Disaster recovery (DR) is the culmination of a backup strategy: not only can you restore, but you know in how long and exactly how. For Apache Superset, a documented DR plan is non-negotiable in production. This guide details the components in 2026.
1. Key definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| RTO (Recovery Time Objective) | Target delay between incident and service resumption |
| RPO (Recovery Point Objective) | Acceptable data loss quantity (in time) |
| Runbook | Detailed operational procedure |
| Hot site / Cold site | Active replica (hot) or stand-by (cold) |
If you want a turnkey DR, TVL Managed Superset offers a default DR plan on Pro+ instances with RTO 4h / RPO 24h.
2. RTO / RPO targets by profile
| Profile | Target RTO | Target RPO |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional internal use | 24h | 24h |
| Critical internal production | 4h | 1h |
| Multi-tenant SaaS | 1h | 5 min (PITR) |
| Banking / health / regulated | 15 min | 0 (synchronous) |
3. Components to integrate in the plan
- Postgres metadata: backups, PITR, restore;
- Superset volumes: uploads, files;
- Configuration: superset_config.py, secrets;
- Custom Docker image: versioned and stored in multiple registries;
- K8s cluster or servers: automated provisioning via Terraform;
- DNS: ability to fail over to a new IP quickly.
4. DR scenarios
Scenario 1 — Instance crash
RTO < 1 min on Kubernetes: pod auto-restarts. RPO 0.
Scenario 2 — Postgres DB corruption
RTO 15-30 min: restore latest backup, replay WAL. RPO depends on WAL frequency.
Scenario 3 — Loss of an availability zone
RTO 2-5 min if multi-AZ configured (cf. HA). RPO 0.
Scenario 4 — Loss of an entire region
RTO 1-4h: provision a new cluster in another region, restore from off-site backups. RPO depends on replication frequency.
Scenario 5 — Security compromise
Variable RTO: isolate, clean, restore a previous state, rotate all secrets, reissue certificates.
5. The runbook: 10 mandatory sections
- Contacts: who to call, at what time, escalation order;
- Inventory: components, dependencies, sizing;
- Detection: how to detect each scenario (alerts, logs);
- Communication: users, board, partners;
- Procedures: exact commands for each scenario;
- Validation: how to verify effective recovery;
- Post-mortem: template to fill out after;
- Tests: exercise calendar;
- Updates: last review, next;
- Annexes: secondary credentials, certificates, support contracts.
This configuration is applied by default on TVL Managed Superset, which follows community best practices.
6. Regular tests
An untested procedure doesn't work on D-day. Minimum calendar:
- Monthly: Postgres dump restoration on a test environment;
- Quarterly: failover exercise (or simulation);
- Annual: full exercise with engaged teams (game day).
7. Recommended tools
- pgBackRest or Barman for Postgres backups with PITR;
- Velero for Kubernetes backups;
- Terraform for reproducible provisioning;
- External-DNS for automated DNS failover;
- PagerDuty or Opsgenie for on-call notification.
8. Common pitfalls
- Backups never tested: discovering on D-day that the dump is corrupt;
- Obsolete runbook: commands no longer work with the new version;
- Single person knows the procedure (bus factor);
- No DNS failover test: 4h real delay discovered during incident;
- Secrets in the runbook instead of a vault: potential leak.
9. Conclusion
A robust Apache Superset DR plan requires a few days of initial investment, regular tests, and up-to-date documentation. It's the gap between an organization that survives a major incident and one that collapses.
Want the benefits of Apache Superset without the friction of installation and maintenance? Deploy your instance in 3 clicks with TVL Managed Superset, hosted in Europe (OVHcloud, Roubaix, France), DR plan included.
For more: backup strategy, high availability, production checklist.