CertBackup

Backup-DbaComputerCertificate

Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net

Backup-DbaComputerCertificate View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Exports computer certificates to disk for SQL Server network encryption backup and disaster recovery. Description Exports computer certificates from the local or remote certificate store to files on disk. This is essential for backing up certificates used for SQL Server network encryption before server migrations, certificate renewals, or disaster recovery scenarios. The function works with certificate objects from Get-DbaComputerCertificate and supports multiple export formats including standard .

Backup-DbaDbCertificate

Jess Pomfret (@jpomfret)

Backup-DbaDbCertificate View Source Jess Pomfret (@jpomfret) Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Exports database certificates and private keys to physical backup files on SQL Server instances. Description Backs up database certificates by exporting them to .cer (certificate) and .pvk (private key) files on the SQL Server file system. This is essential for disaster recovery scenarios where you need to restore encrypted databases or migrate certificates to another instance. Without backing up certificates, you cannot decrypt TDE-enabled databases or access data encrypted with certificate-based encryption.

Backup-DbaDbMasterKey

Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net

Backup-DbaDbMasterKey View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Exports database master keys to encrypted backup files for disaster recovery and compliance. Description Creates encrypted backup files of database master keys from one or more SQL Server databases. Database master keys are essential for Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), column-level encryption, and other SQL Server encryption features. This function is critical for disaster recovery planning since losing a database master key makes encrypted data permanently inaccessible.

Backup-DbaServiceMasterKey

Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net

Backup-DbaServiceMasterKey View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Exports SQL Server Service Master Key to an encrypted backup file for disaster recovery. Description Creates an encrypted backup of the SQL Server Service Master Key (SMK), which sits at the top of SQL Server’s encryption hierarchy. The Service Master Key encrypts Database Master Keys and certificates, making its backup critical for disaster recovery scenarios where encrypted databases need to be restored or moved between servers.

Restore-DbaDbCertificate

Jess Pomfret (@jpomfret), jesspomfret.com

Restore-DbaDbCertificate View Source Jess Pomfret (@jpomfret), jesspomfret.com Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Restores database certificates from .cer and .pvk files into SQL Server databases. Description Restores database certificates and their associated private keys from backup files into SQL Server databases. This function is essential for recovering certificates used in TDE (Transparent Data Encryption), backup encryption, Always Encrypted, and other SQL Server security features after database migrations, disaster recovery, or server rebuilds.