You came back to the project you had put on hold.
Maybe it is a product you are ready to revisit. A prototype that finally found a client. Or an application you need to recover.
You open Supabase and hit a limit: the project can no longer be resumed from the Dashboard. Backup files are still available to download — but how do you turn those files into a working environment again?
Smoonb has a workflow for importing Dashboard backups and making them available to restore into another project. This guide walks through the path: download the available files, import them, prepare the destination, restore and check the recovered data.
Your starting point can be the backup downloaded directly from the Supabase Dashboard. Keep a copy of the original files and work with a new destination project.
Why can’t the Supabase project be resumed?
Free-plan projects may be paused after a period of low activity. The current Supabase documentation gives a one-year window, measured from the pause, to resume a project from the Dashboard.
After that window, when the files are still available, the path is to download the database backup and Storage files and recover them into a new project. Supabase also documents manual recovery; here we will use Smoonb’s import and restore workflow.
If the project can still be resumed, use that option in the Dashboard. If it has been deleted and you did not save the files, this workflow cannot recover a backup that no longer exists.
Check file availability and the current conditions in the Dashboard before you begin. Official references are linked at the end of this article.
1. Download and preserve the available files
In the paused project’s Dashboard, download the database backup and, if available, the separate Storage archive. Save them in a local folder. Keep an original copy before beginning recovery.
SQL data and definitions included in the dump.
The uploaded objects, when available separately.
A database backup alone does not include the actual Storage objects.
The Smoonb importer accepts database backups ending in .backup or .backup.gz. Keep the original Dashboard filename pattern, as shown below. Do not replace it with a generic filename.
db_cluster-04-03-2024@14-16-59.backup.gzThe optional Storage archive must end in .storage.zip. A database dump may contain records about objects, but it does not replace the image, document and other uploaded files themselves.
2. Import the backup into Smoonb
With Smoonb installed locally, open a terminal in your working folder. Provide the database file and, when present, the Storage archive. Replace the example filenames with your own.
npx smoonb import --file "db_cluster-04-03-2024@14-16-59.backup.gz" --storage "my-project.storage.zip"If you only have the database backup, omit the --storage option:
npx smoonb import --file "db_cluster-04-03-2024@14-16-59.backup.gz"Import arranges the files in a Smoonb backup folder so they can be selected in the restore workflow. This step uses local files: it does not require the original project to resume.
Import prepares the files. Recovery into the destination happens during restore; that is where compatibility with the new environment must be checked.
3. Prepare a new Supabase project
Create a new Supabase project for recovery. Use an empty destination and check its project reference before proceeding: restore writes data into the selected destination.
- Configure Smoonb and your license key. The free trial lasts five days from the creation of your first license.
- Prepare the tools required by the restore workflow, including Docker and the Supabase CLI.
- Set up the destination project credentials and mapping in your Smoonb configuration.
- Keep credentials out of screenshots, public repositories and shared messages.
If you have not set up the CLI yet, create your Smoonb account and follow the setup instructions in the dashboard.
4. Restore the backup and check the result
In the same working folder, start the restore workflow:
npx smoonb restoreSelect the imported backup and check its mapping to the new project. Follow the process messages and address warnings before reconnecting your application.
A completed step does not replace checking the actual data and files. Use this list to review the destination:
Check tables, important records and access policies.
Open actual files and images; check buckets and permissions.
Test sign-in, password recovery and permissions with a controlled account.
Check functions, integrations and the new project’s settings.
In Storage, check actual files as well as the existence of buckets. If any object fails to upload, review the warnings and resolve it before considering recovery complete.
5. Reconnect your application to the recovered project
A new project has a new identity. After recovery, update the URL and keys used by your application and review integrations that pointed to the old project.
- Review Auth settings: providers, redirect URLs, SMTP and email templates.
- Check Realtime, functions, secrets and extensions required by your application.
- Update endpoints in your hosting environment, webhooks and other external services.
What can be recovered depends on what is in the available files. Dashboard settings, function code and secrets should not be assumed to be part of the database backup.
To plan protection for your project going forward, also use our Supabase backup checklist.
Questions about recovering a paused Supabase project
Did I need to create the backup with Smoonb?
No. The import command accepts backup files downloaded from the Supabase Dashboard, using the compatible formats and filenames described in this guide.
Does this resume the old project?
Recovery happens in a new project. You use the preserved files and then reconnect your application to the new destination.
Does the database backup recover all Storage files?
Storage objects require the corresponding archive, when available. The database backup alone does not contain files uploaded by users.
Can I start without a credit card?
Yes. Smoonb offers a five-day free trial with no credit card, starting when you generate your first license key.