diff --git a/services/backup/src/Reactors/server/SendLogReactor.cpp b/services/backup/src/Reactors/server/SendLogReactor.cpp
index 444507212..ab8ee4d93 100644
--- a/services/backup/src/Reactors/server/SendLogReactor.cpp
+++ b/services/backup/src/Reactors/server/SendLogReactor.cpp
@@ -1,158 +1,163 @@
 #include "SendLogReactor.h"
 
 #include "Constants.h"
 #include "DatabaseManager.h"
 #include "GlobalTools.h"
 #include "Tools.h"
 
 #include <iostream>
 
 namespace comm {
 namespace network {
 namespace reactor {
 
 void SendLogReactor::storeInDatabase() {
   // TODO handle attachment holders
   database::LogItem logItem(
       this->backupID,
       this->logID,
       (this->persistenceMethod == PersistenceMethod::BLOB),
       this->value,
       {});
   database::DatabaseManager::getInstance().putLogItem(logItem);
 }
 
 std::string SendLogReactor::generateLogID(const std::string &backupID) {
   return backupID + tools::ID_SEPARATOR +
       std::to_string(tools::getCurrentTimestamp());
 }
 
 void SendLogReactor::initializePutReactor() {
   if (this->value.empty()) {
     throw std::runtime_error(
         "put reactor cannot be initialized with empty value");
   }
   if (this->hash.empty()) {
     throw std::runtime_error(
         "put reactor cannot be initialized with empty hash");
   }
   if (this->putReactor == nullptr) {
     this->putReactor = std::make_shared<reactor::BlobPutClientReactor>(
         this->value, this->hash, &this->blobPutDoneCV);
     this->blobClient.put(this->putReactor);
   }
 }
 
 std::unique_ptr<grpc::Status>
 SendLogReactor::readRequest(backup::SendLogRequest request) {
   // we make sure that the blob client's state is flushed to the main memory
   // as there may be multiple threads from the pool taking over here
   const std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(this->reactorStateMutex);
   switch (this->state) {
     case State::USER_ID: {
       if (!request.has_userid()) {
         throw std::runtime_error("user id expected but not received");
       }
       this->userID = request.userid();
       this->state = State::BACKUP_ID;
       return nullptr;
     };
     case State::BACKUP_ID: {
       if (!request.has_backupid()) {
         throw std::runtime_error("backup id expected but not received");
       }
       this->backupID = request.backupid();
+      if (database::DatabaseManager::getInstance().findBackupItem(
+              this->userID, this->backupID) == nullptr) {
+        throw std::runtime_error(
+            "trying to send log for a non-existent backup");
+      }
       this->logID = this->generateLogID(this->backupID);
       this->response->set_logcheckpoint(this->logID);
       this->state = State::LOG_HASH;
       return nullptr;
     };
     case State::LOG_HASH: {
       if (!request.has_loghash()) {
         throw std::runtime_error("log hash expected but not received");
       }
       this->hash = request.loghash();
       this->state = State::LOG_CHUNK;
       return nullptr;
     };
     case State::LOG_CHUNK: {
       if (!request.has_logdata()) {
         throw std::runtime_error("log data expected but not received");
       }
       std::unique_ptr<std::string> chunk =
           std::make_unique<std::string>(std::move(*request.mutable_logdata()));
       if (chunk->size() == 0) {
         return std::make_unique<grpc::Status>(grpc::Status::OK);
       }
       // decide if keep in DB or upload to blob
       if (chunk->size() <= LOG_DATA_SIZE_DATABASE_LIMIT) {
         if (this->persistenceMethod == PersistenceMethod::UNKNOWN) {
           this->persistenceMethod = PersistenceMethod::DB;
           this->value = std::move(*chunk);
           this->storeInDatabase();
           return std::make_unique<grpc::Status>(grpc::Status::OK);
         } else if (this->persistenceMethod == PersistenceMethod::BLOB) {
           this->initializePutReactor();
           this->putReactor->scheduleSendingDataChunk(std::move(chunk));
         } else {
           throw std::runtime_error(
               "error - invalid persistence state for chunk smaller than "
               "database limit");
         }
       } else {
         if (this->persistenceMethod != PersistenceMethod::UNKNOWN &&
             this->persistenceMethod != PersistenceMethod::BLOB) {
           throw std::runtime_error(
               "error - invalid persistence state, uploading to blob should be "
               "continued but it is not");
         }
         if (this->persistenceMethod == PersistenceMethod::UNKNOWN) {
           this->persistenceMethod = PersistenceMethod::BLOB;
         }
         if (this->value.empty()) {
           this->value =
               tools::generateHolder(this->hash, this->backupID, this->logID);
         }
         this->initializePutReactor();
         this->putReactor->scheduleSendingDataChunk(std::move(chunk));
       }
 
       return nullptr;
     };
   }
   throw std::runtime_error("send log - invalid state");
 }
 
 void SendLogReactor::terminateCallback() {
   const std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(this->reactorStateMutex);
 
   if (this->persistenceMethod == PersistenceMethod::DB ||
       this->putReactor == nullptr) {
     return;
   }
   this->putReactor->scheduleSendingDataChunk(std::make_unique<std::string>(""));
   std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lockPut(this->blobPutDoneCVMutex);
   if (this->putReactor->getStatusHolder()->state != ReactorState::DONE) {
     this->blobPutDoneCV.wait(lockPut);
   } else if (!this->putReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().ok()) {
     throw std::runtime_error(
         this->putReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().error_message());
   }
   // store in db only when we successfully upload chunks
   this->storeInDatabase();
 }
 
 void SendLogReactor::doneCallback() {
   // we make sure that the blob client's state is flushed to the main memory
   // as there may be multiple threads from the pool taking over here
   const std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(this->reactorStateMutex);
   // TODO implement
   std::cout << "receive logs done "
             << this->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().error_code() << "/"
             << this->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().error_message()
             << std::endl;
 }
 
 } // namespace reactor
 } // namespace network
 } // namespace comm