How to export your data from Heroku

Heroku doesn't export "workspace" data like a SaaS app — the main thing to export is your Heroku Postgres database, using the pg:backups CLI tool (a wrapper around pg_dump) to produce a compressed custom-format dump, or raw pg_dump for plain-text/partial exports.

Formats: Custom pg_dump archive (.dump), Plain-text SQL (via pg_dump -Fp)Plan: Any Heroku Postgres plan except Advanced (Limited GA) — PGBackups isn't supported thereRole: Heroku CLI access to the app (collaborator/owner with app permissions)

✓ Verified against Heroku's official documentation, October 2026

Step by step

1Install/update the Heroku CLI and run `heroku login`.
2Capture a fresh logical backup: `heroku pg:backups:capture --app example-app` (backs up the database attached as DATABASE_URL by default).
3Download the backup to your machine: `heroku pg:backups:download --app example-app`.
4If you have multiple Postgres add-ons on the app, repeat capture/download for each by name, e.g. `heroku pg:backups:capture HEROKU_POSTGRESQL_PINK --app example-app`.
5For a partial export (specific tables/schemas) or a plain-text dump instead of the default custom format, run pg_dump directly against the connection string, e.g. `pg_dump -Fp --no-acl --no-owner <DATABASE_CONNECTION_STRING> > mydb.dump`.
6To verify or reuse the data locally, restore it with `pg_restore --verbose --clean --no-acl --no-owner -h localhost -U myuser -d mydb latest.dump`.
7Check `heroku pg:backups:info` for progress/status, and `heroku pg:backups` to list what you have before deleting any add-on.

What the export includes

✓Full schema and data of the targeted Postgres database at the moment of capture
✓Specific tables/schemas only, if you use pg_dump with --table or --schema flags instead of the default full capture

What it doesn't include

✗App source code, buildpacks, or release/slug data (not part of a Postgres backup)
✗Config vars, add-on configuration, or other attached services/add-ons
✗Indexes themselves — pg_dump backups contain the live dataset and instructions to remake indexes, not the indexes
✗Databases larger than ~20 GB reliably — PGBackups is only intended for moderately loaded databases up to that size

Before you start

⚠Manual backup retention is capped by plan: Essential-* keeps 5, Standard-* keeps 25, Premium-* and Enterprise keep 50 — once you hit the limit, capturing a new backup auto-deletes the oldest one.
⚠PGBackups isn't supported on Heroku Postgres Advanced (Limited GA) plans.
⚠For databases over 20 GB or under heavy load, PGBackups can time out — Heroku's docs point to a separate 'Capturing Logical Backups on Larger Databases' process using a short-lived fork plus manual pg_dump.
⚠Capturing a backup adds load to the live database for the duration of the capture; consider running it against a follower if that's a concern.
⚠Restoring a backup into an existing Heroku Postgres database deletes that database's existing content first.
⚠Old pg_restore versions can throw an 'unsupported version' error — make sure your local pg_restore is up to date before restoring.

Where to take your data

Free and cheaper tools that can take a Heroku export. See all Heroku alternatives →

Railway

Alternatives Heroku vs Railway

Provision a Postgres database on Railway, grab its connection string, and run pg_restore (or psql for plain-text dumps) pointed at that connection string to load your Heroku-exported dump.

Render

Create a Postgres instance on Render, then use pg_restore with Render's external connection string to load the custom-format dump you downloaded from Heroku.

Fly.io

Launch a Postgres app on Fly.io, proxy/connect to it, and run pg_restore against its connection string using the dump file downloaded via `heroku pg:backups:download`.

Exporting from Heroku: common questions

What format is a Heroku Postgres backup in?+

By default it's a compressed custom-format pg_dump archive, restorable with pg_restore. You can also generate a plain-text SQL dump yourself with `pg_dump -Fp`.

Can I export only specific tables instead of the whole database?+

Yes — run pg_dump directly against your database connection string with --table or --schema flags instead of using the default `pg:backups:capture`.

How many backups can Heroku keep before deleting old ones?+

It depends on your plan: 5 for Essential, 25 for Standard, and 50 for Premium or Enterprise. Hitting the limit auto-deletes the oldest manual backup on your next capture.

Will my 25 GB+ production database export cleanly?+

Not reliably with the standard pg:backups command — Heroku's docs say PGBackups is meant for databases up to 20 GB and recommends a separate large-database backup process (fork + manual pg_dump) above that.

If I restore my Heroku backup into a new database, does it merge with existing data?+

No. Restoring into an existing Heroku Postgres database deletes that database's existing content before loading the backup.

Can I restore a Heroku Postgres dump on a non-Heroku host?+

Yes — the dump is a standard pg_dump/pg_restore-compatible file, so it can be restored to any Postgres instance, including ones on Railway, Render, or Fly.io.