This add-on is operated by CLOUDFORGED, LLC

Automated MySQL and MariaDB Backups. Your data, sheltered from the storm.

Last updated July 22, 2025

The Ark Backups add-on gives users fine-tuned control over their MySQL and MariaDB backups. Use the add-on to set and modify your own backup schedule, choose which backup options to use, troubleshoot with transparent logging, and secure the whole process via SSL.

Provisioning the Add-on

There are several options for installing Ark Backups.

Heroku Elements

Provision the add-on through the Heroku Elements page.

In the Plans & Pricing section, select the plan, then Install Ark Backups, and specify the Heroku app to attach it to.

Heroku CLI

To attach the add-on via the Heroku CLI, run the command:

$ heroku addons:create ark:PLANNAME -a HEROKU_APPNAME

Heroku Dashboard

1. From the Heroku Dashboard.
2. Select the Heroku app you want to attach the add-on to.
3. Select Resources and search for and select Ark Backups in the Add-on Services section.
4. Follow the prompts to select a plan and provision the add-on.

Ark Backups Dashboard and Initial Configuration

After attaching the add-on to an app, complete the initial configuration to add the MySQL or MariaDB server to create backups for on the Ark Backups dashboard.

Access the dashboard via the CLI:

$ heroku addons:open ark
Opening ark for postgres-database-1001

Or by visiting the Heroku Dashboard and selecting the application in question. Select Ark Backups from the Add-ons menu.

On the Ark Backups dashboard page, provide the connection credentials for your MySQL or MariaDB database. Then select the backup schedule and any options to pass to the backup process.

View Backups

The dashboard lists the user’s backup file storage sizes and compares the total storage used with total storage available for the current plan.

The add-on provides backups in gzipped .sql files. Ark Backups lists these files in reverse chronological order and names them in a YYYY-MM-DD_HH-mm.sql.gz format.

The links are valid for one hour from the time you open the dashboard. Refreshing the dashboard refreshes the links.

Encrypt the Backup Connection

In the SSL Settings section of the Ark Backups dashboard, you can optionally upload a .pem Certificate Authority (CA) file that Ark Backups uses to create an SSL connection your server during the backup process. The file isn’t necessary, but adds a layer of encryption to the backup process.

Modify the Backup Schedule

You can modify the backup schedule after the initial configuration from the Ark Backups dashboard. After choosing a time of day in UTC for the backup process, you can select to perform the backup on a Daily, Weekly, or Monthly schedule.

Modify Server Details and Backup Options

The dashboard displays the connection information for the MySQL or MariaDB server. You can modify the connection information and the backup options that guide the backup process.

Restore Data From Backups

Depending on the backup options you use, you can configure the backup file to run on an existing server with data present. Or, you can require the target server to not have any user data before the data is loaded.

You can load ‌backup data from most clients. For example, this command restores all data in backupfile.sql to a database named targetdb using the MySQL CLI.

$ mysql -u USERNAME -p -h HOSTNAME targetdb < backupfile.sql

Migrating Between Plans

When changing plans, the storage allocated for your backup files changes along with it. If the target plan’s storage is less than the storage currently used by your existing backup files, Ark Backups deletes the oldest files one by one until the remaining backup files are less than that new storage limit.

Use the heroku addons:upgrade command to migrate to a new plan.

$ heroku addons:upgrade ark:newplan
-----> Upgrading ark:newplan to example-app.. done, v18 ($49/mo)
       Your plan has been updated to: ark:newplan

Removing the Add-on

You can remove Ark Backups from your application via your Heroku app’s dashboard page, or via the CLI command:

$ heroku addons:destroy ark -a HEROKU_APPNAME

Logs and Troubleshooting

Logs provide insight into the backup process and can help with troubleshooting issues related to the backup files themselves.

During the backup process, Ark Backups saves relevant log outputs for display in the Logs section. The dashboard displays the logs in chronological order and retains them for roughly one week.

Error: Access denied; you need (at least one of) the PROCESS privilege(s) for this operation’ when trying to dump tablespaces

Some users may have a cloud-hosted server that doesn’t provide the PROCESS privilege. The backup process, by default, tries to include the tablespaces in the resulting backup file. When it can’t include the tablespaces, the backup proceeds without them, but still generates the error. You can either ignore the error or include the --no-tablespaces flag as a backup options so the backup process skips the tablespaces.

Support

Submit all Ark Backups support and runtime issues via one of the Heroku Support channels. Any non-support-related issues or product feedback is welcome at CloudForged’s support email support@cloudforged.com. Follow CloudForged’s Twitter account for service news, updates, and status information.