Heroku: Take Database Backup and Restore Locally

heroku-db-backup-copy.sh

# NOTE:  These steps assume the following:
# * The heroku toolbelt is installed: https://toolbelt.heroku.com/
# * A postgres server is installed and running: http://www.enterprisedb.com/products-services-training/pgdownload#osx

# STEP 1:  Login to herku:
heroku login
# provide credentials

# STEP 2:  Create database backup 
heroku pg:backups public-url b001 --app <the name of your heroku application>
# This command will spit out a URL that is good for 10 minutes:
# https://xfrtu.s3.amazonaws.com/...[some incredibly convoluted and hard-to-guess URL]

# STEP 3:  Download the backup file using curl (or wget or whatever):
curl [the incredibly convoluted and hard-to-guess URL] -o [some filename that you can remember]

# STEP 4:  Restore the backup to your local Postgres database.
pg_restore --verbose --clean --no-acl --no-owner -h localhost -U [postgres user name, usually postgres] -d [the name of your database] [the name of your backup file created in Step 3]