Server Backups with Restic

Backups are one of those things you don't think about until you need them—and by then, it's too late. Restic is a modern, fast, and secure backup program that's easy to use. Let's set it up.

Why Restic?

• Fast and efficient deduplication
• Encrypted backups
• Easy to use
• Supports many backends (local, S3, B2, etc.)

Installing Restic

sudo apt install restic
# or download from https://github.com/restic/restic/releases

Setting Up a Repository

Local Backup Location

mkdir -p /backups
restic init --repo /backups

Set a password when prompted.

S3-Compatible Storage

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_key
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_secret
restic -r s3:https://s3.amazonaws.com/bucket-name init

Running Backups

restic -r /backups backup /home
restic -r /backups backup /etc
restic -r /backups backup /var/www

Automating Backups

#!/bin/bash
export RESTIC_PASSWORD=your_password
restic -r /backups backup /home /etc /var/www --exclude-caches
restic -r /backups forget --keep-daily 7 --keep-weekly 4 --keep-monthly 6

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/backup.sh

# Add to crontab
crontab -e

0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh

Restoring Backups

restic -r /backups snapshots
restic -r /backups restore latest --target /restore

Never lose your data again!