recovery_target_name

Definition PG 18 manual

This parameter specifies the named restore point (created with pg_create_restore_point()) to which recovery will proceed.

How it works

Sets the named restore point up to which recovery will proceed. The value is fixed when the server starts, so changing it requires a restart.

Recovery stops at a restore point previously recorded by pg_create_restore_point(). Restore-point names are meaningful only if the corresponding WAL record is present on the selected timeline.

At most one of recovery_target, recovery_target_lsn, recovery_target_name, recovery_target_time, and recovery_target_xid may be set; timeline, inclusive, and action are modifiers. Rehearse from the same base backup through a complete WAL chain—an unreachable target makes targeted recovery fail.

Operational considerations

Naming a restore point whose WAL record is absent from the selected timeline.

Assuming recovery_target_inclusive changes a named restore-point boundary.

Setting another recovery target selector at the same time.

Mistyping a case-sensitive restore-point name and making the target unreachable.

Creating a business label without recording the cluster, timeline, and base-backup relationship.

Workload guidance

OLAP: For a large restore, budget WAL replay and inspection time first. Validate the reached point read-only; do not let heavy analytical queries delay or contaminate the recovery decision.

OLTP: This is not a steady-state performance knob. Set recovery_target_name only on an isolated recovery instance after recording target evidence, base backup, timeline, and expected boundary; rehearse and require a second-person review.

SMALL: Prefer a backup tool that generates a controlled recovery configuration. Never leave target settings in ordinary primary/standby templates, and clean up signal files and targets afterward.