Valigator documentation

valigator helps you automate backup validation.

It uses Docker to create ephemeral environments in which a backup restoration can occur.

It aims to be a generic tool used to test ANY backup type. It allows you to use the Docker images that you want and thus, the restoration procedure of your choice.

Table of content

• Setup
  • Requirements
  • Installation
• Configuration
  • Valigator section
  • Docker section
  • Celery section
  • Mail section
  • Extension section
• Usage
  • Start the solution using Docker
  • Start the solution without Docker
• Extensions
• Reports
  • Task failure
  • Backup test failure
• Maintenance
• Limitations

The solution is composed of 2 components : the valigator HTTP API service and one or more valigator worker.

Both components use a broker to communicate.

Valigator HTTP API

This component is the front service of valigator, use it to queue backup tasks. These tasks will be executed by the worker component.

The HTTP API component exposes one endpoint.

/validate/<backup>

Use this endpoint to queue a new backup test task, it will use the <backup> parameter to choose which extension to load (see the Extensions chapter for more info).

It only support the POST method.

When hitting the endpoint with a POST, it expects a JSON request body that must look like:

{
  "archive_path": "/path/to/archive"
}

The archive_path field is mandatory, it specifies the location on the filesystem where the tool can find the backup archive.

Example, plan a MongoDB 2.6 backup test for the archive located at /path/to/mongodb/backup/archive.tar.gz (using HTTPie to send the request):

$ http POST :7000/validate/mongo26 archive_path=/path/to/mongodb/backup/archive.tar.gz

Valigator worker

A worker subscribes to the broker and will trigger backup test in Docker container when it receives a task. You can have more than one worker (even on multiple Docker engines).

A worker task consists of the following:

• Extract the backup archive in a temporary directory
• Start a Docker container based on the extension image, it will also mount the temporary directory containing the exploded backup to the /backup folder.
• Execute the command specified in the extension

NOTE: The worker must have access to the archive on the filesystem.

The return code of the command used to validate the backup will trigger a notification if different from 0. A notification is also triggered if any exception occurs during the task.