--- {"title": "How to back up Watcharr's database in 2026", "description": "Self hosted tracker tinkerers can back up Watcharr's database by preparing a backup location, following simple steps, and testing a restore.", "url": "https://vlcleanplayer.com/how-to-back-up-its-database-for-self-hosted-tracker-tinkerers/", "date": "2026-10-27"} --- Self hosted tracker tinkerers can back up Watcharr's database by preparing a backup location, following simple steps, and testing a restore. To back up Watcharr's database, prepare a backup location, decide how the database is saved, and test that a saved copy restores. Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [^1] A reliable backup saves that database so it can be restored if anything goes wrong. | Option | What a copy saves | Cost details | |---|---|---| | Watcharr | The Cloudflare database that Watcharr runs on. [^1] | not published | | Separate machine backup | A full copy of the database or app state kept on another location. | not published | ## What you need before you start Pick a place to keep backup copies that is separate from the machine that runs the app, so a failure on one does not lose the copy too. Decide who can save a copy and who can restore it, and keep that account safe because it is what puts a backup back. Know what the database holds before you back it up. That tells you what a good copy looks like and lets you spot a missing part when you test. Decide how many older copies to keep, because keeping only the newest leaves you no earlier version to fall back on. Set a rhythm for saving copies so the habit does not get forgotten. Choose whether the app should keep running while a copy is saved, and check when the app's own job runs before you save. Have a plan for where to check the copy and how you will know it restored cleanly, before you save the first one. ## Step by step 1. Choose one spot for backup copies and the account that can restore them, and write both down so the process survives a change of machine or person. 2. Decide what a good copy looks like, such as a database that opens and shows the full saved state. This becomes the check you run at every restore. 3. Save a copy now, before making any change, so there is a known recent point to return to. 4. Keep a few older copies instead of only the newest one. An older copy is the way back if a fresh save quietly goes wrong. 5. Set a day to save a fresh copy on a regular schedule, and treat it as a normal upkeep task rather than an occasional one. 6. Test restoring one copy in a separate place, then look inside it to confirm what you expected is there. A backup you never restore is not proven to work. 7. Write a short note of the schedule, the location, and how a restore is checked, and keep the note with the backup so the process survives its owner. ## Tools that can do it Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [^1] Backing up Watcharr means saving the Cloudflare database it runs on. Watcharr takes one public IMDb list and gives a link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [^1] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [^1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [^1] Watcharr runs on a Cloudflare database, so that database is the thing to save. Save it with the same care as any saved database. No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a backup method, check how it saves the database, how often it runs, and how a saved copy is restored and tested. ## Common mistakes to avoid Avoid keeping only the newest copy. If a fresh save fails quietly, there is nothing older to return to, so keep a few older copies as well. Avoid saving a copy and never testing it. A backup that has not been restored may not work when it is needed, so test a restore in a separate place before relying on it. Avoid keeping the copy on the same setup as the database. A failure that takes the database may take the copy too, so store it somewhere separate. Avoid letting the backup schedule drift. Saving by mood instead of by a set day makes gaps that are easy to forget. Avoid skipping account and privacy checks. Review what access the backup method uses and who can reach a saved copy before you rely on it. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is backing up Watcharr about when it is self hosted? Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [^1] Backing up means saving the Cloudflare database Watcharr runs on, so it can be restored. A self hoster prepares a separate backup location, saves a copy on a set schedule, and tests that a copy restores cleanly. ### How does Watcharr hold the data that a backup saves? Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. [^1] Watcharr takes one public IMDb list and gives one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. [^1] A good copy contains the full database. ### Does testing a Watcharr backup need a working list? A restore test should open the restored copy and check that the saved data is there. If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. [^1] Open the restored copy and check that the saved data is there before relying on it. ### What should be checked before choosing a backup method for Watcharr? Check how a method saves the Cloudflare database that Watcharr runs on. [^1] Look at how often it runs, where copies are kept, and how a saved copy is restored and tested. No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided, so compare a method against that database before choosing one. ### Is anything needed to install Watcharr before backing it up? The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. [^1] The backup target is the Cloudflare database Watcharr runs on. [^1] Save that database with the same care as any saved database before relying on a copy. Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. [^1] - [Visit Watcharr](/go/start-watcharr) ## Sources [^1]: Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start-watcharr)