# Online backups

Use online backups to back up a database while it is running, without blocking transactions.

You can perform online backups by using several types of backup procedures or by using operating system commands with the freeze and unfreeze system procedures.

- Using the backup procedures to perform an online backup
  Use the SYSCS_UTIL.SYSCS_BACKUP_DATABASE procedure or one of the other system backup procedures to perform an online backup of a database to a specified location.
- Using operating system commands with the freeze and unfreeze system procedures to perform an online backup
  Typically, these procedures are used to speed up the copy operation involved in an online backup.

Parent topic: Backing up a database
Related concepts
Offline backups
When the log is in a non-default location
Backing up encrypted databases