Ensuring Data Resilience: A Comprehensive Guide to Kubernetes Volume Backups with Velero

Vatsal Bajpai

10 min read·January 28, 2025

Cover Image for Ensuring Data Resilience: A Comprehensive Guide to Kubernetes Volume Backups with Velero

Introduction

Kubernetes has revolutionized the way we deploy and manage applications, offering unparalleled flexibility and scalability. However, as with any system, ensuring data integrity and resilience is paramount. While Kubernetes handles the orchestration of applications, it doesn’t inherently manage backups for persistent data. This is where tools like Velero come into play, providing a robust solution for backing up and restoring Kubernetes resources, including persistent volumes. In this blog, we’ll delve into the importance of Kubernetes volume backups and provide a step-by-step guide on how to enable them using Velero.

Why Kubernetes Volume Backups Matter

Persistent volumes (PVs) in Kubernetes are used to store data that should persist beyond the lifecycle of a pod. While Kubernetes ensures that pods are rescheduled in case of node failures, it doesn’t automatically handle backups of the data stored in these volumes. Without proper backups, data loss due to accidental deletion, corruption, or cluster failures can lead to significant downtime and financial losses.

Velero: A Kubernetes Backup Solution

Velero is an open-source tool designed to simplify the process of backing up and restoring Kubernetes resources, including persistent volumes. It integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes clusters and supports various cloud and on-premises storage solutions as backup targets (e.g., AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, or even local storage).

Velero works by creating snapshots of persistent volumes and storing them in a backup repository. It also backs up Kubernetes objects, such as pods, deployments, and persistent volume claims (PVCs), ensuring that both data and application configurations are preserved.

How to Enable Kubernetes Volume Backups with Velero

Step 1: Install Velero

Before you can start backing up your Kubernetes volumes, you need to install Velero in your cluster. Here’s how you can do it:

Download and install the Velero CLI:

curl -L -o velero https://github.com/vmware-tanzu/velero/releases/download/v1.10.0/velero-linux-amd64
chmod +x velero
sudo mv velero /usr/local/bin/

Install Velero in your Kubernetes cluster:
```
velero install --provider aws --bucket your-bucket-name --region your-region
```
Note: Replace aws with your cloud provider (e.g., aws, gcp, azure, or local for on-premises setups).
Verify the installation:
```
kubectl get pods -n velero
```
You should see the Velero and restic pods running.

Step 2: Create a Backup

Once Velero is installed, you can create a backup of your Kubernetes resources and volumes. Here’s an example of how to create a backup:

Create a Backup YAML file:

apiVersion: velero.io/v1
kind: Backup
metadata:
  name: my-backup
spec:
  includedNamespaces:
  - my-app-namespace
  storageLocation:
    name: default
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: my-app

Apply the YAML file:
```
kubectl apply -f backup.yaml
```

Check the backup status:

velero backup get
velero backup describe my-backup

Step 3: Restore from Backup

Restoring from a backup is just as straightforward as creating one. Here’s how you can restore your data:

Create a Restore YAML file:

apiVersion: velero.io/v1
kind: Restore
metadata:
  name: my-restore
spec:
  backupName: my-backup
  includedNamespaces:
  - my-app-namespace
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: my-app

Apply the YAML file:
```
kubectl apply -f restore.yaml
```

Verify the restore:

velero restore get
velero restore describe my-restore

Step 4: Schedule Automated Backups

To ensure your data is consistently backed up, you can schedule automated backups using Velero’s ScheduledBackup feature. Here’s an example:

Create a Scheduled Backup YAML file:

apiVersion: velero.io/v1
kind: ScheduledBackup
metadata:
  name: daily-backup
spec:
  schedule: 0 0 * * *
  template:
    spec:
      includedNamespaces:
      - my-app-namespace
      storageLocation:
        name: default
      selector:
        matchLabels:
          app: my-app

Apply the YAML file:
```
kubectl apply -f scheduled-backup.yaml
```

Example: Backing Up a WordPress Deployment

Let’s consider a real-world example where you have a WordPress deployment that uses a persistent volume for storing content. Here’s how you can back up the WordPress deployment and its associated volume:

Identify the PVC:

kubectl get pvc -n wordpress-namespace
NAME             STATUS   VOLUME                                     CAPACITY   ACCESS MODES   STORAGECLASS   AGE
wordpress-pvc    Bound     pvc-12345678-1234-5678-1234-567812345678   5Gi        RWO            gp2            1d

Create a Backup:

apiVersion: velero.io/v1
kind: Backup
metadata:
  name: wordpress-backup
spec:
  includedNamespaces:
  - wordpress-namespace
  storageLocation:
    name: default
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: wordpress

Restore the Backup (if needed):

apiVersion: velero.io/v1
kind: Restore
metadata:
  name: wordpress-restore
spec:
  backupName: wordpress-backup
  includedNamespaces:
  - wordpress-namespace
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: wordpress

Best Practices for Kubernetes Volume Backups

Regular Backups: Schedule regular backups to ensure that your data is up-to-date and recoverable in case of a disaster.
Test Restores: Periodically test your backups by restoring them to a different namespace or cluster to ensure that the data is intact and recoverable.
Use Offsite Storage: Store your backups in an offsite location, such as a cloud storage bucket, to protect against data loss due to local failures.
Encrypt Backups: Encrypt your backups to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access.
Monitor Backups: Use monitoring tools to keep track of backup and restore operations and receive alerts in case of failures.

Conclusion

Kubernetes volume backups are essential for ensuring data resilience and business continuity. With Velero, you can easily automate the process of backing up and restoring your Kubernetes resources, including persistent volumes. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can implement a robust backup strategy that protects your data from accidental deletion, corruption, or catastrophic failures. Remember to regularly test your backups and restores to ensure that your data is safe and recoverable when needed.

Start safeguarding your Kubernetes workloads today with Velero!

I hope this blog post provides valuable insights into DevOps, Kubernetes and cost-saving benefits. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!

If you like this, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and explore our platform to help save you more cloud costs - gravitycloud.ai

Share this Article: