Backup & restore

Certeasy stores all persistent state in a single database plus a small set of files in the workdir. This page covers SQLite, the default driver. Postgres and SQL Server users should follow their standard DBA tooling — see the Other databases section.

What to back up

Path	Contents	Backup method
db.sqlite (+ -wal, -shm)	Default SQLite database	certeasy backup create (NOT raw copy)
<workdir>/server-certificate-cache/	Certmanager TLS bundles for the ACME endpoint	File copy
<workdir>/fakepki/	Fake PKI CA + key (only if running the fake authority)	File copy
<audit.path> (or <workdir>/audit.log)	Audit log (when enabled)	File copy
config.yml	Server configuration	File copy
Let's Encrypt cache	tls-certificate-manager.lets-encrypt.cache-dir, may be outside workdir	File copy if configured

The <workdir>/adcs/ directory is transient (CSR scratch files written by the adcs-cli connector, recreated on demand; the native connector writes nothing here) and must not be in your backup set.

The DB file itself must never be copied raw with the server running: the -wal and -shm companion files contain uncommitted writes and the result is corrupt. Always use certeasy backup create, which calls SQLite's VACUUM INTO to produce a self-contained snapshot.

certeasy backup create

certeasy backup create -f <config> --output <path>
                       [--check none|quick|full]   (default: quick)
                       [--allow-incomplete]

The command:

1. Loads the same config as the running server.
2. Runs the integrity check selected by --check.
3. If the check fails and --allow-incomplete is not set: exits non-zero without producing a file.
4. If the check fails and --allow-incomplete is set: prints a warning, produces the backup, and exits with code 2 (distinguishes from a clean success).
5. Runs VACUUM INTO against the destination path. SQLite refuses to overwrite an existing destination — pick a fresh filename.

Choosing --check

Level	SQL	Catches	Cost
none	(skip)	nothing	~0
quick	PRAGMA quick_check	B-tree, page, header corruption (~95% of issues)	30–50% of full
full	PRAGMA integrity_check	+ cross-checks indexes/data, FK validity	seconds on a nominal DB

No hard write-lock during the check. In WAL mode an integrity check is a read transaction — writers continue working. The actual cost is WAL pressure: the checkpoint is deferred while the check runs, so the -wal file grows, marginally slowing writes after several hundred MB. Negligible for a nominal Certeasy database.

Recommended cadence:

• quick every 4 hours during business hours
• full once a day (typically overnight)
• none only when paired with backup verify run asynchronously on the produced file

--allow-incomplete

Use this when a database is degrading and you want a snapshot for forensic purposes even if integrity checks fail. The exit code 2 is the signal that the backup exists but is suspect — your scheduled task should treat it as a distinct outcome from 0 (clean success) and 1 (no backup produced).

certeasy backup verify

certeasy backup verify --input <path>
                       [--check quick|full]   (default: full)
                       [--schema]

Runs against a backup file directly, without needing the server's config:

• Opens the file in read-only mode.
• Runs the integrity PRAGMA selected by --check.
• With --schema: also checks that the canonical Certeasy tables exist (catches "this is not a Certeasy DB" or partial backup).
• Exits 0 on success, non-zero with a message on stderr otherwise.

This enables a fast-backup pattern: run backup create --check none for speed, then verify the produced file in the background:

certeasy backup create -f config.yml --output backup.sqlite --check none
certeasy backup verify --input backup.sqlite --check full --schema

Procedure example (Windows Task Scheduler)

1. certeasy.exe backup create -f C:\certeasy\config.yml ^
                              --output D:\backups\db.sqlite
2. xcopy C:\certeasy\workdir\server-certificate-cache D:\backups\server-certificate-cache /E /I /Y
3. xcopy C:\certeasy\workdir\fakepki D:\backups\fakepki /E /I /Y
4. copy C:\certeasy\workdir\audit.log D:\backups\audit.log
5. copy C:\certeasy\config.yml D:\backups\config.yml

Steps 3–4 are conditional: skip step 3 if you are not using the fake PKI, skip step 4 if no audit log is configured. If your Let's Encrypt cache is outside the workdir, copy it too.

Restore (manual procedure)

There is no restore subcommand in v1: the procedure is a few file moves.

1. Stop the service: Stop-Service Certeasy.
2. Move the failed db.sqlite, db.sqlite-wal, db.sqlite-shm aside (do not delete them yet).
3. Copy the backup's db.sqlite to the workdir.
4. Delete any stale -wal and -shm files at the destination — those from the failed instance are no longer consistent with the restored DB.
5. Restore server-certificate-cache/ and (if applicable) fakepki/ from the backup.
6. Restore audit.log to its configured path.
7. Start the service: Start-Service Certeasy.
8. Tail the startup logs to confirm the license, schema migrations, and first request all succeed.
9. certeasy audit verify to confirm the audit log MAC chain end-to-end.

3-2-1-1 baseline

A safe backup posture for a production Certeasy:

• 3 copies of the data
• on 2 different storage media
• with 1 copy offsite
• and 1 copy offline or immutable

A test restore on a regular cadence (quarterly minimum) is the only way to prove your backup chain actually works. A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a backup.

Other databases

PostgreSQL

Out of scope for certeasy backup. Use standard PostgreSQL tooling:

• pg_dump for logical, point-in-time snapshots that are portable across PG versions.
• pg_basebackup plus WAL archiving for physical backups with PITR.

The workdir (certificate cache, fakepki, audit log, config) still needs the file-copy procedure above; only step 1 changes.

SQL Server

Out of scope for certeasy backup. Use standard SQL Server tooling:

• BACKUP DATABASE T-SQL with maintenance plans driven by SQL Server Agent.
• Full / differential / log backup chains depending on your RPO.

The workdir procedure is identical to SQLite.

PII and retention

The Certeasy database and audit log contain potentially personal data (account contact addresses, validation source IPs, user agents). Backups are subject to the same data-protection obligations as the live data — encrypt them at rest, restrict access, and apply a retention policy that matches your compliance requirements.