pgBackRest 2.60 changes how restores handle damaged pages

pgBackRest 2.60 adds a stricter response to invalid database page checksums: a restore now stops with an error, leaving the cluster incomplete until the restore is rerun. Backup expiration can also stop when the oldest retained backup contains checksum errors. The release adds Google Cloud workload-identity support and improves object-store reads. Operators should review these changed failure paths before upgrading their recovery tooling.

pgBackRest Community · Oct 18, 2026

Why it matters

A backup tool’s behavior on damaged data matters most during the recovery you cannot afford to improvise.

More context

The checksum-page-error option controls whether these problems cause errors or warnings. Packages are available through PostgreSQL’s APT and Yum repositories. Try a restore rehearsal against a separate test cluster, including the checksum-error policy, before changing a production backup workflow.

Keep in mind

Switching to warnings changes the failure policy; it does not repair corrupted data. PostgreSQL 19 release-candidate support is not a claim that PostgreSQL 19 is final.

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