Manage backups

This page describes how to perform backup operations in Memorystore for Valkey. You can use backups to restore the data of your instance to a point in time, as well as to export and analyze the data.

Before you begin

  1. Make sure that either you or the user account that you're using has the required permissions for the action that you need to perform.

    The Memorystore Admin and Memorystore Editor roles can perform all backup operations. The Memorystore Viewer role can view and export backups.

Create an on-demand backup

You can take an on-demand backup for a Memorystore for Valkey instance by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

    Memorystore for Valkey

  2. Click the ID of the instance for which you want to take a backup.

  3. In the side navigation panel, click Backups.

  4. Click Create backup.

  5. In the Create backup dialog, do the following:

    1. Optional. Provide a name for the backup. If you don't name the backup, then the backup has a date-and-time stamp for a name.
    2. Click Create backup.

gcloud

To create an on-demand backup, use the gcloud memorystore instances backup command.

gcloud memorystore instances backup INSTANCE_ID \
--backup-id=BACKUP_ID \
--ttl=TTL_PERIOD \
--project=PROJECT_ID \
--location=REGION_ID

Replace the following:

  • INSTANCE_ID: the ID of the Memorystore for Valkey instance.
  • BACKUP_ID: an ID for the backup, such as march-2025-backup.

  • TTL_PERIOD: a time to live (TTL) for the backup. After the backup reaches the TTL limit, Memorystore for Valkey deletes the backup automatically.

    You set the value for this parameter to a number of days (for example, 14d). The minimum value is 1 day. If you don't specify a value, then the default value is 100 years.

  • PROJECT_ID: your project ID.

  • REGION_ID: the region where your instance is located (for example, us-east1).

The command returns an operation name with the following format:

projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/REGION_ID/operations/operation-UID

To check the status of an operation, use the gcloud memorystore operations describe command.

gcloud memorystore operations describe projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/REGION_ID/operations/operation-UID

To list all operations in a project and region, use the gcloud memorystore operations list command.

gcloud memorystore operations list --projects=PROJECT_ID \
--location=REGION_ID

Configure automated backup schedules

You can configure a daily backup schedule when you create an instance or you can enable a daily backup schedule on an existing instance.

You can either configure a daily backup schedule when you create an instance or you can enable a daily backup schedule on an existing instance.

Create an instance with an automated backup schedule enabled

You can set a daily backup schedule as you create an instance in Memorystore for Valkey by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

Console

To create an instance and enable a backup schedule for the instance automatically, see Create instances.

gcloud

To create an instance and enable a backup schedule for the instance automatically, use the gcloud memorystore instances create command.

gcloud memorystore instances create INSTANCE_ID \
--automated-backup-config-mode=enabled \
--fixed-frequency-schedule-start-time-hours=START_TIME \
--automated-backup-config-retention=RETENTION_POLICY

Replace the following:

  • INSTANCE_ID: the ID of the Memorystore for Valkey instance that you're creating.
  • START_TIME: the time when Memorystore for Valkey begins taking backups. Specify the time in the HH format on a 24-hour cycle in UTC time. For example: 23.

  • RETENTION_POLICY: the number of days for which Memorystore for Valkey retains each backup. Set the value for this parameter to a number of days (for example, 7d). The maximum value is 365 days and the default value is 35 days.

    Even after you delete the instance, Memorystore for Valkey retains the backup for the retention period, with a maximum of 365 days. To remove the backup before the retention period expires, you must delete the backup manually.

Enable scheduled backups on an existing instance

You can enable a daily backup schedule on an existing instance by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

    Memorystore for Valkey

  2. Click the ID of the instance for which you want to enable backups.

  3. In the side navigation panel, click Backups.

  4. In the Settings section, next to the Automated daily backups field, click Edit.

    This field has a status of Disabled. If this field has an Enabled status, then you already enabled scheduled backups for this instance.

  5. In the Automated backup settings dialog, do the following:

    1. Select the Automated daily backups checkbox.
    2. In the Days to retain backups field, enter the number of days that you want Memorystore for Valkey to keep backups before they're deleted automatically. You can specify from 1 to 365 days. The default value is 35 days.
    3. From the Time window menu, select the hour when Memorystore for Valkey takes a daily backup.
    4. Click Save.

gcloud

To enable scheduled backups on an instance, use the gcloud memorystore instances update command.

gcloud memorystore instances update INSTANCE_ID \
--automated-backup-config-mode=enabled \
--fixed-frequency-schedule-start-time-hours=START_TIME \
--automated-backup-config-retention=RETENTION_POLICY

Replace the following:

  • INSTANCE_ID: the ID of the Memorystore for Valkey instance that you're updating.
  • START_TIME: a timestamp that specifies when Memorystore for Valkey begins taking backups. This timestamp must be at the hour level, in the HH format, and on a 24-hour cycle in UTC time (for example, 23). The timestamp also designates a one-hour window of when Memorystore for Valkey begins to take backups.

  • RETENTION_POLICY: the number of days for which Memorystore for Valkey retains each backup. Set the value for this parameter to a number of days (for example, 7d).

    Even after you delete the instance, Memorystore for Valkey retains the backup for the retention period. To remove the backup before the retention period expires, you must delete the backup manually.

Deactivate scheduled backups

You can deactivate scheduled backups on an instance by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

    Memorystore for Valkey

  2. Click the ID of the instance for which you want to deactivate backups.

  3. In the side navigation panel, click Backups.

  4. In the Settings section, next to the Automated daily backups field, click Edit.

    This field has a status of Enabled. This field is enabled by default. If this field has a Disabled status, then you have already deactivated scheduled backups for this instance.

  5. In the Automated backup settings dialog, do the following:

    1. Clear the Automated daily backups checkbox.
    2. Click Save.

gcloud

To deactivate scheduled backups on an instance, use the gcloud memorystore instances update command.

gcloud memorystore instances update INSTANCE_ID \
--automated-backup-config-mode=disabled

Replace INSTANCE_ID with the ID of the Memorystore for Valkey instance that you're updating.

Concurrency between backup and update instance operations

Update operations and maintenance operations on an instance can cancel ongoing backup operations in the following situations:

  • If there's an ongoing operation to update an instance, then Memorystore for Valkey rejects backup operations.
  • In rare circumstances, maintenance and backup operations might coincide with each other and lead to the backup operations being skipped for that instance.

List and describe backups

The following sections demonstrate how to find information about available backups.

List backup collections

A backup collection includes all backups that you take for an instance. You can view a list of backup collections by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

    Memorystore for Valkey

  2. In the side navigation panel, click Backups.

gcloud

To list backup collections for a project and region, use the gcloud memorystore backup-collections list command.

gcloud memorystore backup-collections list \
--project=PROJECT_ID \
--location=REGION_ID

Replace the following:

  • PROJECT_ID: your project ID
  • REGION_ID: the region where your instance is located (for example, us-east1)

The command returns a list of backup collections.

List the backups in a backup collection

You can view a list of backups for a backup collection by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

    Memorystore for Valkey

  2. In the side navigation panel, click Backups.

  3. Click the ID of an instance that's associated with a backup collection. This backup collection contains a list of backups that you want to view.

gcloud

To list the backups in a backup collection, use the gcloud memorystore backup-collections backups list command.

gcloud memorystore backup-collections backups list \
--backup-collection=BACKUP_COLLECTION
--project=PROJECT_ID \
--location=REGION_ID

Replace the following:

  • BACKUP_COLLECTION: the name of the backup collection
  • PROJECT_ID: your project ID
  • REGION_ID: the region where your instance is located (for example, us-east1)

The command returns a list of backups that are in a backup collection.

Describe a backup

You can retrieve information about a backup by using the Google Cloud CLI.

gcloud

To retrieve information about a backup, use the gcloud memorystore backup-collections backups describe command.

gcloud memorystore backup-collections backups describe BACKUP_NAME \
--backup-collection=BACKUP_COLLECTION \
--project=PROJECT_ID \
--location=REGION_ID

Replace the following:

  • BACKUP_NAME: the name of the backup (for example, 2024-05-01-10-15-00)
  • BACKUP_COLLECTION: the name of the backup collection
  • PROJECT_ID: your project ID
  • REGION_ID: the region where your instance is located (for example, us-east1)

The command returns information about the backup that's similar to the following:

backupFiles:
- createTime: '2024-11-10T03:52:55.539Z'
fileName: 3d2774dab822137c5bac9386f3fa69ee4c73b928.rdb
sizeBytes: '694879680'
- createTime: '2024-11-10T03:52:54.742Z'
fileName: 7f5d99faaefc63ed8292a71da2552db3b06cdcff.rdb
sizeBytes: '694925906'
- createTime: '2024-11-10T03:52:54.972Z'
fileName: 0aac1092a3fb81515aefb6b2421f31eb346c3961.rdb
sizeBytes: '694784169'
instance: projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/us-east1/instances/instance1
instanceUid: 57130520-636c-4ac7-ad7e-86f7cfb32838
createTime: '2024-11-10T03:52:40.899882388Z'
expireTime: '2124-11-10T03:53:02.856981736Z'
name: projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/us-east1/backupCollections/dda2f551-b416-47ff-b1cf-684e00483dc9/backups/march-2025-backup
nodeType: HIGHMEM_MEDIUM
shardCount: 3
state: ACTIVE
totalSizeBytes: '2084589755'

Delete a backup

You can delete a backup by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

    Memorystore for Valkey

  2. Click the ID of the instance, which contains a backup that you want to delete.

  3. In the side navigation panel, click Backups.

  4. Next to the backup that you want to delete, click More actions.

  5. From the menu, select Delete.

  6. In the Delete backup? dialog, do the following:

    1. In the text field, enter delete.
    2. Click Delete.

gcloud

To delete a backup, use the gcloud memorystore backup-collections backups delete command.

gcloud memorystore backup-collections backups delete BACKUP_NAME \
--backup-collection=BACKUP_COLLECTION \
--project=PROJECT_ID \
--location=REGION_ID

Replace the following:

  • BACKUP_NAME: the name of the backup (for example, 2024-05-01-10-15-00)
  • BACKUP_COLLECTION: the name of the backup collection
  • PROJECT_ID: your project ID
  • REGION_ID: the region where your instance is located (for example, us-east1)

Export a backup to a storage bucket

You can export a backup to a Cloud Storage bucket by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

To export a backup, do the following:

  1. Memorystore for Valkey must have permission to access the destination Cloud Storage bucket. Grant the Memorystore for Valkey service agent access to the Cloud Storage resources.

    The Memorystore for Valkey service agent uses the following naming format:

    service-PROJECT_NUMBER@gcp-sa-memorystore.iam.gserviceaccount.com

    Replace PROJECT_NUMBER with the project number of the project where the instance or backup is located.

    Grant the service agent a role that assigns the storage.buckets.get, storage.objects.create, storage.objects.delete, and storage.folders.create permissions to the role.

    For example, the following command assigns the Storage Admin role to the service agent for a Cloud Storage bucket:

    gcloud

    gcloud storage buckets add-iam-policy-binding gs://BUCKET_NAME \
--member=serviceAccount:service-PROJECT_NUMBER@gcp-sa-memorystore.iam.gserviceaccount.com \
--role=roles/storage.admin

    Replace the following:

    • BUCKET_NAME: the name of the destination Cloud Storage bucket. This bucket must be a regional bucket and it must be in the same region as the backup. Memorystore for Valkey must have permissions to access the bucket and to create folders and objects inside of the bucket.
    • PROJECT_NUMBER: the project number that's used in the service agent name.

  2. Export a backup to a Cloud Storage bucket.

    Console

    1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

      Memorystore for Valkey

    2. Click the ID of the instance, which contains a backup that you want to export.

    3. In the side navigation panel, click Backups.

    4. Next to the backup that you want to export, click More actions.

    5. From the menu, select Export.

    6. In the Choose destination section of the Export backup to Cloud Storage page, click Browse.

    7. In the Select bucket dialog, click the bucket to which you want to export the backup, and then click Select.

    8. In the Export backup to Cloud Storage page, click Export.

    gcloud

    To export a backup to a Cloud Storage bucket, use the gcloud memorystore backup-collections backups export command.

    gcloud memorystore backup-collections backups export BACKUP_NAME \
--backup-collection=BACKUP_COLLECTION \
--location=REGION_ID \
--gcs-bucket=BUCKET_NAME

    Replace the following:

    • BACKUP_NAME: the name of the Memorystore for Valkey backup
    • BACKUP_COLLECTION: the name of the backup collection
    • REGION_ID: the region where the backup collection is located (for example, us-east1)

    • BUCKET_NAME: the name of the Cloud Storage bucket, which doesn't have gs:// as a prefix

      The bucket must be a regional bucket and it must be in the same region as the backup. Memorystore for Valkey must have permission to access the bucket, and to create folders and objects inside of the bucket.

Restore data from a backup

To restore data from a backup, you can either seed a new instance from a managed backup in the same project or you can seed a new instance from Redis Database (RDB) files in a Cloud Storage bucket. To seed an instance from RDB files, Memorystore for Valkey must have permission to access the files.

Seed a new instance from a backup

The following example demonstrates how to import data from a backup to a new instance. The backup must be in the same region as the instance. Also, the principal that creates the instance must have the memorystore.backups.get permission for the backup.

You can import data from a backup into a new instance by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

    Memorystore for Valkey

  2. Click the ID of the instance, which contains a backup that you want to import.

  3. In the side navigation panel, click Backups.

  4. Next to the backup that you want to import, click More actions.

  5. From the menu, select Import into new instance. The Create a Valkey instance page appears.

  6. In the Backup options section, verify the following:

    1. The Managed backups option is selected.
    2. The Backup ID field contains the path and name of the backup that you selected.

  7. In the Name your instance section, enter an ID for the instance that you're creating. The Instance ID must use only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. It must also start with a letter and be unique in its region.

  8. From the Region menu, select a region for your instance.

  9. In the Zonal availability section, specify whether you want to create a single-zone or multi-zone instance.

  10. Optional. In the Node Type section, select one of the following node types:

    • Shared-Core (shared-core-nano)
    • Small (standard-small)
    • Medium (highmem-medium)
    • X-Large (highmem-xlarge)

  11. In the Cluster Mode section, specify whether you want a Cluster Mode Enabled or Cluster Mode Disabled instance. For more information about these types of instances, see Enable and disable cluster mode.

  12. Optional. In the Instance size section, enter the number of shards for your instance. The shard count determines the total memory capacity for storing instance data. For more information about instance specifications, see Instance and node specification.

  13. Optional. If you want to create an instance with replicas, then in the Replicas section, select the number of replicas (per shard). You can select 0-5 replicas. The default value is 1 replica.

  14. In the Set up connection section, select the network that your applications can use to connect to this instance. For more information about private networking for Memorystore for Valkey, see Networking.

  15. Optional. If you want to increase the security of your instance, then in the Security section, enable IAM authentication by selecting the Enable IAM AUTH checkbox.

  16. In the Data persistence strategy section, specify how you want Memorystore for Valkey to persist the data in your instance. Acceptable values are No persistence, Append Only File (AOF) persistence, and Memory Snapshot persistence.

  17. Optional. If you want to enable automated backups for your instance, then do the following:

    1. Select the Automated daily backups checkbox.
    2. In the Days to retain backups field, enter the number of days that you want Memorystore for Valkey to keep backups before they're deleted automatically. You can specify from 1 to 365 days. The default value is 35 days.
    3. From the Time window menu, select a time for the daily backup.

  18. In the Choose version section, select your Valkey version. Available versions are 7.2, 8.0, and 9.0 (Preview). The default version is version 8.0.

  19. Click Create instance.

gcloud

To import data from a backup into a new instance, use the gcloud memorystore instances create command.

gcloud memorystore instances create INSTANCE_ID \
--managed-backup-source=BACKUP_NAME \
--location=REGION_ID \
--shard-count=SHARD_COUNT \
--engine-version=ENGINE_VERSION \
--psc-auto-connections=NETWORK

Replace the following:

  • INSTANCE_ID: the ID of the Memorystore for Valkey instance that you're creating.
  • BACKUP_NAME: the name of the backup. This name has the following format: projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/REGION_ID/backupCollections/BACKUP_COLLECTION_ID/backups/BACKUP_ID.
  • REGION_ID: the region where your instance is located (for example, us-east1).
  • SHARD_COUNT: the number of shards for the instance (from 1 to 250).

  • ENGINE_VERSION: the version of your Memorystore for Valkey instance. Accepted values for this parameter are VALKEY_7_2, VALKEY_8_0, and VALKEY_9_0 (Preview). If you don't specify a value, then VALKEY_8_0 is the default value.

  • NETWORK: the network used to create the instance. It must use this format: projects/NETWORK_PROJECT_ID/global/networks/NETWORK_ID. The network ID must match the network ID that the service connection policy uses. Otherwise, you can't create the instance.

For more options that you can use to create an instance, see Create an instance.

Seed a new instance from RDB files in a storage bucket

You can import data from RDB files, which are contained in a Cloud Storage bucket, into a new instance.

To seed an instance from RDB files in a Cloud Storage bucket, you must grant Memorystore for Valkey access to the bucket and objects, and then import the data from the files.

You can import data from RDB files by using either the Google Cloud console or Google Cloud CLI.

  1. Memorystore for Valkey must have permission to access the destination Cloud Storage bucket. Grant the Memorystore for Valkey service agent access to the Cloud Storage resources.

    The Memorystore for Valkey service agent uses the following naming format:

    service-PROJECT_NUMBER@gcp-sa-memorystore.iam.gserviceaccount.com

    Replace PROJECT_NUMBER with the project number of the project where the instance or backup is located.

    Grant the service agent a role that assigns the storage.buckets.get and storage.objects.get permissions to the role.

    For example, the following command assigns the Storage Admin role to the service agent for a Cloud Storage bucket:

    gcloud

    gcloud storage buckets add-iam-policy-binding gs://BUCKET_NAME
--member=serviceAccount:service-PROJECT_NUMBER@gcp-sa-memorystore.iam.gserviceaccount.com
--role=roles/storage.admin

    Replace the following:

    • BUCKET_NAME: the name of the bucket where the RDB files are located. This bucket must either be a regional bucket in the same region as the backup, or be a dual-region bucket and have one region the same as that of the backup. Memorystore for Valkey must have permissions to access the bucket.
    • PROJECT_NUMBER: the project number that's used in the service agent name.

  2. Import data from RDB files in a Cloud Storage bucket into a new instance.

    Console

    1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Memorystore for Valkey page.

      Memorystore for Valkey

    2. Next to Create instance, click the down arrow, and then select Create from backup from the menu that appears. The Create a Valkey instance page appears.

    3. In the Backup options section, do the following:

      1. Select the Cloud Storage folder option.
      2. In the text field, click Browse.
      3. In the Select folder dialog, select the folder which contains the RDB files that you want to import.
      4. Click Select.

    4. In the Name your instance section, enter an ID for the instance. The Instance ID must use only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. It must also start with a letter and be unique in its region.

    5. From the Region menu, select a region for your instance.

    6. In the Zonal availability section, specify whether you want to create a single-zone or multi-zone instance.

    7. In the Node Type section, select one of the following node types:

      • Shared-Core (shared-core-nano)
      • Small (standard-small)
      • Medium (highmem-medium)
      • X-Large (highmem-xlarge)

    8. In the Cluster Mode section, specify whether you want a Cluster Mode Enabled or Cluster Mode Disabled instance. For more information about these types of instances, see Enable and disable cluster mode.

    9. In the Instance size section, enter the number of shards for your instance. The shard count determines the total memory capacity for storing instance data. For more information about instance specifications, see Instance and node specification.

    10. If you want to create an instance with replicas, then in the Replicas section, select the number of replicas (per shard). You can select 0-5 replicas. The default value is 1 replica.

    11. In the Set up connection section, select the network that your applications can use to connect to this instance. For more information about private networking for Memorystore for Valkey, see Networking.

    12. Optional. If you want to increase the security of your instance, then in the Security section, enable IAM authentication by selecting the Enable IAM AUTH checkbox.

    13. In the Data persistence strategy section, specify how you want Memorystore for Valkey to persist the data in your instance. Acceptable values are No persistence, Append Only File (AOF) persistence, and Memory Snapshot persistence.

    14. Optional. If you want to enable automated backups for your instance, then do the following:

      1. Select the Automated daily backups checkbox.
      2. In the Days to retain backups field, enter the number of days that you want Memorystore for Valkey to keep backups before they're deleted automatically. You can specify from 1 to 365 days. The default value is 35 days.
      3. From the Time window menu, select a time for the daily backup.

    15. In the Choose version section, select your Valkey version. Available versions are 7.2, 8.0, and 9.0 (Preview). The default version is version 8.0.

    16. Click Create instance.

    gcloud

    To import data from RDB files in a Cloud Storage bucket into a new instance, use the gcloud memorystore instances create command.

    gcloud memorystore instances create INSTANCE_ID \
--gcs-source-uris=URI \
--location=REGION_ID \
--node-type=NODE_TYPE \
--shard-count=SHARD_COUNT

    Replace the following:

    • INSTANCE_ID: the ID of the Memorystore for Valkey instance that you're creating.
    • URI: one or more Cloud Storage uniform resource identifiers (URIs) that are separated by commas. For example: gs://my-bucket/folder/file1.rdb,gs://my-bucket/folder/file2.rdb.
    • REGION_ID: the region where your instance is located (for example, us-east1).

    • NODE_TYPE (Optional): the node type for the instance. Accepted values are:

      • shared-core-nano
      • standard-small
      • highmem-medium
      • highmem-xlarge

      If you don't use the parameter, then highmem-medium is the default node type.

    • SHARD_COUNT: the number of shards for the instance (from 1 to 250).

    For more options that you can use to create an instance, see Create an instance.

Cloud Monitoring metrics

To monitor recent backup and import operations, you can use Cloud Monitoring metrics. For a list of metrics that are available for Memorystore for Valkey backups, see Backup metrics.

What's next