Backing up the home directory
Because the Jira [shared] home directory contains key runtime data that determines the way Jira works, how it looks, and the information it displays, it’s crucial that you keep an up-to-date backup of its contents.The contents of the home directory include data such as:
- attachments
- configuration files
- XML snapshots of database contents
- installed app data
- log files
- search index cache
- temporary files
- custom logo images
- encryption keys
- encryption configuration
- secured database password
If you’re running Jira in a clustered Data Center configuration, make sure to back up the shared home directory and the local home directories of all nodes in the cluster.
To reduce the size of the [shared] home directory backup, exclude the export subdirectory. This subdirectory contains XML snapshots of Jira database contents created by the built-in backup service, which may be significant in size. These backups may also be unreliable under certain circumstances.
There’s more than one way to back up the home directory and we can’t cover them all on this page, but here are a few methods to get you started:
- On Microsoft Windows, you can write a batch script that will copy the contents of the home directory to another location. To run the script periodically, use the Windows Task Manager.
- On Linux, you can write a shell script that will copy the contents of the home directory. To run the script periodically, add it to your crontab file.
If you’ve moved the <jira-home>/attachments directory (where <jira-home> is the path to the [shared] home directory) to another, custom location, make sure to back up that directory separately.