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Required tools

Capsule uses pg_dump to create backups and psql to restore them. Install the PostgreSQL client tools on your server: 
sudo apt-get install postgresql-client
Verify: 
capsule doctor

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Connection details

When adding a PostgreSQL connection in the Capsule TUI, you’ll be prompted for:
FieldExample
Hostlocalhost or 10.0.0.5
Port5432
Database namemyapp_production
Usernamemyapp_user
Passwordyour database password

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Authentication

Capsule stores your password in an encrypted local file and passes it to pg_dump via a temporary .pgpass file — the password never appears in the process list.

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Docker

If your PostgreSQL instance runs in Docker, enter the container name in the Docker field when adding the connection. Capsule will run pg_dump inside the container via docker exec, so the host tools are not needed. 
Container name: postgres_container
See Docker containers for full details.

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Connection string format

Capsule accepts individual fields (host, port, etc.) — not a connection string URL. If you have a URL like: 
postgresql://myapp_user:password@localhost:5432/myapp_production
Break it into the individual fields when prompted.

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Troubleshooting

pg_dump: error: connection to server failed
  • Confirm the host and port are correct and reachable from the server
  • Check that pg_hba.conf allows the connection from localhost (or the server IP)
  • Verify the username and password are correct
pg_dump: command not found Install the PostgreSQL client tools and run capsule doctor to confirm.