YAML backup manifest constructor

Prepare a YAML backup manifest for the management cluster and import it in the GUI.

It is recommended to keep a backup of the management cluster so you can restore access if the cluster becomes unavailable. The constructor simplifies backup configuration: it builds a single Velero Backup or Schedule object from the selected providers and cluster names.

Download the YAML and import it through manifest import. You can still configure a one-time backup or a scheduler in Backup and Restore. See Creating backups: one-time backup and scheduler.

The management cluster name is required. Add client cluster names if you need their resources in the backup. On the backup parameters step you can also include Kyverno policies (one, several, or all types) and IP pools.

If you select a provider that is not in the cluster or enter an incorrect cluster name, backup of the remaining objects still completes. Velero skips namespaced and cluster-scoped resource types that are not present in the cluster. An error appears only when includedNamespaces lists a namespace that does not exist: the backup may show a partial error in the UI, and Velero logs a message like:

level=error ... fail to get the namespace <namespace-name> specified in backup.Spec.IncludedNamespaces.

How to inspect logs is described in Backup troubleshooting; general diagnostics are in Velero Troubleshooting (v1.17).

Secrets are excluded from the backup by default: do not store credentials in a backup. Keep them in a dedicated secrets manager, for example HashiCorp Vault. How to connect Vault in the platform is described in Vault HashiCorp Integration; for the product itself, see the HashiCorp Vault documentation. If you still need secrets in the backup, enable them in the constructor.

Before using the constructor, see the backup recommendations. The list of infrastructure providers is in the provider table.

After the copies are in S3, restoring the management cluster is described on the Cluster recovery page. Backup module: Velero.