Export PocketBase data
Download your database and files as a .tar.gz archive
Your data is yours: download your PocketBase database and uploaded files as a single .tar.gz archive, any time. Useful for local development, moving to a different app, or keeping your own off-device backup.
Dashboard: open your app → Data tab → Export data → click Export data. The browser downloads the archive directly. CLI:
bunx percher data export # uses app name from percher.toml bunx percher data export my-app # explicit app name bunx percher data export --out backup.tar.gz # custom output path
Either way the file streams straight to disk — it is never fully buffered in memory, so it works regardless of how large your data is.
What's inside the archive
The archive is a snapshot of your PocketBase sidecar's pb_data directory:
pb_data/ data.db # SQLite database — all your collections and rows data.db-wal # write-ahead log (if non-empty at snapshot time) storage/ # uploaded files, one subdirectory per collection record pb_migrations/ # JS migration files (if any)
The snapshot is consistent because it is taken at rest: the export pauses your PocketBase sidecar for the few seconds it takes to copy pb_data, verifies the copy, restarts PocketBase and checks it is serving again before the archive streams. During that pause your app's database requests fail; everything committed before it is in the archive, and data.db is never torn.
Open the export on your machine
Extract the archive, then either query the database file directly or run a local PocketBase against it — the second gives you the full admin UI with your existing credentials. Download PocketBase from pocketbase.io.
tar -xzf my-app-pb-2026-05-03.tar.gz # Query the file directly, or open it in DB Browser / TablePlus sqlite3 pb_data/data.db "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10" # Or run the real thing: http://127.0.0.1:8090/_/ ./pocketbase serve --dir pb_data # Windows: .pocketbase.exe serve --dir pb_data
Collections, rows, auth records and files are all exactly as they were on the server.
Import into a new Percher app
The export is a raw pb_data/ snapshot — not a PocketBase native backup ZIP, so it cannot be uploaded directly via the PocketBase admin backup UI. Two supported paths:
Option A — via local PocketBase (self-service)
# 1. Extract the archive tar -xzf old-app-pb-2026-05-03.tar.gz # 2. Run it locally (see "Open the export on your machine" above) ./pocketbase serve --dir pb_data # 3. Create a native PocketBase backup # Admin UI → Settings → Backups → Create backup # Download the generated .zip file # 4. Upload to the new app # Open https://pb-new-app.percher.run/_/ → Settings → Backups → Upload backup # Select the .zip from step 3 → Restore
Option B — platform-side migration (support)
Email support@percher.app with the source and target app names. We copy the pb_data volume directly between containers — no manual steps needed on your end.
How many exports you get per day
| Plan | Exports per app per 24 h |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 |
| Starter | 1 |
| Maker | 2 |
| Max | 5 |
The limit is per app, not per account. Each export attempt counts — if the browser tab is closed mid-download, the slot is still consumed.