postgres-impl-backup-restore

Quick Reference :

PostgreSQL has two backup families and you almost always need both.

• Logical (pg_dump, pg_dumpall) : a SQL-or-archive snapshot of one database. Portable across major versions and CPU architectures, restorable per-table, but slow to restore for large databases and consistent only as of backup start.
• Physical (pg_basebackup + archived WAL) : a binary copy of the whole cluster. Fast to restore, enables Point-In-Time Recovery to any second within retention, but pinned to the same major version.

Real-world rule : run physical backups + WAL archiving for disaster recovery and PITR, AND periodic logical dumps for cross-version migration and accidental-drop recovery.