To import an existing database into Coolify, first provision and start the destination database, prepare a dump compatible with its engine and version, stop application writes, and take a safety backup. Open the database’s Import Backup page, provide the dump by computer upload, absolute server path, or team S3 storage, review the detected format and generated command, select only the replacement or credential options your migration requires, and start the restore. Monitor the restore output, verify records and credentials, then reconnect the application and create a new backup.
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What Coolify can import
Coolify’s built-in Import Backup workflow supports five destination engines. The dump format and scope must match the destination you created in Coolify.
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| Destination | Accepted input | Important scope or option |
|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | SQL dumps, custom archives, tar archives, and all-database dumps | Single-database and all-database restores are handled differently; owner and privilege restoration is optional. |
| MySQL | SQL dumps, including all-database backups | An all-database restore can include the mysql system database, users, passwords, and privileges. |
| MariaDB | SQL dumps, including all-database backups | The same user-and-privilege considerations apply as with MySQL. |
| MongoDB | Archive files and dump directories | The archive or directory must represent a MongoDB dump that the destination can restore. |
| SQLite | A selected SQLite database file | You choose the destination file under Restore into. |
Redis, Dragonfly, KeyDB, and ClickHouse do not use this built-in Import Backup procedure. They require engine-specific export and restore steps instead.
Prepare the destination before importing
Provision and start the database
- Create the target database in Coolify with the engine and version required by the application.
- Wait until the database is running and reports healthy. Import cannot begin against a stopped destination.
- Confirm that the host has enough free storage for the uploaded or copied dump, temporary extraction files, and the restored data. Compressed inputs are detected before Coolify makes changes, but extraction still needs working space.
Match the engine, version, and dump format
A PostgreSQL dump is not interchangeable with a MySQL dump, and an archive produced for one restoration tool may not be accepted by another. Check the source engine, major version, database name, and whether the dump contains one database or every database on the source server before you start.
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PostgreSQL custom archives are especially sensitive to major-version differences. Coolify’s default PostgreSQL workflow expects a pg_dump custom-format archive created with -Fc. For a migration from an older PostgreSQL major version, the documentation recommends a plain SQL or tar-format dump instead. Plain SQL must be restored with psql, not with the custom-archive restore path.
Create a PostgreSQL dump
A documented custom-format example is:
docker exec pg-db pg_dump -U postgres -d postgres -Fc > example-database.sql.gzThe command runs pg_dump inside the container named pg-db, connects as postgres, exports the database named postgres, and writes a custom-format archive to the host. Use the actual container, role, and database names from your installation. If the source and destination major versions are not compatible, use the plain or tar format recommended for that migration rather than relying on a custom archive.
Prepare MySQL or MariaDB data
Export a SQL dump that matches the destination engine. Decide whether the file represents one application database or all databases. An all-database backup can contain the mysql system database; restoring it can recreate users, passwords, and privileges and may invalidate the credentials Coolify saved for the target.
Prepare MongoDB and SQLite files
MongoDB imports accept a Mongo archive or a dump directory. Keep the directory structure intact if you use a directory source. For SQLite, identify the exact database file the application should use and the mounted path or file target that Coolify presents under Restore into.
Protect the application and the existing target
An import may replace objects, overwrite rows, or change credentials. Treat it as a migration window rather than a background copy.
- Put the application into maintenance mode or stop every process that can write to the database.
- Take a separate backup of the Coolify target immediately before the import. This gives you a rollback point if the dump is incomplete or the selected options are too destructive.
- Record the destination connection details, current Coolify credentials, health-check settings, and application environment variables.
- Check that no other restore, restart, or import is running. Coolify rejects a concurrent start, restart, or import while an operation is in progress.
Do not assume that a successful command means the application can reconnect. A restore can finish while the application still has an old password, points at a different SQLite file, or expects tables that were not included in a selected-database dump.
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Import through the Coolify dashboard
1. Open the target’s Import Backup page
Open the running destination database in Coolify and select Import Backup. The page is available for standalone databases and for databases attached to a service stack.
2. Choose where the dump comes from
Coolify provides three source locations:
| Source | How it works | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Upload from your computer | Select the local dump in the browser and let Coolify upload it. | A one-time migration when the file is on your workstation. |
| Absolute server path | Enter the full path to a file already present on the database server, then select Check file. | Large dumps already copied to the host, avoiding another browser upload. |
| Team S3 storage | Choose team S3 storage, enter the object path, and select Check file. | A dump shared through the team’s object storage or a repeatable migration process. |
Use an absolute path rather than a relative filename. For S3, enter the object path exactly as it exists in the configured team storage. Checking the file lets Coolify inspect it before the restore begins.
3. Review what Coolify detected
Before starting, inspect the file information, detected backup format, and dump scope. Confirm whether Coolify identified a selected-database backup or an all-database backup. Read the generated import command as well; the command preview is read-only and shows the exact restore script Coolify will use.
If the detected format or scope is wrong, stop here. Re-export the source in a compatible format or select the correct file instead of trying to force a restore with mismatched options.
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The available controls depend on the engine and detected dump:
- Replace objects that already exist: For a single-database PostgreSQL archive, this is off by default. Leave it off when existing objects must be preserved; enable it only when replacement is part of the migration plan.
- Keep owners and privileges: This is off by default for PostgreSQL because roles from the source often do not exist on the destination. Enable it only after confirming that the required roles are present or that recreating them is intentional.
- Restore users and privileges: For an all-database MySQL or MariaDB backup, this can restore the
mysqlsystem database, including users, passwords, and privileges. If you enable it, be prepared to update Coolify’s saved credentials and health checks afterward. - Restore into: For SQLite, select the target database file. This determines which mounted file the application will read after the import.
These defaults are conservative. They reduce accidental replacement, but they do not decide whether the source roles, users, or target file are correct for your application.
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5. Start and monitor the restore
- Start the restore and complete Coolify’s confirmation prompt.
- Open Database Restore Output and follow the operation until it reports completion or an error.
- Do not restart the database, begin another import, or treat a closed browser tab as cancellation while the operation is running.
If the output reports an error, preserve the message and the generated command. Correct the format, path, permissions, credentials, or destination settings identified by the error, then restore the pre-import backup before attempting a new migration when the failed operation may have changed data.
Import from the CLI
The Coolify CLI can run the same workflow without the dashboard. A local file import uses:
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CLI sources can also come from a prior upload, configured S3 storage, or a server path. The important flags are:
--dump-allfor an all-database dump.--replace-existingwhen existing objects are intentionally replaced.--keep-ownerswhen PostgreSQL ownership and privileges should be retained.--restore-mysql-userswhen an all-database MySQL or MariaDB restore should include users and privileges.--sqlite-databaseto select the SQLite database file that receives the restore.
Databases deployed inside a service stack use the corresponding service-database import command rather than the standalone database command. Apply the same compatibility, backup, and verification checks when automating the operation.
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Automate imports through the API
The API separates uploading, starting, and checking an import. For a standalone database, use these endpoints:
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| Purpose | Endpoint |
|---|---|
| Upload a dump | POST /databases/{uuid}/imports/uploads |
| Start the import | POST /databases/{uuid}/imports |
| Read import status | GET /databases/{uuid}/imports/{activity_id} |
For a database belonging to a service, use the same suffixes under:
/services/{uuid}/databases/{database_uuid}/importsUpload and start operations require the write permission. A server-path import also requires deploy. After starting, poll the returned activity ID and do not reconnect application writers until the status and database checks are successful.
Verify the restored database before cutover
Use a separate validation pass before taking the application out of maintenance mode.
- Confirm that the Coolify database is running and healthy, and review its logs for restore warnings.
- Connect with a database client using the credentials the application will use.
- Inspect schemas and tables for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB; inspect collections for MongoDB.
- Query representative records, including recently changed records and any tables the application needs at startup.
- For SQLite, verify that the application reads the file selected under Restore into and that the mounted path is the one configured in the application.
- If users or passwords were restored, update Coolify’s saved credentials, environment variables, and health checks before testing the application.
- Run an application-level smoke test: log in, read existing content, create a test record if appropriate, and confirm background jobs can connect.
Only after these checks should you resume normal writes. Once the application is working against the imported data, create a fresh backup of the restored target so the new state has its own recovery point.
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The file is rejected or detected as the wrong format
Check the source engine and export tool first. A PostgreSQL plain SQL file, custom archive, and tar archive require different restore commands. Re-export in a format supported by the destination and, for PostgreSQL major-version migrations, prefer plain or tar format when the custom archive is not version-compatible.
The restore runs out of disk space
Check free space on the Coolify host, including room for the source file and temporary extraction. Remove or relocate unrelated files, increase the available volume, or place the dump in a storage location that does not consume the database volume. Do not delete the pre-import safety backup until the migration is verified.
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PostgreSQL ownership or privilege errors appear
Source roles may not exist in the destination. Retry with owner and privilege retention disabled, or create and map the required roles deliberately before importing. Do not enable Keep owners and privileges merely to silence an error if those roles are not part of the destination design.
The application cannot log in after a MySQL or MariaDB restore
An all-database restore with user restoration can replace the mysql system database and therefore change passwords and privileges. Update Coolify’s stored credentials, application environment variables, and health checks to match the restored accounts, then test a fresh connection.
The import appears stuck or another operation is blocked
Check Database Restore Output and the database logs before taking action. Coolify prevents a concurrent start, restart, or import while one operation is active. Wait for the current activity to finish or fail; do not launch a second restore against the same target.
Importing application data is not the same as restoring Coolify
Coolify’s own control-plane restore is a separate operation. Restoring a self-hosted Coolify instance brings back projects, resources, settings, saved credentials, and deployment history, but it does not restore data stored inside application databases, services, or volumes. Those data stores require their own database import or volume-restore procedure.
Therefore, restoring the Coolify control plane alone will not repopulate an application’s PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, or SQLite data. Keep the application backup and the Coolify instance backup as separate recovery assets, and test each restoration path independently.
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A practical migration sequence
- Identify the source engine, version, database scope, dump format, and credentials.
- Provision and start the matching destination database in Coolify.
- Confirm free disk space and copy or upload the dump.
- Stop application writes and take a backup of the empty or existing destination.
- Open Import Backup, select upload, server path, or team S3, and check the file.
- Review detected format, scope, and the read-only generated command.
- Choose replacement, ownership, user-restoration, or SQLite-target options only when they match the migration plan.
- Start the restore and monitor Database Restore Output to completion.
- Validate health, schemas or collections, representative records, credentials, and application connectivity.
- Resume writes and create a new backup of the verified destination.
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