Database restore ignored explicit non-production branch_name and affected production metadata

Support
1

Summary

A Netlify Database restore request explicitly targeted a non-production branch, but the target remained empty while Netlify created old-production and changed production metadata.

Project details

  • Project: brume-books-preview

  • Site ID: 17d80afe-fbba-4744-b354-d0d693d4becd

  • Environment: Unpublished staging

  • Data: Synthetic test data only

  • Plan: Free

  • Snapshot: snap-misty-hill-ay4jb51i

  • Intended restore target: rc-8211063-restore1

Expected behaviour

The restore request explicitly supplied:

{
  "branch_name": "rc-8211063-restore1"
}

Based on the Netlify Database API documentation, the snapshot was expected to be restored into that named non-production branch.

Observed behaviour

  • rc-8211063-restore1 remained empty.

  • Netlify created an old-production branch.

  • Production metadata changed.

  • The behaviour appeared to follow Netlify’s production-restore process despite the explicit non-production branch_name.

  • All further database operations were stopped immediately.

  • Nothing has been retried, renamed or deleted.

Documentation conflict

The REST API documentation indicates that branch_name selects the restore target and defaults to production only when omitted.

However, the backup and recovery documentation states that restoring a backup always replaces production and creates a branch preserving the previous production state.

Assistance requested

Please confirm:

  1. Whether the restore operation changed production data or only production metadata.

  2. Why the explicit branch_name: "rc-8211063-restore1" was not honoured.

  3. Whether restoring a snapshot into an isolated non-production branch is currently supported.

  4. The safe supported procedure for performing and verifying such a restore.

  5. Whether old-production, the snapshots and rc-8211063-restore1 should remain preserved.

  6. The safe cleanup procedure after the issue has been investigated.

The project is unpublished and contains no real customer data. We will not retry the restore or modify any affected database resource until Netlify provides written guidance.