Installation

In this section you'll find basic information about Gulper and how to install it and use it properly. If you're first time user then you should read this section first.

What is Gulper?

Gulper is a powerful and flexible command-line utility designed for backing up and restoring SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases. It offers a range of features to streamline database management tasks, including scheduled backups, multiple storage options, and easy restoration. Some of the features are:

  • Multi-Database Support: Backup and restore SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases.
  • Flexible Storage Options: Store backups locally or in cloud storage (AWS S3, DigitalOcean Spaces).
  • Scheduled Backups: Automate backups using cron-like expressions.
  • Point-in-Time Recovery: Restore databases to a specific point in time.
  • Compression: Reduce backup size with built-in compression options.
  • Retention Policies: Automatically manage backup retention periods.
  • Logging: Comprehensive logging of all backup and restore activities.

Why Gulper?

Gulper offers several advantages over traditional backup methods and full server backups:

  • Efficiency: Gulper leverages standard backup tools like mysqldump, pgdump, and pgsql, but optimizes their usage to create a more efficient backup process.
  • Reduced Overhead: Unlike full server backups, Gulper focuses specifically on databases, reducing the overall backup size and resource utilization.
  • Cost-Effective: By targeting only essential database files, Gulper minimizes storage requirements and associated costs compared to full server backups.
  • Faster Backups and Restores: Database-specific backups are typically quicker to create and restore than full server images, minimizing downtime.
  • Versatility: Gulper acts as a “swiss knife tool” for database backups, supporting multiple database types (SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL) and offering features like scheduled backups and flexible storage options.
  • Streamlined Management: Instead of relying on potentially inefficient bash scripts, Gulper provides a comprehensive solution for handling backup tasks across different database types.
  • Complementary to Full Backups: While full server backups are still necessary for complete disaster recovery, Gulper offers a specialized tool for more frequent and targeted database backups

By addressing common inefficiencies in backup scripts and focusing on database-specific needs, Gulper provides a more tailored and efficient solution for database backup and restoration compared to full server backups or ad-hoc scripts.

Installation

On Ubuntu

To install gulper locally, follow these steps:

$ apt update
$ apt install -y mysql-client postgresql-client python3-pip
$ pip3 install gulper

This process will:

  • Update your package lists
  • Install the necessary database clients (MySQL and PostgreSQL) and python3 pip
  • Use pip to install the gulper package

You can verify the setup by checking the versions

$ mysqldump --version
$ pg_dump --version
$ pg_dumpall --version
$ psql --version
$ gulper --version

On Debian

To install gulper locally, follow these steps:

$ apt update
$ apt install -y default-mysql-client postgresql-client python3-pip
$ pip3 install gulper --break-system-packages

This process will:

  • Update your package lists
  • Install the necessary database clients (MySQL and PostgreSQL) and python3 pip
  • Use pip to install the gulper package

You can verify the setup by checking the versions

$ mysqldump --version
$ pg_dump --version
$ pg_dumpall --version
$ psql --version
$ gulper --version
Configuration