PostgreSQL backup retention should be at least 7 days

Medium Azure General postgres-backup-retention

Applies to

Microsoft.DBforPostgreSQL/flexibleServers

What CGPulse checks

A resource passes this rule when backup.backupRetentionDays must be greater than 6. Anything else is reported as a finding with the evaluated property value attached as evidence.

How to fix it

Set backup retention to at least 7 days for adequate data recovery options. In Azure Portal: PostgreSQL Flexible Server > Backup > set Retention period to 7+ days. See: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/postgresql/flexible-server/concepts-backup-restore

CLI

az postgres flexible-server update --ids "{id}" --backup-retention 7

Bicep

resource pg 'Microsoft.DBforPostgreSQL/flexibleServers@2023-12-01-preview' existing = {{
  name: '{name}'
}}
// TODO: Update highAvailability.mode to 'ZoneRedundant'
// Note: This may require a specific tier (GeneralPurpose or MemoryOptimized)

Terraform

resource "azurerm_postgresql_flexible_server" "{name}" {
  name                   = "{name}"
  resource_group_name    = "{rg}"
  location               = var.location
  version                = "16"
  sku_name               = "B_Standard_B1ms"
  backup_retention_days  = 35
  # Max is 35 days for flexible servers
}

Compliance frameworks

Cloud Security BaselineBR-1

Vendor documentation

Is your environment compliant with this rule?

CGPulse checks it — and 621 others — against your Azure and AWS accounts with read-only access.

Run a free scan