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Velero is an open-source tool for backing up and restoring Kubernetes cluster resources and persistent volumes. It’s essential for disaster recovery and cluster migration.

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Prerequisites

  • Running Kubernetes cluster
  • AWS account with S3 access
  • AWS CLI installed and configured

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Installing Velero Client

1

Download Velero

wget https://github.com/vmware-tanzu/velero/releases/download/v1.13.0/velero-v1.13.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz
2

Extract Archive

tar -xvf velero-v1.13.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz
3

Install Binary

cp velero-v1.13.0-linux-amd64/velero /usr/local/bin
4

Verify Installation

velero --help

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AWS Configuration

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Install and Configure AWS CLI

# Download AWS CLI
curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"
unzip awscliv2.zip
sudo ./aws/install

# Configure credentials
aws configure

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Create S3 Bucket

BUCKET=<YOUR_BUCKET>
REGION=<YOUR_REGION>

aws s3api create-bucket \
    --bucket $BUCKET \
    --region $REGION \
    --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=$REGION
Ensure you remove “block public access” settings from the S3 bucket for Velero to function properly.

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Setting Up IAM Permissions

1

Create IAM User

aws iam create-user --user-name velero
2

Create Policy Document

cat > velero-policy.json <<EOF
{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "ec2:DescribeVolumes",
                "ec2:DescribeSnapshots",
                "ec2:CreateTags",
                "ec2:CreateVolume",
                "ec2:CreateSnapshot",
                "ec2:DeleteSnapshot"
            ],
            "Resource": "*"
        },
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "s3:GetObject",
                "s3:DeleteObject",
                "s3:PutObject",
                "s3:AbortMultipartUpload",
                "s3:ListMultipartUploadParts"
            ],
            "Resource": [
                "arn:aws:s3:::${BUCKET}/*"
            ]
        },
        {
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "s3:ListBucket"
            ],
            "Resource": [
                "arn:aws:s3:::${BUCKET}"
            ]
        }
    ]
}
EOF
3

Attach Policy to User

aws iam put-user-policy \
  --user-name velero \
  --policy-name velero \
  --policy-document file://velero-policy.json
4

Create Access Key

aws iam create-access-key --user-name velero
Save the access key ID and secret access key from the output.

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Create Credentials File

cat > ~/credentials-velero <<EOF
[default]
aws_access_key_id=<AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID>
aws_secret_access_key=<AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY>
EOF

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Installing Velero Server

velero install \
    --provider aws \
    --plugins velero/velero-plugin-for-aws:v1.9.0 \
    --bucket $BUCKET \
    --backup-location-config region=$REGION \
    --snapshot-location-config region=$REGION \
    --secret-file ./credentials-velero

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Verify Installation

# Check Velero resources
kubectl -n velero get all

# Check Velero logs
kubectl logs deployment/velero -n velero

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Backup Examples

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Namespace Backup

1

Create Test Namespace

kubectl create namespace prod
# Deploy some applications
2

Backup Namespace

velero backup create prod-backup --include-namespaces prod
3

Simulate Disaster

kubectl delete ns prod
kubectl get ns
4

Restore from Backup

velero restore create --from-backup prod-backup

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Entire Cluster Backup

velero backup create <backup-name>

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Label-Based Backup

Backup resources based on labels: 
velero backup create <backup-name> --selector <key>=<value>

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Scheduled Backups

1

Create Backup Schedule

Create a daily backup at 5 AM using cron syntax:
velero schedule create morning-daily --schedule="0 5 * * *"
2

Trigger Manual Backup from Schedule

velero backup create --from-schedule morning-schedule
Scheduled backups use standard cron syntax:
  • 0 5 * * * - Every day at 5:00 AM
  • 0 */6 * * * - Every 6 hours
  • 0 0 * * 0 - Every Sunday at midnight

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Managing Backups

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List Backups

velero get backups

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Describe Backup

velero backup describe <backup-name>
velero backup logs <backup-name>

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Delete Backups

# Deletes the backup CR but keeps data in S3
kubectl delete backup <backupName> -n velero
Use velero backup delete to completely remove backups from both Kubernetes and object storage. Using kubectl delete only removes the Kubernetes resource.

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Backup to Different Cluster

Velero supports backing up from one cluster and restoring to another:
  1. Install Velero on both clusters pointing to the same S3 bucket
  2. Take backup on source cluster
  3. Run restore on target cluster
# On target cluster
velero restore create --from-backup prod-backup

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Uninstalling Velero

kubectl delete namespace/velero clusterrolebinding/velero
kubectl delete crds -l component=velero

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Best Practices

  • Schedule regular backups for critical namespaces
  • Test restore procedures regularly
  • Monitor backup status and set up alerts
  • Use retention policies to manage storage costs
  • Keep Velero plugins updated
  • Document your backup and restore procedures
Velero backups are stored in S3, making them resilient to cluster failures. Always verify backups appear in your S3 bucket after creation.

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