Backup Strategies
Full Backend Backup
For deployments using Pixeltable as the full backend:Batch Processing Backup
For batch processing deployments:- Primary data lives in your external RDBMS and blob storage
- Pixeltable state can be rebuilt by re-running transformation pipelines
- Back up your
schema.pyand UDF code in version control
Recovery Procedures
Full Backend Recovery
- Stop the Pixeltable application
- Restore PostgreSQL data:
psql -f backup.sql - Restore media files to
~/.pixeltable/media/ - Restart the application
Batch Processing Recovery
- Deploy fresh Pixeltable instance
- Run
python schema.pyto recreate schema (idempotent withif_exists='ignore') - Re-process data through computed columns (incremental)
Security Best Practices
Network Security
Secrets Management
Never hardcode secrets. Use environment variables or secrets managers:- AWS: Secrets Manager, Parameter Store
- GCP: Secret Manager
- Kubernetes: Secrets, External Secrets Operator
Cloud Storage Credentials
For S3/GCS/Azure media storage:Audit and Compliance
Data Lineage
Pixeltable automatically tracks:- Table versions and schema changes
- Computed column definitions and dependencies
- Insert/update/delete operations
Access Logging
Implement application-level access logging:Disaster Recovery
Recovery Time Objectives
Recommendations
- Regular backups: Daily for production workloads
- Test recovery: Quarterly disaster recovery drills
- Multi-region: Store backups in different region than primary
- Immutable backups: Use S3 Object Lock or GCS retention policies