recovery_target_timeline

recovery_target_timeline specifies the timeline to recover into. It is a postmaster setting present in PG12–18; the latest recorded boot default is latest.

Note

Fact — official short description: “Specifies the timeline to recover into.”

Identity

Type , Valuestring: Upstream pg_settings type
Context , Valuepostmaster: Requires a server restart
Unit , Value—: Raw unit
Range , Value—: Raw limits in the last observed version
Enum values , Value—: — for non-enum types
Category , ValueWrite-Ahead Log / Recovery Target: Upstream classification
Latest boot value , Valuelatest: latest

Lifecycle

Fact	Value
First observed	PG12
Present in	PG12–19 Beta 3
Removed in	No
Introduction commit	`2dedf4d9a899` — Integrate recovery.conf into postgresql.conf
Commit date	2018-11-25
Discussion	thread 1

Default history

Measured PG9.0–19 Beta 3 boot defaults
Versions	Raw `boot_val`	Unit	Human value
PG12–19 Beta 3	`latest`	—	latest

How it works

Specifies the timeline history that recovery follows. The value is read at server start for the recovery run.

latest follows the newest timeline found in the archive, current stays on the timeline current when the base backup was taken, and an explicit decimal or 0x-prefixed hexadecimal ID selects a particular branch. A timeline can be selected with or without an earlier stopping target.

The chosen timeline must descend from the base backup and its history/WAL files must be available. This setting selects a branch; it does not itself choose a transaction boundary or promote the server.

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_timeline 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.

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	—	—

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

Using latest when a deliberate re-recovery must stay on an older branch.
Using current when the required WAL exists only on a descendant timeline.
Selecting a timeline not descended from the base backup.
Failing to retain the timeline history file and corresponding WAL.
Treating timeline selection as a stopping target or promotion command.

recovery_target · recovery_target_time · recovery_target_lsn · recovery_target_action · restore_command · primary_conninfo