Note: The following description applies both to Postgres-XC and PostgreSQL if not described explicitly.
As with everything that contains valuable data, PostgreSQL databases should be backed up regularly. While the procedure is essentially simple, it is important to have a clear understanding of the underlying techniques and assumptions.
There are three fundamentally different approaches to backing up PostgreSQL data:
SQL dump
File system level backup
Continuous archiving
Each has its own strengths and weaknesses; each is discussed in turn in the following sections.