Derby Database Backup and Restore with Spring Boot

October 07, 2025

This guide shows how to back up and restore an Apache Derby database in a Spring Boot project to protect and recover data easily.

1. Configure Derby

In application.properties:

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:derby:/app/data/derbyDB;create=true
spring.datasource.driver-class-name=org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver
spring.jpa.hibernate.ddl-auto=update

This stores Derby data in a file-based directory /app/data/derbyDB.

2. Create Entities and Repositories

For example, a simple Customer entity:

import jakarta.persistence.*;

@Entity
public class Customer {
    @Id
    @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
    private Long id;
    private String name;
    private String email;

    // getters and setters
}

Repository:

import org.springframework.data.jpa.repository.JpaRepository;

public interface CustomerRepository extends JpaRepository<Customer, Long> {
}

3. Backup Derby Database

Derby provides a backup command. Run inside IJ tool or programmatically:

CALL SYSCS_UTIL.SYSCS_BACKUP_DATABASE('/backup/derby_backup');

This copies the current database files into /backup/derby_backup.

4. Restore Derby Database

To restore, point Derby to the backup directory:

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:derby:/backup/derby_backup;create=true

Your Spring Boot app will now use the restored database.

5. Automate Backup with Spring

You can also run backups programmatically:

import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;
import java.sql.Statement;

public class DerbyBackup {
    public static void backup() throws Exception {
        try (Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(
                "jdbc:derby:/app/data/derbyDB")) {
            Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
            stmt.executeUpdate(
                "CALL SYSCS_UTIL.SYSCS_BACKUP_DATABASE('/backup/derby_backup')");
        }
    }
}

6. Test Backup and Restore

Insert data via your Spring Boot app.
Run backup procedure.
Change DB URL to /backup/derby_backup.
Restart app and confirm restored data.