Backup and Disaster Recovery

This section covers backup and disaster recovery (DR) for the Aadhaar Data Vault so you keep data available and intact when something goes wrong, without dropping the same security as the main vault.

Overview

UIDAI allows HA/DR (High Availability / Disaster Recovery) for the vault as long as it’s done with the same security as the primary vault. Backup and DR are part of what you get with the vault.

Principles

• Same security: Backup and DR use the same controls as the main vault: AES 256, keys in HSM, locked-down network, access control, and logging.
• Data integrity: Backups are consistent and restorable so Aadhaar and Reference Key mappings stay correct after recovery.
• Availability: HA/DR is designed to limit downtime and recover within agreed RTO/RPO where you define them.

Backup Procedures

• What we back up: Encrypted vault data (Aadhaar and linked data) and the Reference Key–Aadhaar mapping in a form we can restore. Keys stay in HSM; backups don’t hold plaintext Aadhaar or key material.
• Frequency and retention: Backup schedule and retention follow your data retention policy and ops needs. Details are in the Backup and Disaster Recovery plans that come with the solution.
• Storage: Backups live in a restricted, secure zone with access control and encryption. Access to backups is logged.
• Testing: We test restores regularly so backups work and recovery steps are valid.

Disaster Recovery

• DR environment: If you have DR, it’s set up with the same security as production: restricted network, HSM-backed encryption, and access only through the vault API/microservice with auth and logging.
• Failover: Failover and failback are documented. Only authorized people run DR; their actions are logged.
• RTO/RPO: Where you use them, Recovery Time Objective and Recovery Point Objective are defined and documented so business and compliance expectations are clear.

Deliverables

As part of the vault engagement you get:

• Backup and disaster recovery plans: Documented procedures for backup, restore, and DR.
• Operational runbooks: Step-by-step instructions for backup verification, restore, and DR.

We keep these up to date as part of ongoing maintenance and support.

Benefits

• Availability: Less risk of the vault being down for long after a failure or disaster.
• Integrity: Vault data can be restored correctly after an incident.
• Compliance: Keeps operations UIDAI-aligned by preserving security and recoverability of Aadhaar data.

Next Steps

• Maintenance and Support: ongoing maintenance and support
• Security and Compliance: security and access control
• Introduction: back to Aadhaar Vault overview