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Percona Backup for MongoDB
What Percona Backup for MongoDB is
Percona Backup for MongoDB (PBM) is a free, open-source tool for backing up and restoring MongoDB replica sets and sharded clusters, including recovery to a chosen point in time. It can preserve oplog slices between backups for point-in-time recovery and supports logical, physical, and incremental physical backups, subject to database product, version, and storage-engine requirements. Operators can use its command-line interface or manage workflows through a web interface with Percona Monitoring and Management. PBM can back up selected databases or collections; whole-database backups can include users and roles. Destinations include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, MinIO and compatible storage, filesystem servers, Azure Blob Storage, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage, and Alibaba Cloud OSS. MongoDB Community and Enterprise Edition support logical backups only; physical backups require Percona Server for MongoDB 7.0 or newer with WiredTiger. PBM is self-hosted, with Linux among its listed platforms.
Who it suits
PBM suits teams running MongoDB replica sets or sharded clusters that need self-hosted backup and restore workflows. Backup type availability depends on the MongoDB product, version, and storage engine they use.
What it does well
- Free and open source.
- Supports point-in-time recovery with saved oplog slices.
- Can back up selected databases or collections.
- Offers multiple cloud and filesystem storage destinations.
What to know first
- Community and Enterprise editions support logical backups only.
- Physical backups require Percona Server 7.0 or newer and WiredTiger.
- Requires a PBM user in each replica set's admin database.
Limits
The Community entry is listed as free for open source backup software. MongoDB Community and Enterprise Edition support logical backups only; physical backups require Percona Server for MongoDB 7.0 or newer with WiredTiger, and backup availability is subject to version and storage-engine requirements.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Community | Open source backup tool · no price stated | Free |
As docs.percona.com lists them, read 5 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Percona Backup for MongoDB documentation.
- Set up PBM in a self-hosted Linux environment.
- Create a PBM user in the admin database for each replica set.
- Configure a supported backup destination.
- Use PBM commands or manage workflows through Percona Monitoring and Management.
Verdict
PBM offers multiple backup types, selective backups, and a range of storage destinations, with point-in-time recovery support. Check the product and version requirements before relying on a particular backup type.
Questions
Is Percona Backup for MongoDB free?
Yes. The Community entry is listed as free, and the tool is open source.
Which MongoDB products does PBM support?
MongoDB Community and Percona Server for MongoDB are listed. MongoDB Community and Enterprise Edition support logical backups only; Percona Server for MongoDB supports all backup types when requirements are met.
Which backup types are available?
PBM supports logical, physical, and incremental physical backups, subject to product, version, and storage-engine requirements.
Where can PBM store backups?
Supported destinations include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, MinIO and S3-compatible storage, filesystem servers, Azure Blob Storage, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage, and Alibaba Cloud OSS.
How can operators manage PBM?
PBM has a command-line interface. Percona Monitoring and Management also provides web workflows for creating and managing MongoDB backups.
What is required for physical backups?
Physical backups require Percona Server for MongoDB 7.0 or newer and the WiredTiger storage engine.
Facts from Percona Backup for MongoDB's own pages
- Authentication
- PBM uses MongoDB authentication and authorization and requires a PBM user in the admin database for each replica set. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Backup types
- PBM supports logical, physical, incremental, and snapshot-based backup workflows, with availability depending on the deployment and configuration. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Company
- Percona says it has built open source database software and support since 2006. · percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Compatibility limit
- MongoDB Community and Enterprise Edition are supported for logical backups only; Percona Server for MongoDB supports all PBM backup types, subject to version and storage-engine requirements. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Credential security
- Percona recommends using systemd credentials for secure, encrypted, runtime-only access instead of storing MongoDB connection credentials in plaintext environment variables or service files. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- PBM supports physical backup and restore of data encrypted at rest, and does not store or show the encryption key as part of the backup. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 2006 · docs.percona.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Interface
- PBM is a command line tool with commands for managing database backup and restore operations. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Interfaces
- You can manage backups through the PBM command-line interface or through a web interface using PBM with Percona Monitoring and Management. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Latest release
- The documentation identifies PBM 2.16.0, released September 24, 2026, as the latest release listed on the release notes page. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Maker
- Percona describes itself as a global, remote-only company building open source database software and support; its about page says it has operated since 2006. · percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Notable requirement
- Physical backups require Percona Server for MongoDB 7.0 or newer and the WiredTiger storage engine. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- OCI authentication
- For OCI Object Storage, PBM supports user principal, instance principal, and OKE workload identity authentication. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- PMM integration
- Percona Monitoring and Management integrates with PBM workflows for creating and managing MongoDB backups. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Point-in-time recovery
- PBM can save oplog slices between backups to support point-in-time recovery. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Percona Backup for MongoDB (PBM) is a distributed solution for consistent backups of MongoDB sharded clusters and replica sets, with restores to a specific point in time. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Recent release
- PBM 2.16.0 added backup retention policies, experimental parallel uploads to Google Cloud Storage, and support for Debian 13 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Release security detail
- PBM 2.16.0 introduced software bills of materials in CycloneDX 1.6 format for releases. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Selective backups
- PBM can back up selected databases or collections; selective backups can include users and roles when backing up whole databases. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Storage integrations
- Supported backup storage includes Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, MinIO and S3-compatible storage, filesystem servers, Microsoft Azure Blob Storage, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Object Storage, and Alibaba Cloud OSS. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Supply-chain security
- PBM 2.15.0 release notes state that releases include Software Bills of Materials in CycloneDX 1.6 format. · docs.percona.com, 5 Oct 2026
Where Percona Backup for MongoDB stands on Freedom251
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