Disaster recovery reference architecture
A tested backup and recovery design for a multi-service application, with an actual recovery time measured, not assumed.
The problem
Backup and disaster recovery plans that have never been tested aren't plans — they're assumptions. This lab designs a recovery architecture for a multi-service application and then actually executes a recovery to measure how it performs.
Architecture
- Automated, versioned backups for databases and stateful services
- Infrastructure fully defined as Terraform, so environments can be rebuilt from scratch
- A documented, step-by-step recovery runbook
- A scheduled recovery drill that restores into an isolated environment
Technologies
Design decisions
Infrastructure-as-code recovery instead of AMI or snapshot-based server recovery
Rebuilding from Terraform plus data backups is more auditable and less prone to configuration drift than restoring server images.
Recovery drills run on a schedule, not only after an incident
A recovery procedure that's only tested during a real incident is being tested at the worst possible time.
Lessons learned
- The first recovery drill almost always reveals a gap the plan didn't account for
- Recovery time objectives are only meaningful once they've been measured against a real drill
Working through something similar?
This lab reflects our own reference work, not a client engagement — but the approach transfers directly.
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