Clone instances

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This page explains cloning, and describes how to clone an instance.

Overview

Cloning a Cloud SQL instance creates a new instance that is a copy of the source instance. The new instance is completely independent from the source instance.

Frequently asked questions

Question Answer
Does cloning impact performance? No. Cloning has no performance impact on the source instance.
Are backups copied to the new instance? No. The new instance creates new automated backups. Manual backups are not copied over from the source instance.
Does the new instance have the same IP address or addresses? No. The new instance has a new IP address or addresses.
Does the new instance have the same configuration settings? Yes. The new instance will have the same settings such as database flags, connectivity options, machine type, and storage and memory settings.
Are replicas copied to the new instance? No. You need to create new replicas for the new instance.
Can you clone a replica? No. You can't clone a replica.
Can you make a clone from an earlier point in time? Yes. Point-in-time recovery uses cloning to restore an instance from an earlier point in time. This helps you recover your database from a destructive event.
Can you clone a database to another project? No. You can't clone a database to another project.
Can you clone an instance that was once a clone? Yes. You can clone and instance that was cloned from another instance.
Are database users copied to the new instance? Yes, but database user passwords are not copied, and need to be re-created.

Cloning an instance

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Cloud SQL Instances page.

    Go to Cloud SQL Instances

  2. Find the row of the instance to clone. At the right end of the row, click the More Actions menu.
  3. Click Create clone.
  4. On the Create a clone page, update the instance ID if needed, and click Create clone.

    You are returned to the instance listing page while the clone initializes.

gcloud

Clone the instance:

gcloud sql instances clone SOURCE_INSTANCE_NAME TARGET_INSTANCE_NAME

Terraform

To clone the instance, use a Terraform resource

cloud_sql/postgres_instance_clone/main.tf 
resource "google_sql_database_instance" "clone" {
  name             = "postgres-instance-clone-name"
  region           = "us-central1"
  database_version = "POSTGRES_12"
  clone {
    source_instance_name = google_sql_database_instance.source.id
  }
  deletion_protection = false # set to true to prevent destruction of the resource
}

Apply the changes

To apply your Terraform configuration in a Google Cloud project, complete the steps in the following sections.

Prepare Cloud Shell

  1. Launch Cloud Shell.

  2. Set the default Google Cloud project where you want to apply your Terraform configurations.

    You only need to run this command once per project, and you can run it in any directory.

    export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=PROJECT_ID

    Environment variables are overridden if you set explicit values in the Terraform configuration file.

Prepare the directory

Each Terraform configuration file must have its own directory (also called a root module).

  1. In Cloud Shell, create a directory and a new file within that directory. The filename must have the .tf extension—for example main.tf. In this tutorial, the file is referred to as main.tf. 
    mkdir DIRECTORY && cd DIRECTORY && touch main.tf

  2. If you are following a tutorial, you can copy the sample code in each section or step.

    Copy the sample code into the newly created main.tf.

    Optionally, copy the code from GitHub. This is recommended when the Terraform snippet is part of an end-to-end solution.

  3. Review and modify the sample parameters to apply to your environment.
  4. Save your changes.
  5. Initialize Terraform. You only need to do this once per directory. 
    terraform init

    Optionally, to use the latest Google provider version, include the -upgrade option: 

    terraform init -upgrade

Apply the changes

  1. Review the configuration and verify that the resources that Terraform is going to create or update match your expectations: 
    terraform plan

    Make corrections to the configuration as necessary.

  2. Apply the Terraform configuration by running the following command and entering yes at the prompt: 
    terraform apply

    Wait until Terraform displays the "Apply complete!" message.

  3. Open your Google Cloud project to view the results. In the Google Cloud console, navigate to your resources in the UI to make sure that Terraform has created or updated them.

Delete the changes

To delete your changes, do the following:

  1. To disable deletion protection, in your Terraform configuration file set the deletion_protection argument to false. 
    deletion_protection =  "false"
  2. Apply the updated Terraform configuration by running the following command and entering yes at the prompt: 
    terraform apply

  1. Remove resources previously applied with your Terraform configuration by running the following command and entering yes at the prompt:

    terraform destroy

REST v1

Clone the instance.

Before using any of the request data, make the following replacements:

  • project-id: The project ID
  • source-instance-id: The source instance ID
  • target-instance-id: The target instance ID

HTTP method and URL: 

POST https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/project-id/instances/source-instance-id/clone

Request JSON body: 

{
  "cloneContext":
  {
    "destinationInstanceName": "target-instance-id"
  }
}

To send your request, expand one of these options:

You should receive a JSON response similar to the following:

REST v1beta4

Clone the instance.

Before using any of the request data, make the following replacements:

  • project-id: The project ID
  • source-instance-id: The source instance ID
  • target-instance-id: The target instance ID

HTTP method and URL: 

POST https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/project-id/instances/source-instance-id/clone

Request JSON body: 

{
  "cloneContext":
  {
    "destinationInstanceName": "target-instance-id"
  }
}

To send your request, expand one of these options:

You should receive a JSON response similar to the following:

Cloning an instance with a private IP

If your Cloud SQL instance uses a private IP, you can optionally specify an allocated IP range for the clone's new IP address. For example, google-managed-services-default.

gcloud

Clone the instance, optionally specifying the allocated IP range you want to use:

gcloud sql instances clone SOURCE_INSTANCE_NAME TARGET_INSTANCE_NAME \
--allocated-ip-range-name ALLOCATED_IP_RANGE_NAME

REST v1

Clone the instance, optionally specifying the allocated IP range you want to use:

Before using any of the request data, make the following replacements:

  • project-id: The project ID
  • source-instance-id: The source instance ID
  • target-instance-id: The target instance ID
  • allocated-ip-range-name: The name of an allocated IP range

HTTP method and URL: 

POST https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/project-id/instances/source-instance-id/clone

Request JSON body: 

{
  "cloneContext":
  {
    "destinationInstanceName": "target-instance-id",
    "allocatedIpRange": "allocated-ip-range-name"
  }
}

To send your request, expand one of these options:

You should receive a JSON response similar to the following:

REST v1beta4

Clone the instance, optionally specifying the allocated IP range you want to use:

Before using any of the request data, make the following replacements:

  • project-id: The project ID
  • source-instance-id: The source instance ID
  • target-instance-id: The target instance ID
  • allocated-ip-range-name: The name of an allocated IP range

HTTP method and URL: 

POST https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/project-id/instances/source-instance-id/clone

Request JSON body: 

{
  "cloneContext":
  {
    "destinationInstanceName": "target-instance-id",
    "allocatedIpRange": "allocated-ip-range-name"
  }
}

To send your request, expand one of these options:

You should receive a JSON response similar to the following:

If you don't specify an allocated IP range, the following behavior is applied:

  • If the source instance was created with a specified range, the cloned instance is created in the same range.
  • If the source instance was not created with a specified range, the cloned instance is created in a random range.

Troubleshoot

Issue Troubleshooting
Cloning fails with constraints/sql.restrictAuthorizedNetworks error. The cloning operation is blocked by the Authorized Networks configuration. Authorized Networks are configured for public IP addresses in the Connectivity section of the Google Cloud console, and cloning is not permitted due to security considerations.

Remove all Authorized Networks entries from the Cloud SQL instance if you can. Otherwise, create a replica without any Authorized Networks entries.
Error message: Failed to create subnetwork. Couldn't find free blocks in allocated IP ranges. Please allocate new ranges for this service provider. Help Token: [help-token-id].

You're trying to use the Google Cloud console to clone an instance with a private IP address, but you didn't specify the allocated IP range that you want to use and the source instance isn't created with the specified range. As a result, the cloned instance is created in a random range.

Use gcloud to clone the instance and provide a value for the
--allocated-ip-range-name parameter. For more information, see Cloning an instance with a private IP.