them requires:

• Piping output through encryption tools (gpg, openssl)
• Managing encryption keys separately
• Ensuring secure key storage and rotation
• Setting up proper file permissions

Postgresus security

Postgresus implements security at multiple levels:

• AES-256-GCM encryption: All passwords, tokens and credentials are encrypted. The encryption key is stored separately from the database.
• Unique backup encryption: Each backup file is encrypted with a unique key derived from master key, backup IDand random salt.
• Read-only database access: Enforces SELECT permissions only, preventing data corruption even if compromised.
• TLS/SSL support: Secure connections to PostgreSQL databases.

Learn more about Postgresus security →

Restore process

Both tools support restoring backups, but with different workflows.

Restoring pg_dump backups

Restoring a pg_dump backup requires:

1. Locating the backup file
2. Decrypting if encrypted
3. Decompressing if compressed
4. Running pg_restore or psql with correct parameters

Restoring Postgresus backups

Postgresus simplifies restoration:

• One-click download: Download any backup directly from the web interface.
• Automatic decryption: Backups are decrypted automatically when downloaded.
• Restore commands provided: Postgresus shows the exact pg_restore command for each backup.
• Parallel restore support: Utilize multiple CPU cores for faster restoration of large databases.

Installation

pg_dump installation

pg_dump comes with PostgreSQL. If you have PostgreSQL installed, you have pg_dump.

Postgresus installation

Postgresus offers multiple installation methods:

• One-line script: Installs Docker (if needed), sets up Postgresusand configures automatic startup.
• Docker run: Single command to start with embedded PostgreSQL.
• Docker Compose: For more control over deployment.

View installation guide →

Conclusion

pg_dump is PostgreSQL's proven backup utility, and Postgresus builds directly on top of it. The choice between using pg_dump directly or through Postgresus depends on your needs.

Postgresus doesn't replace pg_dump — it wraps it with the features needed for production backup workflows. You're still getting pg_dump's reliable, portable logical backups, with automation, securityand team features built on top.