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Backup

The Backup plugin lets you download copies of your table and base data as JSON or CSV files. Use it for archiving, migrating data, or keeping local copies of your records.

Installing the Backup Plugin

Dashboard with plugins

  1. Open your base
  2. Go to the Dashboard tab
  3. Click Add Plugin and select Backup
  4. The plugin opens with a list of all tables in your base

Exporting a Single Table

You can export any table in two formats:

JSON Export

Click the JSON button next to a table name. The download includes:

  • Table metadata (name, ID)
  • Field definitions (name, type, options)
  • All records with their field values
  • Export timestamp and version

JSON exports are ideal for:

  • Full data backup with schema
  • Programmatic processing
  • Restoring data via the API

CSV Export

Click the CSV button next to a table name. The download includes:

  • Header row with field names
  • All records as rows
  • UTF-8 encoding with BOM (compatible with Excel)

CSV exports are ideal for:

  • Opening in spreadsheet applications (Excel, Google Sheets)
  • Simple data analysis
  • Sharing with people who do not use Donotname

Exporting an Entire Base

Click the Export Entire Base button at the top to download all tables in a single JSON file. The file contains:

  • Base metadata
  • All tables with their schemas and records
  • Export timestamp

This is the most complete backup option — it captures everything in one file.

Backup Best Practices

  1. Export regularly — download a base backup at least weekly for critical data
  2. Store backups securely — keep exported files in a secure location (cloud storage, encrypted drive)
  3. Verify exports — open a downloaded file occasionally to confirm the data is complete
  4. Use JSON for full backups — JSON preserves field types and metadata; CSV is lossy for complex fields like links and attachments
  5. Name files with dates — e.g., sales-crm-backup-2026-05-17.json

Automated Backups (Admin)

Donotname also has an automated admin-level backup system that runs weekly:

  • Database backups — full PostgreSQL dump, compressed, uploaded to secure cloud storage
  • Attachment backups — incremental file backup
  • Retention — last 4 database backups and last 8 attachment backups are kept

The admin backup runs automatically and does not require any user action. The Backup plugin is for user-initiated, on-demand exports of specific tables or bases.

Plugin Access

The Backup plugin respects your existing permissions:

  • You can only export tables and bases you have read access to
  • The export permission must be enabled for your role
  • Admins can enable or disable the Backup plugin from the plugin center