What types of backups exist?

There are three main types of database backups - they differ in exactly what gets saved with each copy.

#1. Full Backup

A complete copy of the entire database gets created.

• Pro: simple to restore, everything's in one file.
• Con: takes a lot of space and time. Example: a nightly backup of an entire day's data.

#2. Incremental Backup

Only the changes since the last any backup (full or incremental) are saved.

• Pro: fast, saves space.
• Con: restoring requires assembling every part in the chain.

#3. Differential Backup

All changes since the last full backup are saved.

• Pro: restoring is simpler, you only need the last full backup plus the last differential one.
• Con: its size grows with every passing day.

Summary:

• Full, everything at once,
• Incremental, only new changes,
• Differential, every change since the last full backup.