Why Can't I Connect to my PostgreSQL DB After Restoring?

When restoring a PostgreSQL database from a backup, you may encounter connection issues immediately after the restore completes. This article explains the process and how to handle post-restore connections properly.

How Database Backups Work

Our backup system uses EBS snapshots of the database volume, creating full, crash-safe snapshots without requiring the database to go offline during the backup process.

Post-Restore Connection Issues

After restoring a database, you may encounter this error when trying to connect:

connection failed: the database system is starting up

This occurs because PostgreSQL needs to replay Write-Ahead Log (WAL) files to ensure data integrity. During this recovery process, the database blocks new connections until completion.