Database Backup Service (.NET 10 Worker Service)

A Windows Worker Service built with .NET 10 that automatically creates scheduled backups for SQL Server databases. The service runs continuously in the background, performs backups at configurable intervals, and logs all operations using both the built-in logging system and a custom file logger.

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Features

• Automatic SQL Server database backups
• Configurable backup interval
• Background execution using Worker Service
• Configuration with appsettings.json
• Dependency Injection (DI)
• Options Pattern (IOptions<T>)
• Built-in logging with ILogger
• Custom file logging
• Graceful shutdown using CancellationToken
• Windows Service support
• Fully asynchronous database operations (async/await)

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Technologies

• C#
• .NET 10
• Worker Service
• SQL Server
• Microsoft.Data.SqlClient
• Dependency Injection
• Options Pattern
• Microsoft.Extensions.Logging

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Project Structure

DatabaseBackupService
│
├── BackupSettings.cs
├── FileLogger.cs
├── Worker.cs
├── Program.cs
├── appsettings.json
├── InstallService.bat
├── UninstallService.bat
└── DatabaseBackupService.csproj

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Configuration

The application is configured using appsettings.json.

{
  "BackupSettings": {
    "ConnectionString": "Server=YOUR_SERVER;Database=YOUR_DATABASE;User Id=YOUR_USERNAME;Password=YOUR_PASSWORD;TrustServerCertificate=True",
    "BackupFolder": "C:\\DatabaseBackups",
    "LogFolder": "C:\\DatabaseBackups\\Logs",
    "BackupIntervalMinutes": 60
  }
}

Setting	Description
ConnectionString	SQL Server connection string
BackupFolder	Directory where backup files are stored
LogFolder	Directory where log files are stored
BackupIntervalMinutes	Time between backups (minutes)

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How It Works

1. The Worker Service starts.
2. Configuration is loaded from appsettings.json.
3. Backup and log directories are created automatically.
4. The service executes a SQL Server BACKUP DATABASE command.
5. Every operation is logged using both ILogger and a custom file logger.
6. The service waits for the configured interval.
7. The process repeats until the service is stopped.

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Installing as a Windows Service

1. Build the project in Release mode.
2. Copy all generated files to a folder.
3. Run InstallService.bat as Administrator.

To uninstall the service, run:

UninstallService.bat

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Logging

The application records all important operations, including:

• Service startup
• Backup start
• Database name
• Backup file path
• Successful backups
• Errors and exceptions
• Service shutdown

Example:

2026-07-04 10:30:15 : Database Backup Service Started.
2026-07-04 10:30:15 : Backup Started.
2026-07-04 10:30:15 : Database: DVLD
2026-07-04 10:30:17 : Database backup completed successfully.

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Error Handling

• SQL Server exceptions are caught and logged.
• Backup failures do not stop the service.
• Graceful shutdown is handled using CancellationToken.

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Future Improvements

• Backup compression
• Backup retention policy
• Automatic cleanup of old backups
• Email notifications
• Restore functionality
• Support for multiple databases

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Author

Sherif Osama