> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.casebender.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Backup and Recovery

> Back up, restore, and recover an on-premises CaseBender installation

Recovery must preserve tenant data, audit records, encryption material,
activation state, and the credentials needed to read existing data.

## Back up

Back up all of the following as one recovery set:

* PostgreSQL, including deployment and audit tables;
* MinIO attachment volumes;
* the `casebender_secret` volume or externally managed license secret;
* `.env` and externally managed encryption keys;
* custom TLS trust and integration configuration; and
* the exact pinned image manifest and Compose release.

Encrypt recovery sets, restrict access, store a copy outside the Docker host,
and record a checksum.

Example PostgreSQL backup:

```bash theme={null}
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml exec -T postgres \
  sh -c 'pg_dump -U "$POSTGRES_USER" "$POSTGRES_DB"' \
  > casebender-$(date +%F).sql
```

Do not include plaintext secrets in backup logs or ticket attachments.

## Restore rehearsal

At least quarterly:

1. provision an isolated recovery network;
2. restore the database, object storage, `.env`, and encryption material;
3. start the same pinned CaseBender version;
4. run `./casebender preflight`;
5. verify users, organizations, cases, attachments, API-key status, and audit
   chain integrity;
6. record actual recovery point and recovery time.

Never connect a recovery rehearsal to production integrations.

## Lost administrator access

Do not delete deployment state, rerun production seeding, or enable shared
default credentials. Use another authorized super administrator or the
documented identity-provider recovery flow.

If no administrator remains, restore through the approved break-glass procedure
with two-person authorization and preserve an immutable audit record. Contact
CaseBender support for the version-specific recovery command.

## Lost activation code

For a new installation that is still activation-pending:

```bash theme={null}
./casebender activation-code
```

The replacement invalidates the previous code. This command cannot reset an
active installation or change an existing administrator.

## Rollback after an upgrade

Follow the target release's migration compatibility notes. Do not run an older
application against a newer unsupported schema. Restore the pre-upgrade
database and matching volumes, then start the previous pinned image set.

See [Upgrading CaseBender](/en/deployment/upgrading) for the complete sequence.