Offer Backup Option for Catastrophic UI/Terminus Operations [ FEAT - 1349]

:boom: Please Note: I am not the original requestor. This feature request was submitted by another community member in our former (now depreciated) community forum.


Recently, we had a situation before going live where a client was doing content entry on the TEST env. We had initialized LIVE and then something made a deployment to TEST .

“Pull files and the database from the Live environment?” was checked and we lost a bunch of data because LIVE in our case was older than TEST.

For certain operations in the UI/Terminus, could Pantheon offer an option to “Create a backup before proceeding with this operation”? Or maybe that should be the default?


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We had a very similar incident, but to live, when we uploaded a database dump manually to live, but the intention was to upload it to a multidev.
I really recommend to implement something, so the critical workflows for the protected environments (live by default) are slightly different than to the other environments (coloring, extra steps, like asking for password confirmation, or just type the environment name here, it’s UX detail). And a backup should happen indeed automatically in those cases.

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Hey Aron :wave:

Thanks so much for jumping in here to share! I am sorry that happened to you! I went ahead and commented on the existing FEAT request for our product & engineering team. I will keep an eye on this request & report back when I hear more.

In the meantime, I am going to tag a few members in from my DevRel team to see if they can help provide additional guidance if applicable. @steve.persch @steve.bresnick.getpantheon.com :slight_smile:

In response to your inquiry regarding the incident where data loss occurred due to a deployment from the LIVE environment to the TEST environment with the “Pull files and the database from the Live environment?” option checked, it’s indeed unfortunate that such a situation unfolded. Losing data can be frustrating and disruptive to the workflow.

To address this concern, implementing an option to “Create a backup before proceeding with this operation” in certain UI/Terminus operations could significantly mitigate risks associated with unintentional data loss. Such a feature would provide an additional layer of safety net, allowing users to safeguard their data before executing critical actions.

Moreover, considering making this backup creation option as the default setting could further enhance data protection, ensuring that backups are consistently created as a precautionary measure. This proactive approach aligns with best practices in software development and deployment, prioritizing data integrity and minimizing potential setbacks.

By incorporating these measures into Pantheon’s UI/Terminus operations, users can feel more confident in their workflow, knowing that their data is securely backed up before any significant changes are made. This not only promotes a smoother user experience but also instills trust in the platform’s reliability and commitment to data safety.