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Migrate from a Docker container

Guided today

Move PostgreSQL, TimescaleDB, MySQL and 4 more engines from a Docker container into a Databasezy instance. Plan a short maintenance window for the final copy and switch.

Moves into

Start a migration Local databases and files guide

What moves

PostgreSQL

  • Schemas, tables, indexes, constraints and views
  • Functions, triggers and sequences, with sequence values checked after the copy
  • Extensions we ship; any we do not are named in the preflight
  • Roles and grants are listed; new credentials are issued for the target

TimescaleDB

  • Schemas, tables, indexes, constraints and views
  • Functions, triggers and sequences, with sequence values checked after the copy
  • Extensions we ship; any we do not are named in the preflight
  • Hypertables and their chunks
  • Roles and grants are listed; new credentials are issued for the target

MySQL

  • Databases, tables, indexes and foreign keys
  • Views, stored procedures, functions and triggers
  • Users are listed; new credentials are issued for the target

MariaDB

  • Databases, tables, indexes and foreign keys
  • Views, stored procedures, functions and triggers
  • Users are listed; new credentials are issued for the target

Valkey

  • Every key in every logical database, with its TTL
  • Strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets and streams
  • Lua scripts and module-backed keys are listed for you to review

Redis (compat)

  • Every key in every logical database, with its TTL
  • Strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets and streams
  • Lua scripts and module-backed keys are listed for you to review

MongoDB (Percona Server)

  • Databases, collections and documents
  • Indexes, including unique and TTL indexes

Preflight checklist

The preflight checks these for you and shows the result before anything is copied. Knowing them up front saves a round trip.

Specific to Docker container

  • Run zb migrate --from local --engine <engine> --container <name> to dump inside the container with docker exec (pg_dump, mysqldump or mariadb-dump, valkey-cli or redis-cli --rdb, mongodump --archive) using the container's own credentials.
  • Or publish the port to localhost and run zb migrate --from local with the tool installed locally.

For every source

  • Pick a target engine version at least as new as the source.
  • Check that the target size has room for the estimate, plus indexes rebuilt during restore.

Step by step

  1. Install the zb CLI where the database runs

    The CLI runs the engine's own dump tool next to your database and streams the result to us, so no inbound port is needed.

  2. Run the preflight

    Start a migration from the Migrate in tab of the target instance, or from the CLI. The preflight connects, detects the engine and version, and checks for anything that will not carry over.

    Terminal
    zb migrate --from local --engine postgres --db myapp --to inst_abc

  3. Review the estimate

    The preflight reports size, the target size and storage it recommends, and how long the copy should take. Pass --create to the CLI to provision a target sized from it.

  4. Copy

    Engine-native tools copy the data inside your target's cell. Progress shows per table, collection or key count in the portal and the CLI.

  5. Verify

    Row counts, sampled checksums, schema, sequences and indexes are compared. Any mismatch is listed in the result before you switch.

  6. Switch during a short maintenance window

    Without continuous sync, writes made after the copy starts are not carried over. Rehearse once to time the copy, then stop writes, run the final copy and verify, and switch your app's connection string.

How the pipeline runs for this source

  1. Step 1: Preflight

    Connects, detects the engine and version, estimates size and duration, and lists anything we cannot carry over.

  2. Step 2: Copy

    Runs the engine's own dump and restore tools inside your target's cell, with live progress per table or collection.

  3. Step 3: Verify

    Compares row counts, sampled checksums, schema, sequences, indexes and extensions. Mismatches are listed, not hidden.

  4. Step 4: Sync

    Optional for Postgres and MySQL: replication keeps the copy current while your app still writes to the source.

    Not available for this source

  5. Step 5: Cut over

    You point your app at the new connection string. With sync running, the switch takes seconds.

  6. Step 6: Report

    Durations, sizes, verification results and skipped objects, saved to the audit log and emailed to you.

Sync and access

Not available from Docker container

Migrations from this source are one-time copies. Writes made after the copy starts are not carried over, so stop writes, run the final copy and verify, then switch. A rehearsal run tells you how long that takes.

Ways to read the source

CLI from your machine
The zb CLI runs the engine's dump tool on your machine and streams the result. No inbound port.

With the CLI

Every method has a zb migrate form. Replace the placeholders with your own values.

From a server on your machine
zb migrate --from local --engine postgres --db myapp --to inst_abc
Follow progress
zb migrate status mig_123

Further reading

Related sources: Anywhere else

Questions

Does the migration change my source database?

A copy only reads. Continuous sync is different: it needs replication enabled on the source and adds a publication or replication user there. The guide lists exactly what is added and how to remove it.

What happens to the credentials I give you?

Source credentials are kept only as a Secret in the cell that runs the copy. The Secret is deleted when the migration finishes, or after 24 hours at the latest. Our control plane does not store them.

How much downtime should I plan for?

Docker container does not offer continuous sync to us, so plan a window long enough for one copy and verify. Rehearse first; the preflight estimate and the rehearsal tell you how long it takes.

Which plans include continuous sync?

Continuous sync for Postgres and MySQL is part of the Solo plan and above, and arrives in rollout phase 2.

What if verification finds a difference?

The result lists each table or collection that does not match. Nothing is switched for you: you decide whether to re-run the copy, fix the source, or carry on.

Can I move a database onto secure hosting this way?

Yes, once instance-to-instance copies ship (coming soon). They cover engine upgrades, region moves and moving a database from shared to secure hosting, which needs a signed BAA for your organization.

Bring your database over

Start with a preflight. Before any data is copied, it tells you what will move, how big the target should be and how long the copy takes.

Start a migration Local databases and files guide