Using Pgsync

PG Sync makes it easy to safely import data from production to development.

Install

# Gemfile
gem 'pgsync'

In your terminal

bundle install
pgsync --init 

Add .pgsync.yml to .gitignore

Never check your .pgsync.yml file in to version control, as you may accidentally commit sensitive data. If you're joining a team, ask an existing developer to safely send you their copy.

# .gitignore
.pgsync.yml

Pgsync.yml

Here's an example of a .pgsync.yml file

# source database URL
from: postgresql://user:pw@1.1.1.1:5432/db_name

# destination database URL
to: postgres://user:pw@localhost:5432/db_name_development

# exclude tables
exclude:
  - ar_internal_metadata
  - schema_migrations
  - admin_users

# protect sensitive information
data_rules:
  email: unique_email
  phone: unique_phone
  last_name: random_letter
  birthday: random_date
  encrypted_*: unique_secret

Syncing Data

To sync data, simply run this in your terminal

pgsync --defer-constraints 

Troubleshooting

Sometimes database constraints prevent the data from syncing smoothly. There are several flags you can pass in - defined here.