Migrate data from another Neon project
This guide describes how to migrate a database from one Neon project to another by piping data from pg_dump
to pg_restore
.
important
Avoid using pg_dump
over a pooled connection string (see PgBouncer issues 452 & 976 for details). Use an unpooled connection string instead.
Use these instructions to:
- Import a database from a Neon project created in one region to a project created in another region.
- Import a database from a Neon project created with one Postgres version to a Neon project created with another Postgres version.
tip
You can also use logical replication to move your data from one Neon project to another. See Replicate data from one Neon project to another.
Important considerations
- Upgrading the Postgres version: When upgrading to a new version of Postgres, always test thoroughly before migrating your production systems or applications. We also recommend familiarizing yourself with the changes in the new version of Postgres, especially those affecting compatibility. For information about those changes, please refer to the official Postgres Release 15 or Release 16 documentation.
- Piping considerations: Piping is not recommended for large datasets, as it is susceptible to failures during lengthy migration operations (see Pipe pg_dump to pg_restore for more information). If your dataset is large, we recommend performing the dump and restore as separate operations. For instructions, see Migrate data from Postgres with pg_dump and pg_restore.
Import data from another project
To import your data from another Neon project:
-
Create a new project with the desired region or Postgres version. See Create a project for instructions.
-
Create a database with the desired name in your new Neon project. See Create a database for instructions.
-
Retrieve the connection strings for the new and existing Neon databases.
You can obtain the connection strings from the Neon Dashboard, under Connection Details. Connections strings have this format:
-
Prepare your command to pipe data from one Neon project to the other. For the
pg_dump
command, specify connection details for the source database. For thepg_restore
command, specify connection details for the destination database. The command should have the following format:With actual source and destination connection details, your command will appear similar to this:
note
While your source and destination databases might have the same name, the hostnames will differ, as illustrated in the example above.
The command includes these arguments:
-Fc
: Sends the output to a custom-format archive suitable for input intopg_restore
.-v
: Runs commands in verbose mode, allowing you to monitor what happens during the operation.-d
: Specifies the database name or connection string.
-
Run the command from your terminal or command window.
-
If you no longer require the old project, you can remove it. See Delete a project for instructions.
Need help?
Join our Discord Server to ask questions or see what others are doing with Neon. Users on paid plans can open a support ticket from the console. For more detail, see Getting Support.