# recovery_target_name

> recovery_target_name sets the named restore point up to which recovery will proceed. It is a postmaster setting present in PG12–18; the latest recorded boot default is empty.
---

> [!NOTE]
> **Fact — official short description:** “Sets the named restore point up to which recovery will proceed.”

## Identity {#identity}

| Field | Value | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Type | `string` | Upstream pg_settings type |
| Context | `postmaster` | Requires a server restart |
| Unit | — | Raw unit |
| Range | — | Raw limits in the last observed version |
| Enum values | — | — for non-enum types |
| Category | Write-Ahead Log / Recovery Target | Upstream classification |
| Latest boot value | `""` | empty string |
{.fields meta="-"}

## Lifecycle {#lifecycle}

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| First observed | PG12 |
| Present in | PG12–19 Beta 3 |
| Removed in | No |
| Introduction commit | [`2dedf4d9a899`](https://git.postgresql.org/gitweb/?p=postgresql.git;a=commit;h=2dedf4d9a899b36d1a8ed29be5efbd1b31a8fe85) — Integrate recovery.conf into postgresql.conf |
| Commit date | 2018-11-25 |
| Discussion | [thread 1](https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/flat/607741529606767@web3g.yandex.ru/) |

## Default history {#default-history}

| Versions | Raw `boot_val` | Unit | Human value |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PG12–19 Beta 3 | `""` | — | empty string |
{.full-width caption="Measured PG9.0–19 Beta 3 boot defaults"}

## How it works {#mechanism}

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.

## Tuning advice {#tuning-advice}

> [!TIP]
> **Advice.** These are workload-specific starting points and must be validated with measurements.

| Workload | Guidance |
| --- | --- |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Small nodes | 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. |
{.full-width}

## Pigsty {#pigsty}

Values use the fixed 8-vCPU, 32-GiB, 100-GiB SSD fixture and render the current Pigsty templates for PG19 Beta 3; this does not assert current Pigsty support for that historical or beta release.

| Template | Effective value | Versus upstream boot | Source expression |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| OLTP | Unmodified | — | — |
| OLAP | Unmodified | — | — |
| CRIT | Unmodified | — | — |
| TINY | Unmodified | — | — |
{.full-width}

> [!CAUTION]
> **Advice — pending human review.** Fact from the current Pigsty template projection: OLTP: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; OLAP: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; CRIT: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; TINY: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified. No Pigsty-specific rationale is inferred from an absent override.

## Common pitfalls {#common-pitfalls}

- 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.

## Related parameters {#related-parameters}

[`recovery_target`](/parameters/recovery-target/) · [`recovery_target_time`](/parameters/recovery-target-time/) · [`recovery_target_xid`](/parameters/recovery-target-xid/) · [`recovery_target_lsn`](/parameters/recovery-target-lsn/) · [`recovery_target_inclusive`](/parameters/recovery-target-inclusive/) · [`recovery_target_action`](/parameters/recovery-target-action/)

## References {#references}

- [PostgreSQL 19 Beta 3 — recovery_target_name](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/19/runtime-config-wal.html#GUC-RECOVERY-TARGET-NAME)
- [PostgreSQL 19 release notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/19/release-19.html)
- [Machine-readable GUC export](/data/guc.jsonl)