Backups

Belt integrates automated pre-deploy backups into the deploy lifecycle. When configured, belt deploy creates recovery points before applying changes.

Quick Setup

Create infrastructure/<env>/belt.rb:

Belt.configure do |config|
  config.backups do
    dynamodb :all
    retention snapshots: 90
  end
end

Then deploy normally — backups run automatically:

belt deploy prod

Simple Mode

For DynamoDB-only backups with defaults (all tables, 90-day retention):

Belt.configure do |config|
  config.backups = true
end

Full Configuration

Belt.configure do |config|
  config.backups do
    dynamodb :all                     # All tables: PITR check + on-demand snapshot
    dynamodb :posts, :users           # Or specific tables only
    cognito :users, :pool_config      # Export user list + pool settings to S3
    s3 :legal_documents               # Sync bucket to backup bucket
    retention snapshots: 90, cognito: 10, s3: 10
  end
end

Backup Types

Type	What It Does	Default Retention
`dynamodb :all`	PITR verification + on-demand snapshot per table	90 days
`dynamodb :table1, :table2`	Same, specific tables only	90 days
`cognito :users`	Paginated user export → JSON in backup bucket	10 copies
`cognito :pool_config`	Pool configuration export → JSON	10 copies
`s3 :bucket_name`	Full sync to backup bucket	10 copies

CLI Flags

belt deploy prod                # normal deploy (runs backups first)
belt deploy prod --skip-backup  # skip backup phase
belt deploy prod --backup-only  # just create recovery point, don't deploy

How It Works

Creates backup bucket <app-name>-backups-<env> on first run (versioned, public access blocked)
Reads table names from terraform output
Verifies PITR is enabled on each DynamoDB table
Creates on-demand backup named <table>-<timestamp>
For Cognito/S3: exports to backup bucket under timestamped prefixes
Cleans up expired snapshots/copies beyond retention

First Deploy

On a brand-new environment with no prior deploys, there are no Terraform outputs to read table names from. Belt warns and skips the backup phase gracefully. After the first successful deploy, backups run normally.

DynamoDB Protection Defaults

All Belt-generated DynamoDB tables include:

PITR (Point-in-Time Recovery) — enabled by default (35 days continuous)
Deletion protection — enabled in prod, disabled in dev

Skipping Backups in Dev

Don't create infrastructure/dev01/belt.rb, or omit the backups block:

Belt.configure do |config|
  # No backups block = no backups during deploy
end