You can protect your AlloyDB Omni data using any database backup technology that works with PostgreSQL. For example, you can configure AlloyDB Omni to allow
connections from a Barman server that you control. This enables the Barman server to perform continuous backups of the data stored in your AlloyDB Omni server.
After you configure your Barman and AlloyDB Omni servers to work together, you can subsequently run Barman commands to accomplish a variety of data-protection and disaster-recovery tasks, including the following:
Create an on-demand backup of your data.
Set up synchronous WAL streaming of your data changes to your backup server.
Restore from a specific backup.
Perform a point-in-time restoration.
For more information about the operation of Barman, see the Barman manual.
Before you begin
Before configuring AlloyDB Omni to work with Barman, you need the following:
Barman installed on a separate server. The server that you installed Barman on must be able to communicate with the AlloyDB Omni server over TCP.
Configure AlloyDB Omni to work with Barman
To prepare your AlloyDB Omni server to work with Barman, run the following commands on the server where you have
installed AlloyDB Omni.
Create the barman database user, with the appropriate privileges:
Docker
dockerexecCONTAINER_NAMEpsql-hlocalhost-Upostgres-c"CREATE USER barman;GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_backup_start(text, boolean) to barman;GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_backup_stop(boolean) to barman;GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_switch_wal() to barman;GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_create_restore_point(text) to barman;GRANT pg_read_all_settings TO barman;GRANT pg_read_all_stats TO barman;CREATE USER streaming_barman WITH REPLICATION;"
Replace CONTAINER_NAME with the name that you assigned to the AlloyDB Omni container when you installed it.
Podman
podmanexecCONTAINER_NAMEpsql-hlocalhost-Upostgres-c"CREATE USER barman;GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_backup_start(text, boolean) to barman;GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_backup_stop(boolean) to barman;GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_switch_wal() to barman;GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_create_restore_point(text) to barman;GRANT pg_read_all_settings TO barman;GRANT pg_read_all_stats TO barman;CREATE USER streaming_barman WITH REPLICATION;"
Replace CONTAINER_NAME with the name that you assigned to the AlloyDB Omni container when you installed it.
Add the following lines in the DATA_DIR/pg_hba.conf file before the host all all all scram-sha-256 line that exists in the file:
host all barman BARMAN_IP/32 AUTHN_METHOD
host replication streaming_barman BARMAN_IP/32 AUTHN_METHOD
Replace the following:
DATA_DIR: the file system path used for the AlloyDB Omni data directory.
BARMAN_IP: the IP address of the Barman server.
AUTHN_METHOD: the PostgreSQL authentication method
that your AlloyDB for PostgreSQL server expects from the Barman server.
We recommend one of the following values:
To allow the Barman server to authenticate without a password, use trust.
To require a password from the Barman server, use scram-sha-256.
Add the following lines to the DATA_DIR/postgresql.conf file:
Replace CONTAINER_NAME with the name that you assigned to the AlloyDB Omni container when you installed it.
Confirm the necessary parameters are all set appropriately by running
the following command:
Docker
dockerexecCONTAINER_NAMEpsql-hlocalhost-Upostgres-c"SELECT name, setting FROM pg_catalog.pg_settings WHERE name IN ('archive_command', 'archive_mode', 'listen_addresses', 'wal_level') ORDER BY name;"
Podman
podmanexecCONTAINER_NAMEpsql-hlocalhost-Upostgres-c"SELECT name, setting FROM pg_catalog.pg_settings WHERE name IN ('archive_command', 'archive_mode', 'listen_addresses', 'wal_level') ORDER BY name;"
The output is as follows:
name | setting
------------------|-----------
archive_command | /bin/true
archive_mode | on
listen_addresses | *
wal_level | replica
(4 rows)
Set up the Barman backup server
To set up and configure Barman to work with your AlloyDB Omni server,
run the following commands on your Barman server.
Verify that the streaming replication connection works:
Replace CONFIGURATION_TAG with the configuration tag that you chose in the previous step.
Barman is now configured to work with your AlloyDB Omni server.
To check the replication status, create manual backups, and perform other tasks,
see General commands.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-28 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThis guide outlines how to configure AlloyDB Omni to work with Barman, an open-source backup server, for data protection and disaster recovery on single-server deployments.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eYou can use Barman to create on-demand backups, set up synchronous WAL streaming, restore from backups, and perform point-in-time restoration for AlloyDB Omni data.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eConfiguration involves creating \u003ccode\u003ebarman\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003estreaming_barman\u003c/code\u003e users with specific privileges within AlloyDB Omni, and then modifying the \u003ccode\u003epg_hba.conf\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003epostgresql.conf\u003c/code\u003e files to allow connections from the Barman server.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe Barman server must be set up to connect to AlloyDB Omni using the designated \u003ccode\u003ebarman\u003c/code\u003e and \u003ccode\u003estreaming_barman\u003c/code\u003e users, and then use \u003ccode\u003ebarman receive-wal\u003c/code\u003e to create a replication slot and start receiving the WAL stream.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eBefore starting the process, ensure both AlloyDB Omni and Barman are installed on separate servers, and that the Barman server can communicate with the AlloyDB Omni server via TCP.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Set up Barman for AlloyDB Omni\n\nSelect a documentation version: 15.5.5keyboard_arrow_down\n\n- [Current (16.8.0)](/alloydb/omni/current/docs/install-configure-barman)\n- [16.8.0](/alloydb/omni/16.8.0/docs/install-configure-barman)\n- [16.3.0](/alloydb/omni/16.3.0/docs/install-configure-barman)\n- [15.12.0](/alloydb/omni/15.12.0/docs/install-configure-barman)\n- [15.7.1](/alloydb/omni/15.7.1/docs/install-configure-barman)\n- [15.7.0](/alloydb/omni/15.7.0/docs/install-configure-barman)\n- [15.5.5](/alloydb/omni/15.5.5/docs/install-configure-barman)\n- [15.5.4](/alloydb/omni/15.5.4/docs/install-configure-barman)\n- [15.5.2](/alloydb/omni/15.5.2/docs/install-configure-barman)\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nThis page shows you how to protect your data by configuring AlloyDB Omni to work with [Barman](https://pgbarman.org/), an open-source database backup server.\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n\n| The information on this page applies only to AlloyDB Omni for containers. It does not apply to AlloyDB Omni for Kubernetes.\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nYou can protect your AlloyDB Omni data using any database backup technology that works with PostgreSQL. For example, you can configure AlloyDB Omni to allow\nconnections from a Barman server that you control. This enables the Barman server to perform continuous backups of the data stored in your AlloyDB Omni server.\n\nAfter you configure your Barman and AlloyDB Omni servers to work together, you can subsequently [run Barman commands](https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/latest/#general-commands) to accomplish a variety of data-protection and disaster-recovery tasks, including the following:\n\n- Create an on-demand backup of your data.\n- Set up synchronous WAL streaming of your data changes to your backup server.\n- Restore from a specific backup.\n- Perform a point-in-time restoration.\n\nFor more information about the operation of Barman, see [the Barman manual](https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/latest/).\n\nBefore you begin\n----------------\n\nBefore configuring AlloyDB Omni to work with Barman, you need the following:\n\n- [AlloyDB Omni installed and running](/alloydb/omni/15.5.5/docs/install) on a server that you control.\n\n- [Barman installed](https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/latest/#installation) on a separate server. The server that you installed Barman on must be able to communicate with the AlloyDB Omni server over TCP.\n\nConfigure AlloyDB Omni to work with Barman\n------------------------------------------\n\nTo prepare your AlloyDB Omni server to work with Barman, run the following commands on the server where you have\ninstalled AlloyDB Omni.\n\n1. Create the `barman` database user, with the appropriate privileges:\n\n ### Docker\n\n docker exec \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e psql -h localhost -U postgres -c \"\n CREATE USER barman;\n GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_backup_start(text, boolean) to barman;\n GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_backup_stop(boolean) to barman;\n GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_switch_wal() to barman;\n GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_create_restore_point(text) to barman;\n GRANT pg_read_all_settings TO barman;\n GRANT pg_read_all_stats TO barman;\n CREATE USER streaming_barman WITH REPLICATION;\n \"\n\n Replace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e with the name that you assigned to the AlloyDB Omni container when you installed it.\n\n ### Podman\n\n podman exec \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e psql -h localhost -U postgres -c \"\n CREATE USER barman;\n GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_backup_start(text, boolean) to barman;\n GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_backup_stop(boolean) to barman;\n GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_switch_wal() to barman;\n GRANT EXECUTE ON FUNCTION pg_create_restore_point(text) to barman;\n GRANT pg_read_all_settings TO barman;\n GRANT pg_read_all_stats TO barman;\n CREATE USER streaming_barman WITH REPLICATION;\n \"\n\n Replace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e with the name that you assigned to the AlloyDB Omni container when you installed it.\n2. Add the following lines in the \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATA_DIR\u003c/var\u003e`/pg_hba.conf` file **before** the `host all all all scram-sha-256` line that exists in the file:\n\n host all barman \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eBARMAN_IP\u003c/var\u003e/32 \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eAUTHN_METHOD\u003c/var\u003e\n host replication streaming_barman \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eBARMAN_IP\u003c/var\u003e/32 \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eAUTHN_METHOD\u003c/var\u003e\n\n Replace the following:\n - \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATA_DIR\u003c/var\u003e: the file system path used for the AlloyDB Omni data directory.\n\n - \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eBARMAN_IP\u003c/var\u003e: the IP address of the Barman server.\n\n - \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eAUTHN_METHOD\u003c/var\u003e: the PostgreSQL authentication method\n that your AlloyDB for PostgreSQL server expects from the Barman server.\n We recommend one of the following values:\n\n - To allow the Barman server to authenticate without a password, use `trust`.\n\n - To require a password from the Barman server, use `scram-sha-256`.\n\n3. Add the following lines to the \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATA_DIR\u003c/var\u003e`/postgresql.conf` file:\n\n archive_command='/bin/true'\n archive_mode=on\n listen_addresses='*'\n wal_level='replica'\n\n4. Restart the AlloyDB Omni service:\n\n ### Docker\n\n docker restart \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e\n\n ### Podman\n\n podman restart \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e\n\n Replace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e with the name that you assigned to the AlloyDB Omni container when you installed it.\n5. Confirm the necessary parameters are all set appropriately by running\n the following command:\n\n ### Docker\n\n docker exec \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e psql -h localhost -U postgres -c \"\n SELECT name, setting\n FROM pg_catalog.pg_settings\n WHERE name IN ('archive_command',\n 'archive_mode',\n 'listen_addresses',\n 'wal_level')\n ORDER BY name;\"\n\n ### Podman\n\n podman exec \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONTAINER_NAME\u003c/var\u003e psql -h localhost -U postgres -c \"\n SELECT name, setting\n FROM pg_catalog.pg_settings\n WHERE name IN ('archive_command',\n 'archive_mode',\n 'listen_addresses',\n 'wal_level')\n ORDER BY name;\"\n\n The output is as follows: \n\n name | setting\n ------------------|-----------\n archive_command | /bin/true\n archive_mode | on\n listen_addresses | *\n wal_level | replica\n (4 rows)\n\nSet up the Barman backup server\n-------------------------------\n\nTo set up and configure Barman to work with your AlloyDB Omni server,\nrun the following commands on your Barman server.\n\n1. Verify that the streaming replication connection works:\n\n psql -h \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATABASE_IP\u003c/var\u003e -U streaming_barman -c \"IDENTIFY_SYSTEM\" replication=1\n\n The output is similar to the following: \n\n systemid | timeline | xlogpos | dbname\n ---------------------+----------+------------+--------\n 7265722823667040273 | 1 | 0/1F0AFCD0 |\n (1 row)\n\n2. Ensure that Barman can connect to the AlloyDB Omni server as the `barman` database user.\n\n psql -t -h \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATABASE_IP\u003c/var\u003e -U barman -d postgres -c \"SELECT 'Connected as: '||current_user\"\n\n Replace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATABASE_IP\u003c/var\u003e with the IP address of your AlloyDB Omni server.\n\n The output is similar to the following: \n\n Connected as: barman\n\n3. [Configure the Barman backup server](https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/latest/#setup-of-a-new-server-in-barman) according to your needs and preferences.\n\n Your configuration must include the following settings:\n - Set `conninfo` to connect to the AlloyDB Omni `postgres` database as the `barman` user.\n - Set `streaming_conninfo` to use the `streaming_barman` user.\n - Configure other directives required to enable WAL streaming, as directed by the Barman documentation.\n\n The following minimal but complete example modifies [a streaming-configuration example from the Barman documentation](https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/latest#examples-of-configuration): \n\n [\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONFIGURATION_TAG\u003c/var\u003e]\n description = \"Backup settings for my AlloyDB Omni server\"\n conninfo = host=\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATABASE_IP\u003c/var\u003e user=barman dbname=postgres\n streaming_conninfo = host=\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATABASE_IP\u003c/var\u003e user=streaming_barman\n backup_method = postgres\n streaming_archiver = on\n slot_name = barman\n\n Replace the following:\n - \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONFIGURATION_TAG\u003c/var\u003e: a short tag to identify this server configuration when running `barman` commands---for example, `omni`.\n\n - \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eDATABASE_IP\u003c/var\u003e: the IP address of your AlloyDB Omni server.\n\n4. Switch to the `barman` user.\n\n sudo su - barman\n\n5. Use [the `barman receive-wal` command](https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/3.10.0/#receive-wal) to create a replication slot, and then\n begin receiving a WAL stream from the database server:\n\n barman receive-wal --create-slot \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONFIGURATION_TAG\u003c/var\u003e\n barman receive-wal \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONFIGURATION_TAG\u003c/var\u003e &\n\n Replace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eCONFIGURATION_TAG\u003c/var\u003e with the configuration tag that you chose in the previous step.\n\nBarman is now configured to work with your AlloyDB Omni server.\nTo check the replication status, create manual backups, and perform other tasks,\nsee [General commands](https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/latest/#general-commands).\n\nFor example, to create a manual backup, run [the `barman backup` command](https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/latest/#backup).\n\nWhat's next\n-----------\n\n- [Restore an AlloyDB Omni cluster using Barman](/alloydb/omni/15.5.5/docs/clone-omni-barman)"]]