Mastering PostgreSQL 12 - Third Edition

Handling global data

In the previous sections, we learned about pg_dump and pg_restore, which are two vital programs when it comes to creating backups. The thing is, pg_dump creates database dumps—it works on the database level. If we want to back up an entire instance, we have to make use of pg_dumpall or dump all of the databases separately. Before we dig into that, it makes sense to see how pg_dumpall works:

pg_dumpall > /tmp/all.sql  

Let's see: pg_dumpall will connect to one database after the other and send stuff to stdout, where you can process it with Unix. Note that pg_dumpall can be used just like pg_dump. However, it has some downsides. It does not support a custom or directory format, and therefore does not offer multi-core support. ...