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Supabase Free projects do not offer downloadable managed database backups. You can still create your own logical database export with the Supabase CLI, but you must store the files securely and be prepared to restore them manually. This is not the same as Supabase-managed daily backups or point-in-time recovery (PITR), and it does not back up Storage objects or every project setting.
Does Supabase Free include database backups?
No downloadable managed database backups are available for Free Plan projects, according to Supabase’s production checklist. That does not prevent you from exporting database contents yourself: Supabase documents a logical dump workflow using its CLI. The export is your responsibility to create, protect, and retain; it is not a hidden dashboard backup.
Supabase’s current billing guide lists a 500 MB database-size quota per Free project, and its database-size guide says a Free project can enter read-only mode if it exceeds that limit. This quota is separate from backup availability. Check the billing guide and database-size guide for current terms.
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What the CLI export includes—and what it misses
Supabase’s CLI backup and restore guide separates a logical export into role definitions, schema, and data files. These are database contents, not a complete copy of your Supabase project.
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- Storage files: Database backups do not include objects stored through the Storage API. Back up or copy those files separately if they matter. See Supabase’s database backups overview.
- Project configuration and services: A restore into a new project can require reconfiguring items such as Edge Functions, Auth settings and API keys, Realtime settings, Storage settings, and extensions. Supabase’s restore-to-new-project guide describes a paid-plan workflow and its limitations; it is not the same process as restoring a CLI dump.
- Encryption and custom schemas: The manual restore workflow does not automatically copy the encryption root key. Custom changes to managed
authorstorageschemas may need separate diff or migration handling. Treat Vault secrets and encrypted data as recovery items to plan for, not as guaranteed contents of a straightforward dump restore.
How to create a logical database export
Supabase’s documented workflow requires the Supabase CLI and Docker Desktop. The commands below come from its guide; they are documentation examples, not a guarantee that every project’s export has been tested. Run them in a local environment where you want the generated files saved.
- Install the prerequisites. Install the Supabase CLI and Docker Desktop, following their current installation instructions.
- Get a database connection string. In your project dashboard, open the Connect panel and obtain the connection string and database password. The guide recommends the Session pooler string by default. A direct connection can be used when your network supports IPv6 or you have an IPv4 add-on.
- Protect the connection details. The connection string contains credentials. Do not publish it, commit it to a repository, or leave it in a shared script or log.
- Export roles, schema, and data. Replace
[CONNECTION_STRING]with your actual connection string. These commands createroles.sql,schema.sql, anddata.sqlin the current working directory.
supabase db dump --db-url [CONNECTION_STRING] -f roles.sql --role-only
supabase db dump --db-url [CONNECTION_STRING] -f schema.sql
supabase db dump --db-url [CONNECTION_STRING] -f data.sql --use-copy --data-only -x "storage.buckets_vectors" -x "storage.vector_indexes"The data command excludes storage.buckets_vectors and storage.vector_indexes, as shown in Supabase’s guide. After the commands finish, confirm that all three files exist and are non-empty, then move them to storage you control with suitable access restrictions. A second copy in a separate location can protect against loss of the computer holding the first copy; an external drive is one possible local option, not a Supabase requirement.
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How to restore the dump into a new project
A dump is useful only if you can recover from it. Supabase documents a manual restore into a new project using psql; it is not a one-click restore. Use the current official restore instructions for exact commands and project-specific details.
- Create a new Supabase project and obtain its database connection details.
- Enable the extensions and Database Webhooks your application needs before restoring, as applicable.
- Restore the role, schema, and data files with
psql, usingON_ERROR_STOPso the restore stops on SQL errors. - Set passwords manually for custom roles that have login attributes.
- Reactivate Realtime publications if your project uses them, and separately handle customizations in managed schemas where needed.
- Check the application against the restored project, including authentication, functions, Storage objects, secrets, and integrations that are not supplied by the database dump.
For the separate paid-plan restore-to-new-project feature, Supabase warns that enabled extensions with external effects may run after a binary restore. Review the relevant restore guidance before using that different workflow.
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When a CLI export is enough—and when to consider managed recovery
A user-created logical export can provide a recoverable copy when you are willing to run the commands, protect the files, and handle a manual restore. Its usefulness depends on how recently you created it and whether you have rehearsed the recovery steps. It does not provide continuous recovery or capture Storage objects and project configuration by itself.
Supabase’s current backup documentation lists daily managed backups for paid plans, with different retention periods, and PITR as an add-on. The figures below are stated on Supabase’s feature page, accessed October 7, 2026; check your dashboard and current terms because plan details can change.
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| Plan or feature | Documented backup or recovery detail |
|---|---|
| Free Plan | Database backups are not available for download. |
| Pro | Daily backup retention of 7 days. |
| Team | Daily backup retention of 14 days. |
| Enterprise | Daily backup retention of up to 30 days. |
| PITR add-on | Supabase describes a two-minute worst-case recovery point objective on its feature page; other official wording describes restore granularity differently, so verify current terms for your project. |
PITR is not a promise of instant recovery: Supabase says restore duration depends on time since a full backup, WAL activity, and database size. Consult the backup feature page and PITR documentation before choosing a recovery approach.
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