Retrospective web development exercise for the 2023 archive.

Make a test copy of a small app’s data and restore it into a separate environment. Give the copy its own address and keep it away from any production jobs or outbound email. Check that you can open a record that existed when the backup was taken.

Take notes on the things the backup didn’t include, such as a key stored elsewhere or a mount that needs its own setup. The next time you rehearse, use the notes from start to finish. If you still have to guess at one step, write it down while the test environment is running.