How do you back up and restore Docker volumes?
Jul 07, 2025 am 12:05 AMTo back up and restore Docker volumes, you need to use temporary containers in conjunction with tar tools. 1. Run a temporary container that mounts the target volume during backup, use the tar command to package the data and save it to the host; 2. Copy the backup file to the container that mounts the volume during recovery, and decompress it, pay attention to path matching and possible overwriting of data; 3. Multiple volumes can be written to automatically process each volume; 4. It is recommended to operate when the container is stopped to ensure data consistency, and regularly test the recovery process to verify the validity of the backup.
Backing up and restoring Docker volumes is a straightforward process once you understand the structure Docker uses. The key is to make sure your data is safely copied without corruption, especially if the container is running during the backup.
How to Back Up a Docker Volume
The main idea here is to use a temporary container that mounts the volume you want to back up. From there, you create a tarball ( .tar
file) of the data.
Here's how:
- Run a new container using the same image or even a minimum one like
alpine
. - Mount the target volume into this container.
- Use the
tar
command to pack the contents into a.tar
file. - Copy the file out to your host machine.
For example:
docker run --rm \ -v your_volume:/volume \ -v $(pwd):/backup \ alpine tar cvf /backup/backup.tar -C /volume .
This creates a backup of the entire volume content in a file named backup.tar
in your current directory.
? Tip: If the volume is actively being used, try stopping the associated container first to avoid inconsistent data.
How to Restore from a Backup
Restoring means taking the .tar
file you created and putting it back into a Docker volume — either the original one (after cleaning or re-creating) or a new one.
Steps:
- Create a new volume (or reuse an existing one).
- Start a helper container that mounts this volume.
- Copy your
.tar
file into the container. - Extract the contents with
tar
.
Example:
docker run --rm \ -v your_volume:/volume \ -v $(pwd):/backup \ alpine sh -c "cd /volume && tar xvf /backup/backup.tar"
Make sure the paths match, and double-check that the extraction path ( /volume
in this case) is correct.
?? Important: This will overwrite any existing files in the volume. If you need to preserve them, back them up first.
When You Need to Back Up Multiple Volumes at Once
If you have multiple services or containers each with their own volumes, doing backups one by one can get tedious. In that case, it's useful to write a small script that loops through known volume names and performs the backup steps automatically.
You can do something like:
volumes=("vol1" "vol2" "vol3") for vol in "${volumes[@]}"; do docker run --rm -v $vol:/volume -v $(pwd):/backup alpine tar cvf /backup/$vol.tar -C /volume . done
This way, each volume gets its own .tar
file, and you can keep them organized for easier restores.
Final Thoughts
Backing up Docker volumes isn't complicated, but it does require attention to detail — especially when dealing with running services or critical data. Using simple tools like tar
and helper containers keeps things lightweight and reliable. Just remember to test your restore process occasionally to make sure your backups actually work when needed.
Basically that's it.
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