basic\_archive {#basic-archive}
==============

basic\_archive

`basic_archive` is an example of an archive module. This module copies
completed WAL segment files to the specified directory. This may not be
especially useful, but it can serve as a starting point for developing
your own archive module. For more information about archive modules, see
[???](#archive-modules).

In order to function, this module must be loaded via
[???](#guc-archive-library), and [???](#guc-archive-mode) must be
enabled.

Configuration Parameters
------------------------

`basic_archive.archive_directory` (`string`) `basic_archive.archive_directory` configuration parameter

:   The directory where the server should copy WAL segment files. This
    directory must already exist. The default is an empty string, which
    effectively halts WAL archiving, but if [???](#guc-archive-mode) is
    enabled, the server will accumulate WAL segment files in the
    expectation that a value will soon be provided.

These parameters must be set in `postgresql.conf`. Typical usage might
be:

    # postgresql.conf
    archive_mode = 'on'
    archive_library = 'basic_archive'
    basic_archive.archive_directory = '/path/to/archive/directory'

Notes
-----

Server crashes may leave temporary files with the prefix `archtemp` in
the archive directory. It is recommended to delete such files before
restarting the server after a crash. It is safe to remove such files
while the server is running as long as they are unrelated to any
archiving still in progress, but users should use extra caution when
doing so.

Author
------

Nathan Bossart
