{
  "slug": "backup-verification",
  "term": "Backup verification",
  "aliases": [
    "backup integrity verification"
  ],
  "definition": "Backup verification checks stored backup material against specified integrity and completeness rules.",
  "note": "A passing result describes the checks performed, not proven application recovery. PostgreSQL 18 pg_verifybackup checks a manifest, files and required WAL; WAL parsing is version-specific and supported for plain-format backups, not tar backups. Record any --no-parse-wal, --skip-checksums or --ignore options. It deliberately ignores postgresql.auto.conf, standby.signal and recovery.signal, so success does not validate recovery configuration.",
  "status": "shipping",
  "supersedes": [],
  "supersededBy": [],
  "firstSeen": null,
  "lastSeen": null,
  "updated": "2026-10-13",
  "advantages": [
    {
      "text": "Can identify missing or altered files before recovery is attempted.",
      "citationIds": [
        "verify"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    {
      "text": "Does not replace a restore test.",
      "citationIds": [
        "verify"
      ]
    },
    {
      "text": "A result is conditional on a trustworthy manifest.",
      "citationIds": [
        "base"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "backup-manifest",
    "restore-test",
    "incremental-backup",
    "immutability-storage",
    "data-scrubbing"
  ],
  "citations": [
    {
      "id": "verify",
      "title": "PostgreSQL 18: pg_verifybackup, checks and exclusions",
      "url": "https://www.postgresql.org/docs/18/app-pgverifybackup.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-13"
    },
    {
      "id": "base",
      "title": "PostgreSQL 18: pg_basebackup, manifest checksums and trust",
      "url": "https://www.postgresql.org/docs/18/app-pgbasebackup.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-13"
    },
    {
      "id": "hesela-backup-evidence",
      "title": "Hesela: Backup verification is not a restore test",
      "url": "https://hesela.com/analyses/backup-verification-is-not-a-restore-test/",
      "accessed": "2026-10-13"
    }
  ]
}