Configuration Reference#

Barman follows a convention over configuration approach, which simplifies configuration by allowing some options to be defined globally and overridden at the server level. This means you can set a default behavior for your servers and then customize specific servers as needed. This design reduces the need for excessive configuration while maintaining flexibility.

Usage#

Proper configuration is critical for its effective operation. Barman uses different types of configuration files to manage global settings, server-specific settings, and model-specific settings that is made up of three scopes:

1. Global Configuration: It comprises one file with a set of configurations for the barman system, such as the main directory, system user, log file, and other general options. Default location is /etc/barman.conf and it can be overridden on a per-user level by ~/.barman.conf or by specifying a .conf file using the -c / --config with the barman command directly in the CLI.

2. Server Configuration: It comprises one or more files with a set of configurations for a Postgres server that you want to keep track and interact for backup, recovery and/or replication. Default location is /etc/barman.d and must use the .conf suffix. You may have one or multiple files for servers. You can override the default location by setting the configuration_files_directory option in the global configuration file and placing the files in that particular location.

3. Model Configuration: It comprises one or more files with a set of configurations overrides that can be applied to Barman servers within the same cluster as the model. These overrides can be implemented using the barman config-switch command. Default location is /etc/barman.d and must use the .conf suffix. The same configuration_files_directory override option from the server configuration applies for models. You may have one or multiple files for models.

Note

Historically, you could have a single configuration file containing global, server, and model options, but, for maintenance reasons, this approach is deprecated.

Configuration files follow the INI format and consist of sections denoted by headers in square brackets. Each section can include various options.

Models and servers must have unique identifiers, and reserved words cannot be used as names.

Reserved Words

The following reserved words cannot be used as server or model names:

  • barman: Identifies the global section.

  • all: A special shortcut for executing commands on all managed servers.

Parameter Types

Configuration options can be of the following types:

  • String: Textual data (e.g., file paths, names).

  • Enum: Enumerated values, often limited to predefined choices.

  • Integer: Numeric values.

  • Boolean: Can be on, true, 1 (true) or off, false, 0 (false).

    Note

    Some enums allow off, but not false.

Options#

Options in the configuration files can have specific or shared scopes. The following configuration options are used not only for configuring how Barman will execute backups and recoveries, but also for configuring various aspects of how Barman interacts with the configured Postgres servers to be able to apply your Backup and Recovery, and High-Availability strategies.

General#

These are general configurations options.

active

When this option is set to true (default), the server operates fully. If set to false, the server is restricted to diagnostic use only, meaning that operational commands such as backup execution or WAL archiving are temporarily disabled. When incorporating a new server into Barman, we recommend initially setting active = false. Verify that barman check shows no issues before activating the server. This approach helps prevent excessive error logging in Barman during the initial setup.

Scope: Server / Model.

archiver

This option enables log file shipping through Postgres’ archive_command for a server. When set to true, Barman expects continuous archiving to be configured and will manage WAL files that Postgres stores in the incoming directory (incoming_wals_directory), including their checks, handling, and compression. When set to false (default), continuous archiving is disabled.

Note

If neither archiver nor streaming_archiver is configured, Barman will automatically set this option to true to maintain compatibility with the previous default behavior where archiving was enabled by default.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

archiver_batch_size

This option enables batch processing of WAL files for the archiver process by setting it to a value greater than 0. If not set, the archiver will use unlimited (default) processing mode for the WAL queue. With batch processing enabled, the archiver process will handle a maximum of archiver_batch_size WAL segments per run. This value must be an integer.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

bandwidth_limit

Specifies the maximum transfer rate in kilobytes per second for backup and recovery operations. A value of 0 indicates no limit (default).

Note

Applies only when backup_method = postgres | rsync.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

barman_home

Designates the main data directory for Barman. Defaults to /var/lib/barman.

Scope: Global.

barman_lock_directory

Specifies the directory for lock files. The default is barman_home.

Note

The barman_lock_directory should be on a non-network local filesystem.

Scope: Global.

basebackup_retry_sleep

Sets the number of seconds to wait after a failed base backup copy before retrying. Default is 30 seconds. Must be a non-negative integer.

Note

This applies to both backup and recovery operations.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

basebackup_retry_times

Defines the number of retry attempts for a base backup copy after an error occurs. Default is 0 (no retries). Must be a non-negative integer.

Note

This applies to both backup and recovery operations.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

check_timeout

Sets the maximum execution time in seconds for a Barman check command per server. Set to 0 to disable the timeout. Default is 30 seconds. Must be a non-negative integer.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

cluster

Tag the server or model to an associated cluster name. Barman uses this association to override configuration for all servers/models in this cluster. If omitted for servers, it defaults to the server’s name.

Note

Must be specified for configuration models to group applicable servers.

Scope: Server / Model.

config_changes_queue

Designates the filesystem location for Barman’s queue that handles configuration changes requested via the barman config-update command. This queue manages the serialization and retry of configuration change requests. By default, Barman writes to a file named cfg_changes.queue under barman_home.

Scope: Global.

configuration_files_directory

Designates the directory where server/model configuration files will be read by Barman. Defaults to /etc/barman.d/.

Scope: Global.

conninfo

Specifies the connection string used by Barman to connect to the Postgres server. This is a libpq connection string. Commonly used keys include: host, hostaddr, port, dbname, user and password. See the PostgreSQL documentation for details.

Scope: Server / Model.

create_slot

Determines whether Barman should automatically create a replication slot if it’s not already present for streaming WAL files. When set to auto and slot_name is defined, Barman will attempt to create the slot automatically. When set to manual (default), the replication slot must be created manually.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

description

Provides a human-readable description of a server.

Scope: Server / Model.

errors_directory

The directory where WAL files that were errored while being archived by Barman are stored. This includes duplicate WAL files (e.g., an archived WAL file that has already been streamed but have different hash) and unexpected files found in the WAL archive directory.

The purpose of placing the files in this directory is so someone can later review why they failed to be archived and take appropriate actions (dispose of, store somewhere else, replace the duplicate file archived before, etc.)

Scope: Server.

forward_config_path

Determines whether a passive node should forward its configuration file path to its primary node during cron or sync-info commands. Set to true if Barman is invoked with the -c / --config option and the configuration paths are identical on both passive and primary Barman servers. Defaults to false.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

immediate_checkpoint

Controls how Postgres handles checkpoints at the start of a backup. Set to false (default) to allow the checkpoint to complete according to checkpoint_completion_target. Set to true for an immediate checkpoint, where Postgres completes the checkpoint as quickly as possible.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

keepalive_interval

Sets the interval in seconds for sending a heartbeat query to keep the libpq connection active during an rsync backup. Default is 60 seconds. Setting this to 0 disables the heartbeat.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

lock_directory_cleanup

Enables automatic cleanup of unused lock files in the barman_lock_directory.

Scope: Global.

log_file

Specifies the location of Barman’s log file. Defaults to /var/log/barman/barman.log.

Scope: Global.

log_level

Sets the level of logging. Options include: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR and CRITICAL.

Scope: Global.

minimum_redundancy

Specifies the minimum number of backups to retain. Default is 0.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

model

When set to true, turns a server section from a configuration file into a model for a cluster. There is no false option in this case. If you want to simulate a false option, comment out (#model=true) or remove the option in the configuration. Defaults to the server name.

Scope: Model.

network_compression

Enables or disables data compression for network transfers. Set to false (default) to disable compression, or true to enable it and reduce network usage.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

parallel_jobs

Controls the number of parallel workers used to copy files during backup or recovery. It must be a positive integer. Default is 1.

Note

Applies only when backup_method = rsync.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

parallel_jobs_start_batch_period

Specifies the time interval in seconds over which a single batch of parallel jobs will start. Default is 1 second. This means that if parallel_jobs_start_batch_size is 10 and parallel_jobs_start_batch_period is 1, this will yield an effective rate limit of 10 jobs per second, because there is a maximum of 10 jobs that can be started within 1 second.

Note

Applies only when backup_method = rsync.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

parallel_jobs_start_batch_size

Defines the maximum number of parallel jobs to start in a single batch. Default is 10 jobs. This means that if parallel_jobs_start_batch_size is 10 and parallel_jobs_start_batch_period is 2, this will yield a maximum of 10 jobs that can be started within 2 seconds.

Note

Applies only when backup_method = rsync.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

path_prefix

Lists one or more absolute paths, separated by colons, where Barman looks for executable files. These paths are checked before the PATH environment variable. This option can be set for each server and needs to point to the bin directory for the appropriate PG_MAJOR_VERSION.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

primary_checkpoint_timeout

Time to wait for new WAL files before forcing a checkpoint on the primary server. Defaults to 0.

Scope: Server / Model.

primary_conninfo

Connection string for Barman to connect to the primary Postgres server during a standby backup.

Scope: Server / Model.

primary_ssh_command

SSH command for connecting to the primary Barman server if Barman is passive.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

slot_name

Replication slot name for the receive-wal command when streaming_archiver is enabled.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

ssh_command

SSH command used by Barman to connect to the Postgres server for rsync backups.

Scope: Server / Model.

streaming_archiver

Enables Postgres’ streaming protocol for WAL files. Defaults to false.

Note

If neither archiver nor streaming_archiver is configured, Barman will automatically set archiver option to true to maintain compatibility with the previous default behavior where archiving was enabled by default.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_archiver_batch_size

Batch size for processing WAL files in streaming archiver. Defaults to 0.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_archiver_name

Application name for the receive-wal command. Defaults to barman_receive_wal.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_backup_name

Application name for the pg_basebackup command. Defaults to barman_streaming_backup.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_conninfo

Connection string for streaming replication protocol. Defaults to conninfo.

Scope: Server / Model.

tablespace_bandwidth_limit

Maximum transfer rate for specific tablespaces for backup and recovery operations. A value of 0 indicates no limit (default).

Note

Applies only when backup_method = rsync.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Backups#

These configurations options are related to how Barman will execute backups.

autogenerate_manifest

This is a boolean option that allows for the automatic creation of backup manifest files. The manifest file, which is a JSON document, lists all files included in the backup. It is generated upon completion of the backup and saved in the backup directory. The format of the manifest file adheres to the specifications outlined in the PostgreSQL documentation and is compatible with the pg_verifybackup tool. Default is false.

Note

This option is ignored if the backup_method is not rsync.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression

Specifies the compression method for the backup process. It can be set to gzip, lz4, zstd, or none. Ensure that the CLI tool for the chosen compression method is available on both the Barman and Postgres servers.

Note

Note that lz4 and zstd require Postgres version 15 or later. Unsetting this option or using none results in an uncompressed archive (default). Only supported when backup_method = postgres.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression_format

Determines the format pg_basebackup should use when saving compressed backups. Options are plain or tar, with tar as the default if unset. The plain format is available only if Postgres version 15 or later is in use and backup_compression_location is set to server.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = postgres.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression_level

Defines the level of compression for backups as an integer. The permissible values depend on the compression method specified in backup_compression.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = postgres.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression_location

Specifies where compression should occur during the backup: either client or server. The server option is available only if Postgres version 15 or later is being used.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = postgres.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression_workers

Sets the number of threads used for compression during the backup process. This is applicable only when backup_compression=zstd. The default value is 0, which uses the standard compression behavior.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = postgres.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_directory

Specifies the directory where backup data for a server will be stored. Defaults to <barman_home>/<server_name>.

Scope: Server.

backup_method

Defines the method Barman uses to perform backups. Options include:

  • rsync (default): Executes backups using the rsync command over SSH (requires ssh_command).

  • postgres: Uses the pg_basebackup command for backups.

  • local-rsync: Assumes Barman runs on the same server and as the same user as the Postgres database, performing an rsync file system copy.

  • snapshot: Utilizes the API of the cloud provider specified in the snapshot_provider option to create disk snapshots as defined in snapshot_disks and saves only the backup label and metadata to its own storage.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_options

Controls how Barman interacts with Postgres during backups. This is a comma-separated list that can include:

  • concurrent_backup (default): Uses concurrent backup, recommended for Postgres versions 9.6 and later, and supports backups from standby servers.

  • exclusive_backup: Uses the deprecated exclusive backup method. Only for Postgres versions older than 15. This option will be removed in the future.

  • external_configuration: Suppresses warnings about external configuration files during backup execution.

Note

exclusive_backup and concurrent_backup cannot be used together.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

basebackups_directory

Specifies the directory where base backups are stored. Defaults to <backup_directory>/base.

Scope: Server.

reuse_backup

Controls incremental backup support when using backup_method=rsync by reusing the last available backup. The options are:

  • off (default): Standard full backup.

  • copy: File-level incremental backup, by reusing the last backup for a server and creating a copy of the unchanged files (just for backup time reduction)

  • link: File-level incremental backup, by reusing the last backup for a server and creating a hard link of the unchanged files (for backup space and time reduction)

Note

This option will be ignored when backup_method=postgres.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Cloud Backups#

These configuration options are related to how Barman will execute backups in the cloud.

aws_await_snapshots_timeout

Specifies the duration in seconds to wait for AWS snapshots to be created before a timeout occurs. The default value is 3600 seconds. This must be a positive integer.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = snapshot and snapshot_provider = aws.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_profile

The name of the AWS profile to use when authenticating with AWS (e.g. INI section in AWS credentials file).

Note

Only supported when backup_method = snapshot and snapshot_provider = aws.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_region

Indicates the AWS region where the EC2 VM and storage volumes, as defined by snapshot_instance and snapshot_disks, are located.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = snapshot and snapshot_provider = aws.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

azure_credential

Specifies the type of Azure credential to use for authentication, either azure-cli or managed-identity. If not provided, the default Azure authentication method will be used.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = snapshot and snapshot_provider = azure.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

azure_resource_group

Specifies the name of the Azure resource group containing the compute instance and disks defined by snapshot_instance and snapshot_disks.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = snapshot and snapshot_provider = azure.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

azure_subscription_id

Identifies the Azure subscription that owns the instance and storage volumes defined by snapshot_instance and snapshot_disks.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = snapshot and snapshot_provider = azure.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

gcp_project

Specifies the ID of the GCP project that owns the instance and storage volumes defined by snapshot_instance and snapshot_disks.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = snapshot and snapshot_provider = gcp.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

gcp_zone

Indicates the availability zone where the compute instance and disks are located for snapshot backups.

Note

Only supported when backup_method = snapshot and snapshot_provider = gcp.

Scope: Server / Model.

snapshot_disks

This option is a comma-separated list of disks to include in cloud snapshot backups.

Note

Required when backup_method = snapshot.

Ensure that the snapshot_disks list includes all disks that store Postgres data, as any data not on these listed disks will not be included in the backup and will be unavailable during recovery.

Scope: Server / Model.

snapshot_instance

The name of the VM or compute instance where the storage volumes are attached.

Note

Required when backup_method = snapshot.

Scope: Server / Model.

snapshot_provider

The name of the cloud provider to use for creating snapshots. Supported value: aws, azure and gcp.

Note

Required when backup_method = snapshot.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Hook Scripts#

These configuration options are related to the pre or post execution of hook scripts.

post_archive_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a WAL file is archived. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-archive scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_archive_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a WAL file is archived, following the post_archive_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_backup_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a base backup. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-backup scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_backup_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a base backup, following the post_backup_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_delete_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after deleting a backup. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-delete scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_delete_script

Specifies a hook script to run after deleting a backup, following the post_delete_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_recovery_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a recovery. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-recovery scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_recovery_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a recovery, following the post_recovery_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_wal_delete_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after deleting a WAL file. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-WAL-delete scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_wal_delete_script

Specifies a hook script to run after deleting a WAL file, following the post_wal_delete_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_archive_retry_script

Specifies a hook script that runs before a WAL file is archived during maintenance, following the pre_archive_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will repeatedly execute the script until it returns either SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and halt the WAL archiving process.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_archive_script

Specifies a hook script launched before a WAL file is archived by maintenance.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_backup_retry_script

Specifies a hook script that runs before a base backup, following the pre_backup_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will attempt to execute the script repeatedly until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and interrupt the backup process.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_backup_script

Specifies a hook script to run before starting a base backup.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_delete_retry_script

Specifies a retry hook script to run before backup deletion, following the pre_delete_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will attempt to execute the script repeatedly until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and interrupt the backup deletion.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_delete_script

Specifies a hook script run before deleting a backup.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_recovery_retry_script

Specifies a retry hook script to run before recovery, following the pre_recovery_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will attempt to execute the script repeatedly until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and interrupt the recover process.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_recovery_script

Specifies a hook script run before starting a recovery.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_wal_delete_retry_script

Specifies a retry hook script for WAL file deletion, executed before pre_wal_delete_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will attempt to execute the script repeatedly until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and interrupt the WAL file deletion.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_wal_delete_script

Specifies a hook script run before deleting a WAL file.

Scope: Global / Server.

Write-Ahead Logs (WAL)#

These configuration options are related to how Barman will manage the Write-Ahead Logs (WALs) of the PostreSQL servers.

compression

Specifies the standard compression algorithm for WAL files. Options include: lz4, xz, zstd, gzip, pybzip2, pigz, bzip2, pybzip2 and custom.

Note

All of these options require the module to be installed in the location where the compression will occur.

The custom option is for custom compression, which requires you to set the following options as well:

  • custom_compression_filter: a compression filter.

  • custom_decompression_filter: a decompression filter

  • custom_compression_magic: a hex string to identify a custom compressed wal file.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

custom_compression_filter

Specifies a custom compression algorithm for WAL files. It must be a string that will be used internally to create a bash command and it will prefix to the following string > "$2" < "$1";. Write to standard output and do not delete input files.

Tip

custom_compression_filter = "xz -c"

This is the same as running xz -c > "$2" < "$1";.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

custom_compression_magic

Defines a custom magic value to identify the custom compression algorithm used in WAL files. If this is set, Barman will avoid applying custom compression to WALs that have already been compressed with the specified algorithm. If not configured, Barman will apply custom compression to all WAL files, even those pre-compressed.

Tip

For example, in the xz compression algorithm, the magic number is used to detect the format of .xz files.

For xz files, the magic number is the following sequence of bytes:

Magic Number: FD 37 7A 58 5A 00

In hexadecimal representation, this can be expressed as:

Hex String: fd377a585a00

Reference: xz-file-format

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

custom_decompression_filter

Specifies a custom decompression algorithm for compressed WAL files. It must be a string that will be used internally to create a bash command and it will prefix to the following string > "$2" < "$1";. It must correspond with the compression algorithm used.

Tip

custom_compression_filter = "xz -c -d"

This is the same as running xz -c -d > "$2" < "$1";.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

incoming_wals_directory

Specifies the directory where incoming WAL files are archived. Requires archiver to be enabled. Defaults to <backup_directory>/incoming.

Scope: Server.

last_wal_maximum_age

Defines the time frame within which the latest archived WAL file must fall. If the latest WAL file is older than this period, the barman check command will report an error. If left empty (default), the age of the WAL files is not checked. Format is the same as last_backup_maximum_age.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

max_incoming_wals_queue

Defines the maximum number of WAL files allowed in the incoming queue (including both streaming and archiving pools) before the barman check command returns an error. Default is None (disabled).

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_wals_directory

Directory for streaming WAL files. Defaults to <backup_directory>/streaming.

Note

This option is applicable when streaming_archiver is activated.

Scope: Server.

wal_conninfo

The wal_conninfo connection string is used by Barman for monitoring the status of the replication slot receiving WALs. If specified, it takes precedence over wal_streaming_conninfo for these checks. If wal_conninfo is not set but wal_streaming_conninfo is, wal_conninfo will fall back to wal_streaming_conninfo. If neither wal_conninfo nor wal_streaming_conninfo is set, wal_conninfo will fall back to conninfo. Both connection strings must access a Postgres instance within the same cluster as defined by streaming_conninfo and conninfo. If both wal_conninfo and wal_streaming_conninfo are set, only wal_conninfo needs the appropriate permissions to read settings and check the replication slot status. However, if only wal_streaming_conninfo is set, it must have the necessary permissions to perform these tasks. The required permissions include roles such as pg_monitor, both pg_read_all_settings and pg_read_all_stats, or superuser privileges.

Scope: Server / Model.

wal_streaming_conninfo

This connection string is used by Barman to connect to the Postgres server for receiving WAL segments via streaming replication and checking the replication slot status, if wal_conninfo is not set. If not specified, Barman defaults to using streaming_conninfo for these tasks. wal_streaming_conninfo must connect to a Postgres instance within the same cluster as defined by streaming_conninfo, and it must support streaming replication. If both wal_streaming_conninfo and wal_conninfo are set, only wal_conninfo needs the required permissions to read settings and check the replication slot status. If only wal_streaming_conninfo is specified, it must have these permissions. The necessary permissions include roles such as pg_monitor, both pg_read_all_settings and pg_read_all_stats, or superuser privileges.

Scope: Server / Model.

wals_directory

Directory containing WAL files. Defaults to <backup_directory>/wals.

Scope: Server.

Restore#

These configuration options are related to how Barman manages restoration backups.

local_staging_path

Specifies the local path for combining block-level incremental backups during recovery. This location must have sufficient space to temporarily store the new synthetic backup. Required for recovery from a block-level incremental backup.

Note

Applies only when backup_method = postgres.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

recovery_options

Options for recovery operations. Currently, only get-wal is supported. This option enables the creation of a basic restore_command in the recovery configuration, which uses the barman get-wal command to retrieve WAL files directly from Barman’s WAL archive. This setting accepts a comma-separated list of values and defaults to empty.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

recovery_staging_path

Specifies the path on the recovery host for staging files from compressed backups. This location must have sufficient space to temporarily store the compressed backup.

Note

Applies only for commpressed backups.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Retention Policies#

These configuration options are related to how Barman manages retention policies of the backups.

last_backup_maximum_age

Defines the time frame within which the latest backup must fall. If the latest backup is older than this period, the barman check command will report an error. If left empty (default), the latest backup is always considered valid. The accepted format is "n {DAYS|WEEKS|MONTHS}", where n is an integer greater than zero.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

last_backup_minimum_size

Specifies the minimum acceptable size for the latest successful backup. If the latest backup is smaller than this size, the barman check command will report an error. If left empty (default), the latest backup is always considered valid. The accepted format is "n {k|Ki|M|Mi|G|Gi|T|Ti}" and case-sensitive, where n is an integer greater than zero, with an optional SI or IEC suffix. k stands for kilo with k = 1000, while Ki stands for kilobytes Ki = 1024. The rest of the options have the same reasoning for greater units of measure.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

retention_policy

Defines how long backups and WAL files should be retained. If this option is left blank, no retention policies will be applied. Options include redundancy and recovery window policies.

retention_policy = {REDUNDANCY value | RECOVERY WINDOW OF value {DAYS | WEEKS | MONTHS}}

  • retention_policy = REDUNDANCY 2 will keep only 2 backups in the backup catalog automatically deleting the older one as new backups are created. The number must be a positive integer.

  • retention_policy = RECOVERY WINDOW OF 2 DAYS will only keep backups needed to recover to any point in time in the last two days, automatically deleting backups that are older. The period number must be a positive integer, and the following options can be applied to it: DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

retention_policy_mode

Mode for enforcing retention policies. Currently only supports auto.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

wal_retention_policy

Policy for retaining WAL files. Currently only main is available.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Configuration Models#

Configuration models provide a systematic approach to manage and apply configuration overrides for Postgres servers by organizing them under a specific cluster name.

Purpose#

The primary goal of a configuration model is to simplify the management of configuration settings for Postgres servers grouped by the same cluster. By using a model, you can apply a set of common configuration overrides, enhancing operational efficiency. They are especially beneficial in clustered environments, allowing you to create various configuration models that can be utilized during failover events.

Application#

The configurations defined in a model file can be applied to Postgres servers that share the same cluster name specified in the model. Consequently, any server utilizing that model can inherit these settings, promoting a consistent and adaptable configuration across all servers.

Usage#

Model options can only be defined within a model section, which is identified in the same way as a server section. It is important to ensure that there are no conflicts between the identifiers of server sections and model sections.

To apply a configuration model, execute the barman config-switch SERVER_NAME MODEL_NAME. This command facilitates the application of the model’s overrides to the relevant Barman server associated with the specified cluster name.

If you wish to remove the overrides, the deletion of the model configuration file alone will not have any effect, so you can do so by using the --reset argument with the command, as follows: barman config-switch SERVER_NAME --reset.

Note

The config-switch command will only succeed if model name exists and is associated with the same cluster as the server. Additionally, there can be only one active model at a time; if you execute the command multiple times with different models, only the overrides defined in the last model will be applied.

Not all options can be configured through models. Please review the scope of the available configurations to determine which settings apply to models.

Benefits#

  • Consistency: Ensures uniform configuration across multiple Barman servers within a cluster.

  • Efficiency: Simplifies configuration management by allowing centralized updates and overrides.

  • Flexibility: Allows the use of multiple model files, providing the ability to define various sets of overrides as necessary.

Examples#

Barman global configurations are common between all configured servers. So if you want to have specific configurations, you should move it to the server scope instead of the barman global scope.

Next you can find a few examples of global, servers and models configurations with an explanation of the fields.

Global Configuration#

/etc/barman.conf#
[barman]

barman_home = /var/lib/barman
barman_user = barman
configuration_files_directory = /etc/barman.d
log_file = /var/log/barman/barman.log
log_level = INFO
barman

  • Set configuration that will be global.

  • Configure locations for barman_home, configuration_files_directory, log_file, the barman_user and the log_level.

Server Configuration - Rsync#

/etc/barman.d/pg_server1_rsync.conf#
[server1]

description =  "PostgreSQL server 1"
conninfo = host=pg1 user=barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
ssh_command = ssh postgres@pg1
backup_method = rsync
reuse_backup = link
archiver = on
parallel_jobs = 2
minimum_redundancy = 2
retention_policy = REDUNDANCY 4
server1

  • Connect to Postgres from Barman using the conninfo.

  • ssh_command is needed to correctly create an SSH connection from the Barman server to the Postgres server when using rsync.

  • Set the backup_method as rsync and reuse_backup to enable file-level incremental backups.

  • Configure the archiver option to ship WALs using the archive_command configured in the Postgres configuration file postgresql.conf.

  • Jobs will use two workers for parallel processing.

  • Set the minimum_redundancy and the retention_policy for backups created from this server.

Server Configuration - pg_basebackup#

/etc/barman.d/pg_server2_streaming.conf#
[server2]

description =  "PostgreSQL server 2"
conninfo = host=pg2 user=barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
streaming_conninfo = host=pg2 user=streaming_barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
backup_method = postgres
streaming_archiver = on
slot_name = barman
create_slot = auto
minimum_redundancy = 5
retention_policy = RECOVERY WINDOW OF 7 DAYS
local_staging_path = /var/lib/barman/staging
cluster = streaming
server2

  • Connect to Postgres using the conninfo. This is used for backups (rsync) and to check the status of replication slots.

  • Connect to Postgres using the streaming_conninfo. This is used for backups (postgres) and to create pg_receivewal processes to stream WAL segments.

  • Set the backup_method as postgres.

  • Configure the streaming_archiver option to ship WALs using the streaming replication, the slot_name that will be created in the Postgres server and create_slot as auto so Barman can automatically attempt to create the replication slot if not present.

  • Set the minimum_redundancy and the retention_policy for backups created from this server.

  • Recovery for block-level incremental backups will use the local_staging_path as the intermediate location to combine the chain of backups.

  • Group this server into the streaming cluster to be used by models.

Model Configuration 1#

/etc/barman.d/mdl_streaming_switchover.conf#
[server2:switch_over_streaming_conn_to_pg3]

cluster = streaming
model = true
wal_conninfo = host=pg3 user=barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
wal_streaming_conninfo = host=pg3 user=streaming_barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
compression = gzip
backup_compression = gzip
recovery_staging_path = /var/lib/barman/recovery_staging
retention_policy = RECOVERY WINDOW OF 14 DAYS
server2:switch_over_wal_streaming_conn_to_pg3

  • Tag this model to a cluster named streaming to override configurations.

  • Configure this as a model (model = true).

  • wal_conninfo is set, so this connection will be used specifically for monitoring WAL streaming status and perform checks.

  • wal_streaming_conninfo is set, Barman will use this instead of streaming_conninfo when receiving WAL segments via streaming replication protocol. If wal_conninfo was unset, this option would also be used to monitor and check WAL streaming replication statuses and it should use a user with proper permissions.

  • WAL files will be compressed with gzip.

  • All backups will be compressed with gzip.

  • Recovery for compressed backups will use the recovery_staging_path as the intermediate location to uncompress the backup.

  • Set a retention_policy for backups that are grouped in the streaming cluster.

In this example we have setup a model that switches the streaming connection to pg3, enables compression of backups and WAL files and changes the retention_policy. This is a way to stream WALs and backups from different hosts.

The final configuration will have the following settings:

[server2]

description =  "PostgreSQL server 2"
conninfo = host=pg2 user=barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
streaming_conninfo = host=pg2 user=streaming_barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
backup_method = postgres
streaming_archiver = on
slot_name = barman
create_slot = auto
minimum_redundancy = 5
retention_policy = RECOVERY WINDOW OF 14 DAYS
local_staging_path = /var/lib/barman/staging
wal_conninfo = host=pg3 user=barman port=5433 dbname=databasename
wal_streaming_conninfo = host=pg3 user=streaming_barman port=5433 dbname=databasename
compression = gzip
backup_compression = gzip
recovery_staging_path = /var/lib/barman/recovery_staging

Model Configuration 2#

/etc/barman.d/mdl_streaming_failover#
[server2:failover_conn_to_pg3]

cluster = streaming
model = true
conninfo = host=pg3 user=barman port=5433 dbname=databasename
streaming_conninfo = host=pg3 user=streaming_barman port=5433 dbname=databasename
server2:failover_conn_to_pg3

  • Tag this model to a cluster named streaming to override configurations.

  • Configure this as a model (model = true).

  • conninfo is set, so it will be used to switch the Postgres connection to host pg3.

  • streaming_conninfo is set, so it will be used to switch the Postgres streaming connection to host pg3.

In this example we have setup a model that switches the Postgres connection and streaming connection upon a failover from pg2 to pg3.

The final configuration will have the following settings:

[server2]

description =  "PostgreSQL server 2"
conninfo = host=pg3 user=barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
streaming_conninfo = host=pg3 user=streaming_barman port=5432 dbname=databasename
backup_method = postgres
streaming_archiver = on
slot_name = barman
create_slot = auto
minimum_redundancy = 5
retention_policy = RECOVERY WINDOW OF 7 DAYS
local_staging_path = /var/lib/barman/staging

Important

You will not see any in place changes in the configuration file. The overrides are applied internally and you can check the current server configuration by using the command barman show-servers SERVER_NAME for the complete list of settings, or in the barman diagnose output.