What is recommended way to do a PostgreSQL database backup: pg_dump or pg_basebackup?

pg_dump creates a logical backup, that is a series of SQL statements that, when executed, create a new database that is logically like the original one.

pg_basebackup creates a physical backup, that is a copy of the files that constitute the database cluster. You have to use recovery to make such a backup consistent.

The main differences are:

• pg_dump typically takes longer and creates a smaller backup.

• With pg_dump you can back up one database or parts of a database, while pg_basebackup always backs up the whole cluster.

• A backup created by pg_dump is complete, while you need WAL archives to restore a backup created with pg_basebackup (unless you used the default option -X stream, in which case the backup contains the WAL segments required to make the backup consistent).

• With a logical backup you can only restore the state of the database at backup time, while with a physical backup you can restore any point in time after the end of the backup, provided you archived the required WAL segments.

• You need pg_basebackup to create a standby server, pg_dump won't do.

• A dump taken with pg_dump can be restored on a database running on an arbitrary operating system, as long as the PostgreSQL version is equal or higher than the version of pg_dump. In contrast, a pg_basebackup can only be restored with the same database version and on the same platform as the original.