Backup & Restore Kubernetes Persistent Data Using Velero

One of the biggest challenges in managing Kubernetes workloads is ensuring data persistence and disaster recovery. Imagine running a critical database or stateful application in Kubernetes, and suddenly an update goes wrong, a pod is deleted, or a cluster migration is needed.

How do you back up and restore your persistent data in such scenarios?

Enter Velero—an open-source tool that helps you back up and restore Kubernetes clusters, including Persistent Volumes (PVs), Kubernetes objects, and applications across clusters.

This guide will take you through:

? What is Velero, and why should you use it?

? How to back up Kubernetes workloads and persistent volumes

? How to restore data in case of failure or cluster migration

? Hands-on scenarios for real-world disaster recovery

?? Why Use Velero for Kubernetes Backup & Restore?

Velero is not just a snapshot tool; it provides:

? Full cluster backups including persistent data and configuration.

? Disaster recovery across different Kubernetes clusters.

? Scheduled backups to ensure automatic recovery points.

? Support for multiple cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) and on-prem environments.

Velero is an essential tool when running stateful applications like databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB), message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ), and persistent applications (Elasticsearch, Prometheus, etc.).

?? Scenario 1: Backing Up & Restoring a MySQL Database in Kubernetes Using Velero

?? Context

You are running a MySQL database inside Kubernetes using a Persistent Volume (PV), and you want to:

? Schedule backups of the database and Persistent Volume (PV).

? Restore data in case of accidental deletion.

Step 1: Install Velero on Your Kubernetes Cluster

First, we need to install Velero using the official Helm chart.

For AWS (Using S3 for Backups)

helm repo add vmware-tanzu https://vmware-tanzu.github.io/helm-charts
helm install velero vmware-tanzu/velero --namespace velero --create-namespace \
  --set configuration.provider=aws \
  --set configuration.backupStorageLocation.name=default \
  --set configuration.backupStorageLocation.bucket=<YOUR-S3-BUCKET> \
  --set credentials.useSecret=true \
  --set-file credentials.secretContents.cloud=./credentials-velero        

Replace <YOUR-S3-BUCKET> with your actual S3 bucket name.

Verify Velero Installation

kubectl get pods -n velero        

Expected Output:

NAME                     READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
velero-xyz-1234          1/1     Running   0          10s
        

? Velero is now installed and ready to back up Kubernetes data!

Step 2: Deploy a MySQL Database with Persistent Storage

Now, let's create a MySQL deployment with a Persistent Volume.

Create a Persistent Volume Claim for MySQL

apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: mysql-pvc
spec:
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 5Gi        

Deploy MySQL Using StatefulSet

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: StatefulSet
metadata:
  name: mysql
spec:
  serviceName: mysql
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: mysql
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: mysql
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: mysql
        image: mysql:5.7
        env:
        - name: MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD
          value: "password"
        volumeMounts:
        - mountPath: "/var/lib/mysql"
          name: mysql-storage
      volumes:
      - name: mysql-storage
        persistentVolumeClaim:
          claimName: mysql-pvc        

Apply the MySQL deployment:

kubectl apply -f mysql-pvc.yaml
kubectl apply -f mysql-statefulset.yaml        

? MySQL is now running with a Persistent Volume for data storage.

Step 3: Take a Backup of MySQL Using Velero

Run the following command to create a backup of the MySQL deployment, including its PV.

velero backup create mysql-backup --include-namespaces=default --wait        

Check the backup status:

velero backup get        

Expected Output:

NAME           STATUS      CREATED                         EXPIRES
mysql-backup   Completed   2025-02-24 12:30:00 UTC        30d
        

? A full backup of MySQL and its persistent data is now stored in the cloud!

Step 4: Simulate Data Loss by Deleting the MySQL Deployment

kubectl delete statefulset mysql
kubectl delete pvc mysql-pvc        

Check if MySQL is deleted:

kubectl get pods        

Expected Output:

No resources found.        

? Our MySQL instance and its storage are now gone.

Step 5: Restore MySQL Using Velero

Now, let’s restore the MySQL database from the backup.

velero restore create --from-backup mysql-backup --wait        

Check the restore status:

velero restore get        

Expected Output:

NAME                STATUS      STARTED                         COMPLETED
mysql-restore      Completed   2025-02-24 12:45:00 UTC         2025-02-24 12:46:30 UTC
        

? MySQL and its persistent storage are now fully restored!

?? Scenario 2: Scheduled Backups for Kubernetes Workloads

Instead of manually triggering backups, we can schedule them using Velero.

Create a Backup Schedule

velero schedule create daily-backup --schedule "0 2 * * *" --include-namespaces=default        

This will create a backup every day at 2 AM UTC.

Check Scheduled Backups

velero schedule get        

Expected Output:

NAME           SCHEDULE    STATUS
daily-backup   0 2 * * *  Enabled
        

? Velero now automatically backs up your workloads every day!

?? Scenario 3: Migrating Workloads Between Kubernetes Clusters

Velero also helps move workloads between clusters, useful for:

? Disaster recovery across different Kubernetes environments

? Migrating applications from test to production clusters

Step 1: Take a Backup in the Old Cluster

velero backup create cluster-migration --include-cluster-resources --wait        

Step 2: Transfer Backup to New Cluster

Copy the backup files to the new cluster's object storage (S3, Azure, GCP).

Step 3: Restore in the New Cluster

velero restore create --from-backup cluster-migration --wait        

? Your entire Kubernetes workload is now migrated to the new cluster!

?? Key Takeaways

• Velero enables full Kubernetes backup and restore, including persistent data.
• You can schedule automatic backups to prevent data loss.
• Cluster migration with Velero makes workload portability seamless.
• Supports cloud and on-prem storage like AWS S3, Azure Blob, and GCP Buckets.

?? Let’s Discuss!

Have you used Velero for backup and restore in Kubernetes? Do you prefer cloud-based backups or on-prem solutions? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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