barman

General

These are general configurations options.

active

When this option is set to true (default), the server operates fully. If set to false, the server is restricted to diagnostic use only, meaning that operational commands such as backup execution or WAL archiving are temporarily disabled. When incorporating a new server into Barman, we recommend initially setting active = false. Verify that barman check shows no issues before activating the server. This approach helps prevent excessive error logging in Barman during the initial setup.

Scope: Server / Model.

archiver

This option enables log file shipping through Postgres' archive_command for a server. When set to true, Barman expects continuous archiving to be configured and will manage WAL files that Postgres stores in the incoming directory (incoming_wals_directory), including their checks, handling, and compression. When set to false (default), continuous archiving is disabled.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

archiver_batch_size

This option enables batch processing of WAL files for the archiver process by setting it to a value greater than 0. If not set, the archiver will use unlimited (default) processing mode for the WAL queue. With batch processing enabled, the archiver process will handle a maximum of archiver_batch_size WAL segments per run. This value must be an integer.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

bandwidth_limit

Specifies the maximum transfer rate in kilobytes per second for backup and recovery operations. A value of 0 indicates no limit (default).

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

barman_home

Designates the main data directory for Barman. Defaults to /var/lib/barman.

Scope: Global.

barman_lock_directory

Specifies the directory for lock files. The default is barman_home.

NOTE:

Scope: Global.

check_timeout

Sets the maximum execution time in seconds for a Barman check command per server. Set to 0 to disable the timeout. Default is 30 seconds. Must be a non-negative integer.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

cluster

Tag the server or model to an associated cluster name. Barman uses this association to override configuration for all servers/models in this cluster. If omitted for servers, it defaults to the server's name.

NOTE:

Scope: Server / Model.

config_changes_queue

Designates the filesystem location for Barman's queue that handles configuration changes requested via the barman config-update command. This queue manages the serialization and retry of configuration change requests. By default, Barman writes to a file named cfg_changes.queue under barman_home.

Scope: Global.

configuration_files_directory

Designates the directory where server/model configuration files will be read by Barman. Defaults to /etc/barman.d/.

Scope: Global.

conninfo

Specifies the connection string used by Barman to connect to the Postgres server. This is a libpq connection string. Commonly used keys include: host, hostaddr, port, dbname, user and password. See the libpq-connstring PostgreSQL documentation for details.

Scope: Server / Model.

create_slot

Determines whether Barman should automatically create a replication slot if it's not already present for streaming WAL files. When set to auto and slot_name is defined, Barman will attempt to create the slot automatically. When set to manual (default), the replication slot must be created manually.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

description

Provides a human-readable description of a server.

Scope: Server / Model.

errors_directory

The directory where WAL files that were errored while being archived by Barman are stored. This includes duplicate WAL files (e.g., an archived WAL file that has already been streamed but have different hash) and unexpected files found in the WAL archive directory.

The purpose of placing the files in this directory is so someone can later review why they failed to be archived and take appropriate actions (dispose of, store somewhere else, replace the duplicate file archived before, etc.)

Scope: Server.

encryption

Specifies the encryption method used for encrypting backups and WAL files. Supported values are:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

encryption_key_id

Specifies the encryption key ID used for encrypting backups and WAL files. This option is required when encryption = gpg and must correspond to a valid GPG key ID available on the system.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

encryption_passphrase_command

Specifies a command used to retrieve the encryption passphrase for decrypting backups and WAL files. The command must write the passphrase to standard output.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

forward_config_path

Determines whether a passive node should forward its configuration file path to its primary node during cron or sync-info commands. Set to true if Barman is invoked with the -c / --config option and the configuration paths are identical on both passive and primary Barman servers. Defaults to false.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

immediate_checkpoint

Controls how Postgres handles checkpoints at the start of a backup. Set to false (default) to allow the checkpoint to complete according to checkpoint_completion_target. Set to true for an immediate checkpoint, where Postgres completes the checkpoint as quickly as possible.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

keepalive_interval

Sets the interval in seconds for sending a heartbeat query to keep the libpq connection active during an rsync backup. Default is 60 seconds. Setting this to 0 disables the heartbeat.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

lock_directory_cleanup

Enables automatic cleanup of unused lock files in the barman_lock_directory.

Scope: Global.

log_file

Specifies the location of Barman's log file. Defaults to /var/log/barman/barman.log.

Scope: Global.

log_level

Sets the level of logging. Options include: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR and CRITICAL.

Scope: Global.

minimum_redundancy

Specifies the minimum number of backups to retain. Default is 0.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

model

When set to true, turns a server section from a configuration file into a model for a cluster. There is no false option in this case. If you want to simulate a false option, comment out (#model=true) or remove the option in the configuration. Defaults to the server name.

Scope: Model.

network_compression

Enables or disables data compression for network transfers. Set to false (default) to disable compression, or true to enable it and reduce network usage.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

parallel_jobs

Controls the number of parallel workers used to copy files during backup or recovery. It must be a positive integer. Default is 1.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

parallel_jobs_start_batch_period

Specifies the time interval in seconds over which a single batch of parallel jobs will start. Default is 1 second. This means that if parallel_jobs_start_batch_size is 10 and parallel_jobs_start_batch_period is 1, this will yield an effective rate limit of 10 jobs per second, because there is a maximum of 10 jobs that can be started within 1 second.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

parallel_jobs_start_batch_size

Defines the maximum number of parallel jobs to start in a single batch. Default is 10 jobs. This means that if parallel_jobs_start_batch_size is 10 and parallel_jobs_start_batch_period is 2, this will yield a maximum of 10 jobs that can be started within 2 seconds.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

path_prefix

Lists one or more absolute paths, separated by colons, where Barman looks for executable files such as PostgreSQL binaries (from the appropriate bin directory for the PG_MAJOR_VERSION), rsync, encryption, and compression tools. These paths are prepended to the PATH environment variable and are checked before any others.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

primary_checkpoint_timeout

Time to wait for new WAL files before forcing a checkpoint on the primary server. Defaults to 0.

Scope: Server / Model.

primary_conninfo

Connection string for Barman to connect to the primary Postgres server during a standby backup.

Scope: Server / Model.

primary_ssh_command

SSH command for connecting to the primary Barman server if Barman is passive.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

slot_name

Replication slot name for the receive-wal command when streaming_archiver is enabled.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

ssh_command

SSH command used by Barman to connect to the Postgres server for rsync backups.

Scope: Server / Model.

streaming_archiver

Enables Postgres' streaming protocol for WAL files. Defaults to false.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_archiver_batch_size

Batch size for processing WAL files in streaming archiver. Defaults to 0.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_archiver_name

Application name for the receive-wal command. Defaults to barman_receive_wal.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_backup_name

Application name for the pg_basebackup command. Defaults to barman_streaming_backup.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_conninfo

Connection string for streaming replication protocol. Defaults to conninfo.

Scope: Server / Model.

tablespace_bandwidth_limit

Maximum transfer rate for specific tablespaces for backup and recovery operations. A value of 0 indicates no limit (default).

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Backups

These configurations options are related to how Barman will execute backups.

autogenerate_manifest

This is a boolean option that allows for the automatic creation of backup manifest files. The manifest file, which is a JSON document, lists all files included in the backup. It is generated upon completion of the backup and saved in the backup directory. The format of the manifest file adheres to the specifications outlined in the backup manifest format PostgreSQL documentation and is compatible with the pg_verifybackup tool. Default is false.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression

Specifies the compression method for the backup process. It can be set to gzip, lz4, zstd, or none. Ensure that the CLI tool for the chosen compression method is available on both the Barman and Postgres servers.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression_format

Determines the format pg_basebackup should use when saving compressed backups. Options are plain or tar, with tar as the default if unset. The plain format is available only if Postgres version 15 or later is in use and backup_compression_location is set to server.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression_level

Defines the level of compression for backups as an integer. The permissible values depend on the compression method specified in backup_compression.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression_location

Specifies where compression should occur during the backup: either client or server. The server option is available only if Postgres version 15 or later is being used.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_compression_workers

Sets the number of threads used for compression during the backup process. This is applicable only when backup_compression=zstd. The default value is 0, which uses the standard compression behavior.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

warehousepg_dbid

Specifies the integer identifier for a WarehousePG database. When set, this value is passed to pg_basebackup via the --target-gp-dbid parameter for WarehousePG compatibility. This option is required when backing up WarehousePG segments.

IMPORTANT:

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_directory

Specifies the directory where backup data for a server will be stored. Defaults to <barman_home>/<server_name>.

Scope: Server.

backup_method

Defines the method Barman uses to perform backups. Options include:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

backup_options

Controls how Barman interacts with Postgres during backups. This is a comma-separated list that can include:

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

basebackups_directory

Destination for base backup files. It can be a local path if storing backups locally, or a cloud storage URL if streaming backups to the cloud as described in Streaming backups to the cloud. Defaults to <backup_directory>/base.

Scope: Server.

basebackup_retry_sleep

Sets the number of seconds to wait after a failed base backup copy before retrying. Default is 30 seconds. Must be a non-negative integer.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

basebackup_retry_times

Defines the number of retry attempts for a base backup copy after an error occurs. Default is 0 (no retries). Must be a non-negative integer.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

reuse_backup

Controls incremental backup support when using backup_method=rsync by reusing the last available backup. The options are:

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

worm_mode

If set to on, enables support for WORM (Write Once Read Many) storage, allowing Barman to handle backups on immutable storage correctly. Default is off.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Cloud Backups

These configuration options are related to how Barman will execute backups in the cloud.

aws_await_snapshots_timeout

Specifies the duration in seconds to wait for AWS snapshots to be created before a timeout occurs. The default value is 3600 seconds. This must be a positive integer.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_profile

The name of the AWS profile to use when authenticating with AWS (e.g. INI section in AWS credentials file).

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_region

When using backup_method = snapshot, indicates the AWS region where the EC2 VM and storage volumes, as defined by snapshot_instance and snapshot_disks, are located.

When using backup_method = postgres or local-to-cloud pointing to S3, indicates the AWS region where the S3 bucket is located.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_encryption

Specifies the server-side encryption algorithm to use when storing objects in S3. This value is passed to the S3 client for all upload operations to cloud object storage.

Allowed options:

If not set, S3's default encryption settings for the bucket will be used.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_sse_kms_key_id

Specifies the AWS Key Management Service (KMS) key ID to use for server-side encryption of S3 objects. This option is only valid when aws_encryption is set to aws:kms.

Can be specified using the key ID on its own or using the full ARN for the key.

If not set when using aws_encryption = aws:kms, S3 will use the default AWS managed KMS key for S3.

Example:

[myserver]
backup_method = local-to-cloud
basebackups_directory = s3://my-bucket/barman/backups
aws_encryption = aws:kms
aws_sse_kms_key_id = arn:aws:kms:us-east-1:123456789012:key/abcd1234-5678-90ab-cdef-EXAMPLEKEY

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_read_timeout

Specifies the read timeout in seconds for S3 operations when using cloud storage. This value is passed to the S3 client for all commands that interact with backup data on cloud object storage. If not set, the default boto3 read timeout behavior applies.

This option is useful for advanced and non-standard S3 workflows where the default timeout may not be sufficient.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_snapshot_lock_mode

The lock mode for the snapshot. This is only valid if snapshot_instance and snapshot_disk are set.

Allowed options:

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_snapshot_lock_duration

The lock duration is the period of time (in days) for which the snapshot is to remain locked, ranging from 1 to 36,500. Set either the lock duration or the expiration date (not both).

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_snapshot_lock_cool_off_period

The cooling-off period is an optional period of time (in hours) that you can specify when you lock a snapshot in compliance mode, ranging from 1 to 72.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

aws_snapshot_lock_expiration_date

The lock duration is determined by an expiration date in the future. It must be at least 1 day after the snapshot creation date and time, using the format YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.sssZ. Set either the lock duration or the expiration date (not both).

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

azure_credential

Specifies the type of Azure credential to use for authentication, either azure-cli, managed-identity or default. If not provided, the default Azure authentication method will be used.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

azure_resource_group

Specifies the name of the Azure resource group containing the compute instance and disks defined by snapshot_instance and snapshot_disks.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

azure_subscription_id

Identifies the Azure subscription that owns the instance and storage volumes defined by snapshot_instance and snapshot_disks.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

cloud_delete_batch_size

Specifies the number of files to delete in a single batch when performing delete operations on cloud storage. This option is relevant for both backup and WAL file deletions. The default value is 1000 for S3, 256 for Azure Blob, and 100 for GCS.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

cloud_upload_max_archive_size

Specifies the maximum size in bytes for individual archive files during cloud uploads. When uploading backups to cloud storage, Barman splits the backup into multiple archive files if it exceeds this size. The default value is 100Gi.

The accepted format is n{k|Ki|M|Mi|G|Gi|T|Ti} and case-sensitive, where n is an integer greater than zero, with an optional SI or IEC suffix. k stands for kilo with k = 1000, while Ki stands for kilobytes Ki = 1024. The rest of the options have the same reasoning for greater units of measure.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

cloud_upload_min_chunk_size

Specifies the minimum size in bytes for individual chunks during multipart uploads to cloud storage. This controls the size of each part when uploading large files to cloud object storage. When not set, defaults to the chunk size of the cloud provider: 5Mi for S3, and 64Ki for Azure Blob. Not applicable for GCS.

The accepted format is n{k|Ki|M|Mi|G|Gi|T|Ti} and case-sensitive, where n is an integer greater than zero, with an optional SI or IEC suffix. k stands for kilo with k = 1000, while Ki stands for kilobytes Ki = 1024. The rest of the options have the same reasoning for greater units of measure.

NOTE:

cloud_staging_directory

A staging directory for when sending backups to a cloud object storage using backup_method = postgres. It is used as a temporary location for storing chunks of the backup before they are sent to the cloud. Defaults to /tmp/barman/cloud-staging.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

cloud_staging_max_size

The maximum size that cloud_staging_directory can grow to before Barman stops generating new backup chunks. This is used to prevent the staging directory from growing in case the speed of uploading chunks does not keep up with the speed of streaming them from Postgres. The default value is 30Gi.

Extremely low values are discouraged as they may lead to performance degradation. We recommend a minimum of at least 10Gi. The optimal value will depend on the transfer speed of the backup to Barman and from Barman to the cloud, as well as the size of the backup.

The accepted format is n{k|Ki|M|Mi|G|Gi|T|Ti} and case-sensitive, where n is an integer greater than zero, with an optional SI or IEC suffix. k stands for kilo with k = 1000, while Ki stands for kilobytes Ki = 1024. The rest of the options have the same reasoning for greater units of measure.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

gcp_project

Specifies the ID of the GCP project that owns the instance and storage volumes defined by snapshot_instance and snapshot_disks.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

gcp_zone

Indicates the availability zone where the compute instance and disks are located for snapshot backups.

NOTE:

Scope: Server / Model.

snapshot_disks

This option is a comma-separated list of disks to include in cloud snapshot backups.

NOTE:

Scope: Server / Model.

snapshot_instance

The name of the VM or compute instance where the storage volumes are attached.

NOTE:

Scope: Server / Model.

snapshot_provider

The name of the cloud provider to use for creating snapshots. Supported value: aws, azure and gcp.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Hook Scripts

These configuration options are related to the pre or post execution of hook scripts.

post_archive_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a WAL file is archived. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-archive scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_archive_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a WAL file is archived, following the post_archive_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_backup_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a base backup. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-backup scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_backup_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a base backup, following the post_backup_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_delete_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after deleting a backup. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-delete scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_delete_script

Specifies a hook script to run after deleting a backup, following the post_delete_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_recovery_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a recovery. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-recovery scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_recovery_script

Specifies a hook script to run after a recovery, following the post_recovery_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_wal_delete_retry_script

Specifies a hook script to run after deleting a WAL file. Barman will retry this script until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). In a post-WAL-delete scenario, ABORT_STOP has the same effect as ABORT_CONTINUE.

Scope: Global / Server.

post_wal_delete_script

Specifies a hook script to run after deleting a WAL file, following the post_wal_delete_retry_script.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_archive_retry_script

Specifies a hook script that runs before a WAL file is archived during maintenance, following the pre_archive_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will repeatedly execute the script until it returns either SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and halt the WAL archiving process.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_archive_script

Specifies a hook script launched before a WAL file is archived by maintenance.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_backup_retry_script

Specifies a hook script that runs before a base backup, following the pre_backup_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will attempt to execute the script repeatedly until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and interrupt the backup process.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_backup_script

Specifies a hook script to run before starting a base backup.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_delete_retry_script

Specifies a retry hook script to run before backup deletion, following the pre_delete_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will attempt to execute the script repeatedly until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and interrupt the backup deletion.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_delete_script

Specifies a hook script run before deleting a backup.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_recovery_retry_script

Specifies a retry hook script to run before recovery, following the pre_recovery_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will attempt to execute the script repeatedly until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and interrupt the recover process.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_recovery_script

Specifies a hook script run before starting a recovery.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_wal_delete_retry_script

Specifies a retry hook script for WAL file deletion, executed before pre_wal_delete_script. As a retry hook script, Barman will attempt to execute the script repeatedly until it returns SUCCESS (0), ABORT_CONTINUE (62), or ABORT_STOP (63). Returning ABORT_STOP will escalate the failure and interrupt the WAL file deletion.

Scope: Global / Server.

pre_wal_delete_script

Specifies a hook script run before deleting a WAL file.

Scope: Global / Server.

Write-Ahead Logs (WAL)

These configuration options are related to how Barman will manage the Write-Ahead Logs (WALs) of the PostreSQL servers.

compression

Specifies the standard compression algorithm for WAL files. Options include: lz4, xz, zstd, gzip, pygzip, pigz, bzip2, pybzip2, snappy and custom.

Deprecated since version 3.16: The pygzip and pybzip2 compression options are deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Use their equivalents gzip and bzip2 instead.

Deprecated since version 3.17: The custom compression option and related configuration options (custom_compression_filter, custom_decompression_filter, and custom_compression_magic) are deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Use one of the built-in compression algorithms instead.

NOTE:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Deprecated since version 3.17: This configuration option is deprecated and will be removed in a future release.

custom_compression_filter

Specifies a custom compression algorithm for WAL files. It must be a string that will be used internally to create a bash command and it will prefix to the following string > "$2" < "$1";. Write to standard output and do not delete input files.

TIP:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Deprecated since version 3.17: This configuration option is deprecated and will be removed in a future release.

custom_compression_magic

Defines a custom magic value to identify the custom compression algorithm used in WAL files. If this is set, Barman will avoid applying custom compression to WALs that have already been compressed with the specified algorithm. If not configured, Barman will apply custom compression to all WAL files, even those pre-compressed.

TIP:

custom_compression_magic = 0xfd377a585a00

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Deprecated since version 3.17: This configuration option is deprecated and will be removed in a future release.

custom_decompression_filter

Specifies a custom decompression algorithm for compressed WAL files. It must be a string that will be used internally to create a bash command and it will prefix to the following string > "$2" < "$1";. It must correspond with the compression algorithm used.

TIP:

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

compression_level

Specifies the compression level to be used by the selected compression algorithm. Valid values are integers within the supported range of the chosen algorithm or one of the predefined labels: low, medium, and high, which serve as shortcuts.

Predefined labels map to algorithm-specific levels, as detailed below:

Compression levels

If the specified compression level is greater than the algorithm's maximum level, that maximum level is used. Similarly, if it is lower than the minimum level, that minimum level is used. The default value is medium.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

incoming_wals_directory

Specifies the directory where incoming WAL files are archived. Requires archiver to be enabled. Defaults to <backup_directory>/incoming.

Scope: Server.

last_wal_maximum_age

Defines the time frame within which the latest archived WAL file must fall. If the latest WAL file is older than this period, the barman check command will report an error. If left empty (default), the age of the WAL files is not checked. Format is the same as last_backup_maximum_age.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

max_incoming_wals_queue

Defines the maximum number of WAL files allowed in the incoming queue (including both streaming and archiving pools) before the barman check command returns an error. Default is None (disabled).

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

streaming_wals_directory

Directory for streaming WAL files. Defaults to <backup_directory>/streaming.

NOTE:

Scope: Server.

wal_conninfo

The wal_conninfo connection string is used by Barman for monitoring the status of the replication slot receiving WALs. If specified, it takes precedence over wal_streaming_conninfo for these checks. If wal_conninfo is not set but wal_streaming_conninfo is, wal_conninfo will fall back to wal_streaming_conninfo. If neither wal_conninfo nor wal_streaming_conninfo is set, wal_conninfo will fall back to conninfo. Both connection strings must access a Postgres instance within the same cluster as defined by streaming_conninfo and conninfo. If both wal_conninfo and wal_streaming_conninfo are set, only wal_conninfo needs the appropriate permissions to read settings and check the replication slot status. However, if only wal_streaming_conninfo is set, it must have the necessary permissions to perform these tasks. The required permissions include roles such as pg_monitor, both pg_read_all_settings and pg_read_all_stats, or superuser privileges.

Scope: Server / Model.

wal_streaming_conninfo

This connection string is used by Barman to connect to the Postgres server for receiving WAL segments via streaming replication and checking the replication slot status, if wal_conninfo is not set. If not specified, Barman defaults to using streaming_conninfo for these tasks. wal_streaming_conninfo must connect to a Postgres instance within the same cluster as defined by streaming_conninfo, and it must support streaming replication. If both wal_streaming_conninfo and wal_conninfo are set, only wal_conninfo needs the required permissions to read settings and check the replication slot status. If only wal_streaming_conninfo is specified, it must have these permissions. The necessary permissions include roles such as pg_monitor, both pg_read_all_settings and pg_read_all_stats, or superuser privileges.

Scope: Server / Model.

wals_directory

Destination for archived WAL files. It can be a local path if storing WAL files locally, or a cloud storage URL if storing WAL files in the cloud as described in Streaming backups to the cloud. Defaults to <backup_directory>/wals.

Scope: Server.

xlogdb_directory

A custom directory for the SERVER-xlog.db file, SERVER being the server name. This file stores metadata of archived WAL files and is used internally by Barman. If unset, it defaults to the value of wals_directory.

Scope: Global / Server.

Restore

These configuration options are related to how Barman manages restoration backups.

local_staging_path

Specifies the local path for combining block-level incremental backups during recovery. This location must have sufficient space to temporarily store the new synthetic backup. Required for recovery from a block-level incremental backup.

NOTE:

Deprecated since version 3.15: local_staging_path is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Use staging_path and staging_location instead.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

recovery_options

Options for recovery operations. Currently, only get-wal and delta-restore are supported. get-wal enables the creation of a basic restore_command in the recovery configuration, which uses the barman get-wal command to retrieve WAL files directly from Barman's WAL archive. delta-restore allows barman to restore a backup into a pre-existing destination directory along with existing custom tablespaces by overwriting it. This setting accepts a comma-separated list of values and defaults to empty.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

recovery_staging_path

Specifies the path on the recovery host for staging files from compressed backups. This location must have sufficient space to temporarily store the compressed backup.

NOTE:

Deprecated since version 3.15: recovery_staging_path is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Use staging_path and staging_location instead.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

staging_path

A path where intermediate files are staged during restore. When restoring a compressed backup, it serves as a temporary location for decompression before copying to the final destination. When restoring an incremental backup, it is where backups are combined before copying to the final destination. This location must have enough space to store the decompressed/combined backup. The default is /tmp.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

staging_location

Specifies whether staging_path is a local or remote path. Valid values are local and remote. The default is local.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

combine_mode

Specifies a copy mode for pg_combinebackup when combining incremental backups during a restore.

Options include:

Refer to the pg_combinebackup documentation for more details and restrictions of each mode.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Retention Policies

These configuration options are related to how Barman manages retention policies of the backups.

last_backup_maximum_age

Defines the time frame within which the latest backup must fall. If the latest backup is older than this period, the barman check command will report an error. If left empty (default), the latest backup is always considered valid. The accepted format is "n {DAYS|WEEKS|MONTHS|HOURS}", where n is an integer greater than zero.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

last_backup_minimum_size

Specifies the minimum acceptable size for the latest successful backup. If the latest backup is smaller than this size, the barman check command will report an error. If left empty (default), the latest backup is always considered valid. The accepted format is "n{k|Ki|M|Mi|G|Gi|T|Ti}" and case-sensitive, where n is an integer greater than zero, with an optional SI or IEC suffix. k stands for kilo with k = 1000, while Ki stands for kilobytes Ki = 1024. The rest of the options have the same reasoning for greater units of measure.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

retention_policy

Defines how long backups and WAL files should be retained. If this option is left blank, no retention policies will be applied. Options include redundancy and recovery window policies.

retention_policy = {REDUNDANCY value | RECOVERY WINDOW OF value {DAYS | WEEKS | MONTHS}}

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

retention_policy_mode

Mode for enforcing retention policies. Currently only supports auto.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

wal_retention_policy

Policy for retaining WAL files. Currently only main is available.

Scope: Global / Server / Model.

Purpose

The primary goal of a configuration model is to simplify the management of configuration settings for Postgres servers grouped by the same cluster. By using a model, you can apply a set of common configuration overrides, enhancing operational efficiency. They are especially beneficial in clustered environments, allowing you to create various configuration models that can be utilized during failover events.

Application

The configurations defined in a model file can be applied to Postgres servers that share the same cluster name specified in the model. Consequently, any server utilizing that model can inherit these settings, promoting a consistent and adaptable configuration across all servers.

Usage

Model options can only be defined within a model section, which is identified in the same way as a server section. It is important to ensure that there are no conflicts between the identifiers of server sections and model sections.

To apply a configuration model, execute the barman config-switch SERVER_NAME MODEL_NAME. This command facilitates the application of the model's overrides to the relevant Barman server associated with the specified cluster name.

If you wish to remove the overrides, the deletion of the model configuration file alone will not have any effect, so you can do so by using the --reset argument with the command, as follows: barman config-switch SERVER_NAME --reset.

NOTE:

Benefits