Backup sources
A backup source is a directory, a database or both on one of your servers. Databases are read with the server’s own administrator access: root for MariaDB and MySQL, and the postgres account for PostgreSQL. You do not need to provide a database password.
Top-level system directories such as /etc and /usr cannot be used as sources, because restoring one would replace part of an operating system while it runs.
Direct uploads to your storage
Back up to Dropbox, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, DigitalOcean Spaces, Hetzner Object Storage, Wasabi, Cloudflare R2 or any other S3-compatible storage. Your storage secret is encrypted on the platform and used only to sign short-lived upload links. It is never sent to your server, and archives go straight from your server to your bucket.
You can also keep backups on the server itself. These are labelled as server-only copies, because they are lost if the server is.
Schedules and retention
Run backups daily or weekly, as a full backup or database only, and keep between 1 and 30 copies per destination. Retention is counted per destination, so a nightly local copy and a weekly offsite copy each keep their own history.
Retention counts only successful backups. A series of failed backups can never push your last good copy out.
Failure alerts
A failed scheduled backup emails the account with the reason. A schedule that is switched on but has stopped producing backups is flagged as not running.
Before building an archive, the platform checks the server has enough free space for the files, the database dump and some headroom, so a backup does not fill the disk it is protecting.
Restores, including to another server
Before a restore, the archive is checked against its recorded SHA-256 checksum. Existing files are moved aside rather than deleted, and you confirm by typing the source name. A backup in cloud storage can be restored to a different server, which moves the source there.
Backups are standard .tar.gz archives with a standard SQL dump inside. You can download them from your bucket and restore them with standard tools, without the platform.
Frequently asked questions
- What can I back up?
- Any directory on your server except top-level system directories, a MariaDB, MySQL or PostgreSQL database, or both. Sources with both can also be backed up database only.
- Do you store my backups?
- No. Archives upload directly from your server to your bucket, or stay on your server if you choose that destination. Downloads of a server-side copy are streamed through the platform and not stored.
- Is my storage key sent to my server?
- No. The secret is encrypted on the platform and used only to sign short-lived links for uploading, downloading and removing old backups.
- Can retention delete my only backup?
- No. Retention counts only successful backups, so failed runs never push out your last good copy.
- How do I know a backup will restore?
- Every backup is checked at its destination as soon as it is written, and each source’s newest backup is restore-tested every week. See Backup Verification.
Key points
- Directories and MariaDB, MySQL or PostgreSQL databases
- S3-compatible storage you own, or the server itself
- Daily or weekly, keeping 1 to 30 copies
- Retention never removes the last good copy
- Checksum verified before restore; restore to another server