How We Built an Automated Database Backup System at PriceLabs : Meet XBackup

At PriceLabs, data is at the heart of everything we do. Pricing insights, booking details, customer configurations, automation rules – millions of data points flow through our systems every day. Protecting this data isn’t optional; it’s foundational.

That’s why we built XBackup, our internal, fully automated backup platform designed to safeguard PriceLabs’ data – quietly, continuously, and reliably.

Think of XBackup as a safety net for all the important information that keeps PriceLabs running. XBackup works quietly behind the scenes, taking regular snapshots of our databases and keeping them safely stored so that, even if something unexpected happens, we can restore everything quickly and accurately without disrupting customers.

Why We Built XBackup

As PriceLabs scaled, our data systems grew more complex, and so did our expectations for backups. Three challenges became clear:

• We needed more frequent backups without increasing costs: Our databases change continuously – often every minute. Traditional daily backups left large gaps, while increasing frequency using off-the-shelf tools would significantly raise costs.
• We needed fast and reliable restores: During incidents, investigations, or debugging, engineers must be able to bring data back quickly and confidently.
• Existing tools lacked flexibility: They didn’t match the mix of systems and scale we operate with.

We built XBackup to solve these challenges while fitting naturally into PriceLabs’ engineering workflows.

High-level backup and replication architecture showing frequent backups and cloud-based data replication.

So What Exactly Does XBackup Do?

At a high level, XBackup automates the entire backup and restore lifecycle. Here’s how it works:

1. Frequent, Reliable Backups

XBackup creates regular backups – some as often as every hour – so we always have recent restore points available. Technically speaking:

• For MySQL databases, XBackup uses Percona XtraBackup, which supports hot backups. This means backups run while the database is live, with no downtime.
• For non-MySQL systems, XBackup uses block-level copying (dd) to capture data accurately and consistently.

All backups are compressed to optimize storage and transfer costs.

2. Zero Impact on Customers

XBackup is designed to be invisible to users. Backups run quietly in the background without slowing down production systems or affecting customer experience.

3. Secure Storage

Backups are stored in two different cloud locations, so even if one has issues, the other keeps data safe:

• Primary storage: DigitalOcean Object Storage
• Secondary storage: Backblaze B2 or Wasabi

A lightweight internal service called Replicator syncs backups between these locations every six hours using rclone. This setup provides geographic redundancy – a critical pillar of modern disaster recovery.

4. Fast, Automated Restores

When data needs to be restored, XBackup makes the process quick and straightforward. Using a Restoration API, engineers can:

• Create a fresh storage volume
• Download the required backup
• Restore the data inside a secure container
• Attach it directly to a server if needed

The entire process is automated, audited, and monitored – reducing recovery time during high-pressure situations.

5. End-to-End Self-Management

XBackup handles its own housekeeping.

Once a backup or restore is complete, temporary containers and volumes are automatically cleaned up. No manual intervention is required, keeping systems efficient and clutter-free.

6. Clear Monitoring and Alerts

Visibility is critical. XBackup integrates with Percona Monitoring & Management (PMM) to provide real-time insights, including:

• When the last backup ran
• Whether any backups are missing
• Backup sizes and duration trends

If something doesn’t look right, the system automatically sends alerts to our Slack monitoring channels so teams can act quickly.

How XBackup Fits Into PriceLabs

You can imagine XBackup as a team of digital helpers:

• Backup Helpers: They collect and save copies of data regularly.
• A Control Center: It keeps track of all backups, sends alerts, and helps engineers restore data.
• Cloud Storage Rooms: Safe locations where all backups are kept.
• A Mirror Storage Room: A second location where everything is copied for extra safety.

End-to-end backup workflow illustrating snapshot detection, compression, secure cloud upload, and mirrored replication.

You can think of XBackup as a well-organized, automated workflow:

• It identifies the latest snapshot of a database
• Creates a temporary volume from it
• Runs the backup using the right method (XtraBackup or dd)
• Compresses the output to save space
• Uploads it to cloud storage
• Syncs it to the secondary location
• Cleans up
• Updates dashboards and alerting systems

This entire cycle occurs without engineers needing to intervene, unless something requires attention.

Why XBackup Matters to Customers (Even If You Never See It)

XBackup improves the PriceLabs experience in ways users may not notice, but definitely benefit from:

• Better reliability: If something goes wrong, we can get systems back online faster.
• Less downtime: Because backups run quietly in the background, nothing slows down for users.
• Stronger data protection: Having multiple backup copies protects against data loss, hardware failure, or cloud outages.
• Stable product experience: Our engineering teams can recover data quickly during incidents, helping maintain the smooth experience customers expect from PriceLabs.

A Reflection of PriceLabs’ Engineering Culture

XBackup is a reflection of how we build things at PriceLabs:

• Automated, so humans don’t have to worry about backups
• Quality-focused, using tools trusted worldwide
• Alert-driven, so our teams always know what’s happening
• Built for scale, ready to grow with our platform
• Simple to operate, even in stressful situations like outages
  

Our teams fully document the system, monitor it continuously, and improve it as the platform evolves.

In Summary

XBackup is the quiet guardian of the PriceLabs platform, a blend of automation, smart engineering, and reliable backup practices that ensures:

• Your data stays safe
• Our teams can recover quickly
• Our platform remains resilient
• And your experience stays smooth

For our teams and customers alike, XBackup brings peace of mind. We built it to be technically strong and operationally invisible, giving us confidence that your data stays protected no matter what happens.

Curious to go deeper?

A detailed technical deep-dive on XBackup is coming soon. Stay tuned!

Join the Journey

XBackup is just one example of how we think, build, and scale at PriceLabs.

If you’re driven by ownership, thoughtful engineering, and solving real-world problems at scale, your journey starts here.
Apply nowand help shape the next chapter of PriceLabs’ engineering.

The next wave of innovation is just getting started.