Overview
TimeLeaf's backup and restore feature lets you schedule automatic backups of your tenant data to your own cloud storage. Configure retention policies, monitor backup health, and restore from any snapshot when needed. This feature is available on the Professional plan and above.
Backup configuration
Setting up backups
- Go to Settings > System > Backups.
- Click Configure Backup.
- Select a storage provider (see below).
- Enter your storage credentials and bucket/container details.
- Choose a backup schedule.
- Set a retention policy.
- Click Save and Test to verify the connection.
TimeLeaf runs a test write to your storage provider to confirm credentials and permissions before saving the configuration.
Storage providers
| Provider | Configuration required |
|---|---|
| Amazon S3 | Bucket name, region, access key ID, secret access key. Optionally specify a path prefix. |
| Azure Blob Storage | Storage account name, container name, access key or SAS token. |
| Google Cloud Storage | Bucket name, service account JSON key file. |
All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest using AES-256 encryption before uploading to your storage provider.
Backup schedules
Choose from three schedule options:
- Hourly. a backup runs every hour. Best for high-change environments where minimal data loss is critical.
- Daily. a backup runs once per day at a configurable time (default: 02:00 UTC).
- Weekly. a backup runs once per week on a configurable day and time.
Each backup is a full snapshot of your tenant data, including employee records, leave data, timesheets, contracts, and configuration. File attachments (e.g., contract PDFs, medical notes) are included.
Retention policies
Retention policies control how long backup snapshots are kept before automatic deletion:
- Go to Settings > System > Backups > Retention.
- Set the retention period in days (e.g., 30, 60, 90).
- Optionally enable keep monthly. retain one backup per month indefinitely, even after the retention period expires.
When a backup exceeds the retention period, TimeLeaf deletes it from your storage provider automatically.
Restore from backup
Starting a restore
- Go to Settings > System > Backups > Restore.
- Browse the list of available snapshots, sorted by date.
- Select the snapshot you want to restore from.
- Choose a restore mode:
- Full restore. replaces all current data with the backup. This is destructive and cannot be undone.
- Selective restore. restore specific data types (e.g., only employee records, only timesheets).
- Confirm the restore by typing your tenant name.
- Click Restore. The process runs in the background.
During a restore
While a restore is in progress:
- The system enters read-only mode. Users can view data but cannot make changes.
- A banner is displayed to all users indicating that a restore is in progress.
- The restore typically completes within a few minutes, depending on data volume.
Before starting a full restore, TimeLeaf automatically creates a backup of the current state so you can revert if needed.
Monitoring
The Backups dashboard shows:
- Last successful backup date and time
- Next scheduled backup
- Storage usage across all retained snapshots
- A log of recent backup and restore operations with status (success, failed, in progress)
Failed backups trigger an email notification to all administrators. Check the backup log for error details, which typically relate to expired storage credentials or insufficient permissions.