how to backup SSISDB catalog (not just the DB)

Question

I am not sure if I know what I'm doing: I am trying to backup "Integration Services Catalogs", seen in the picture below.

But all the instructions I get is to backup the SSISDB database. All I am familiar with is the catalog, that's where I go to "execute" my packages.. I know executing is just running some commands/script to run SPs within SSISDB database, but 1) if I was to make a backup of SSISDB, would that also give me a full backup of the catalog too?? How so? So restoring the DB would give me back my catalog ???

If the answer is yes, why do I need to BACKUP MASTER KEY Transact-SQL statement as part of the backup procedure (according to my studies), wouldnt this just be a simple DB backup??? Thank you very much in advance

Answer 1

Everything in the catalog is stored in that database, so yes, backing up that database backs up the entire catalog. Also there is encryption happening in the catalog, so having a backup of the master key makes sense. But notice that this article states that this is not required.

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mattm/2012/03/23/ssis-catalog-backup-and-restore/