Automating ArangoDB on AWS: Installation, S3 Backups, and Systemd Orchestration

ArangoDB on AWS: Automate Install, S3 Backup & Restore with Systemd

ArangoDB operates as a native multi-model database supporting documents, graphs, and key/value stores through a single query language. Managing this on AWS EC2 requires specific automation for the database process, daily S3 backups, and a tested restore path.

Why This Matters

Technical reality often demands self-hosted multi-model databases on EC2 for specific configuration control, but this lacks the native backup safety of managed services. Implementing systemd timers and automated shell scripts bridges this gap, providing a reliable recovery point objective (RPO) and reducing the risk of human error during manual upgrades or migrations.

Key Insights

• Fact: ArangoDB 3.6.5-1 requires setting vm.max_map_count to 1024000 for optimal memory mapping on Ubuntu 18.04.
• Concept: Multi-model databases consolidate document, graph, and key/value stores into a single query language (AQL) to reduce architectural complexity.
• Tool: Systemd timers provide a robust alternative to cron for scheduling database backup services with calendar-based execution (e.g., daily at 02:30:00).
• Concept: Automated S3 backups using the AWS CLI allow for off-site data durability and point-in-time recovery for self-hosted instances.
• Fact: Updating to ArangoDB 3.12+ on Ubuntu 22.04 requires updating repository URLs, though the core automation scripts for backup and restore remain compatible.

Working Examples

Installation and configuration script for ArangoDB 3.6.5-1 on Ubuntu 18.04.

#!/bin/bash
sudo systemctl stop arangodb3.service
sudo cp -r /etc/arangodb3/ ~/arango-config-backup
curl -OL https://download.arangodb.com/arangodb36/DEBIAN/Release.key
sudo apt-key add - < Release.key
echo 'deb https://download.arangodb.com/arangodb36/DEBIAN/ /' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/arangodb.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install arangodb3=3.6.5-1
sudo sed -i "s+endpoint = tcp://127.0.0.1:8529+endpoint = tcp://0.0.0.0:8529+g" /etc/arangodb3/arangod.conf
sudo systemctl enable arangodb3.service
sudo systemctl start arangodb3.service
sudo systemctl status arangodb3.service
sudo sysctl -w "vm.max_map_count=1024000"

ArangoDB backup script with automated compression and S3 upload.

#!/bin/sh
NOWDATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
DIRNAME="Your directory name"
BUCKETNAME="Your bucket name in S3"
DATABASENAME="Your database name"
mkdir -p "/home/ubuntu/backup/$DIRNAME"
arangodump --server.endpoint tcp://127.0.0.1:8529 --server.username root --server.password 'yourpassword' --server.database $DATABASENAME --output-directory "/home/ubuntu/backup/$DIRNAME/" --compress-output --overwrite
tar -czvf /home/ubuntu/backup/$NOWDATE-$DATABASENAME-backup.tar.gz -C /home/ubuntu/backup/$DIRNAME .
aws s3 cp /home/ubuntu/backup/$NOWDATE-$DATABASENAME-backup.tar.gz s3://$BUCKETNAME/dbbackup/
aws s3 rm s3://$BUCKETNAME/dbbackup/$LASTDATE-$DATABASENAME-backup.tar.gz
rm -rf /home/ubuntu/backup/$NOWDATE-$DATABASENAME-backup.tar.gz
rm -rf /home/ubuntu/backup/$DIRNAME/*

Systemd timer configuration for daily backup scheduling.

[Unit]
Description=Schedule ArangoDB backup service
[Timer]
OnCalendar=*-*-* 02:30:00
Unit=backup.service
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Practical Applications

• Use Case: AWS EC2 administrators automating ArangoDB lifecycle on Ubuntu 18.04 using systemd units. Pitfall: Neglecting to switch applications to maintenance mode before stopping the service leads to failed queries and potential data inconsistency.
• Use Case: DevOps teams implementing disaster recovery by syncing arangodump tarballs to Amazon S3 for durable off-site storage. Pitfall: Hardcoding plain-text passwords in the backup script string instead of using environment variables or encrypted secret stores.

References:

• https://dev.to/pooyagolchian/arangodb-on-aws-automate-install-s3-backup-restore-with-systemd-1kn3