Backrest

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Backrest Docs

Backrest is a web-accessible backup solution built on top of restic. Backrest provides a WebUI which wraps the restic CLI and makes it easy to create repos, browse snapshots, and restore files. Additionally, Backrest can run in the background and take an opinionated approach to scheduling snapshots and orchestrating repo health operations.

Installation

Running with Docker Compose

Docker image: ghcr.io/garethgeorge/backrest

Example compose file:

### --- Backrest - Restic --- ### 
# https://github.com/garethgeorge/backrest
services:
  backrest:
    image: ghcr.io/garethgeorge/backrest:latest
    container_name: backrest
    hostname: backrest
    volumes:
      # Appdata mounts for backrest 
      - ./backrest/data:/data
      - ./backrest/config:/config
      - ./backrest/cache:/cache
      - ./backrest/tmp:/tmp
      - ./backrest/rclone:/root/.config/rclone # Mount for rclone config (needed when using rclone remotes)
      - ./backrest/ssh:/root/.ssh:ro # Mount SSH directory (needed when using SSH remotes)
      # Mounts for backup data - these can be anything needed to backup
      - /opt/mkdocs:/mkdocs
      - /opt/docker:/docker 
      - /mnt/appdata/backup:/repos     # Mount local repos (optional for remote storage)
    environment:
      - BACKREST_DATA=/data # appdata for running backrest
      - BACKREST_CONFIG=/config/config.json 
      - XDG_CACHE_HOME=/cache
      - TMPDIR=/tmp
      - TZ=America/Chicago 
    ports:
      - "9898:9898"
    restart: unless-stopped

Environment Variables (Unix)

Initial Setup

1. Instance Configuration

Instance ID

• A unique identifier for your Backrest installation
• Used to distinguish snapshots from different Backrest instances
• Important: Cannot be changed after initial setup

Authentication

• Set your username and password during first launch
• To reset credentials: delete the "users" key from:
  • Linux/macOS: ~/.config/backrest/config.json
  • Windows: %appdata%\backrest\config.json
• Authentication can be disabled for local installations or when using an authenticating reverse proxy

2. Repository Setup

Click "Add Repo" to configure your backup storage location. You can either create a new repository or connect to an existing one.

Essential Repository Settings

1. Repository Name
   • A human-readable identifier
   • Cannot be changed after creation
2. Repository URI
   • Specifies the backup storage location
   • Common formats:
     • Backblaze B2: b2:bucket or b2:bucket/prefix
     • AWS S3: s3:bucket or s3:bucket/prefix
     • Google Cloud: gs:bucket:/ or gs:bucket:/prefix
     • SFTP: sftp:user@host:/path/to/repo
     • Local: /mnt/backupdisk/repo1
     • Rclone: rclone:remote:path (requires rclone installation)
3. Environment Variables Storage provider credentials:
   • S3: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
   • B2: B2_ACCOUNT_ID, B2_ACCOUNT_KEY
   • Google Cloud: GOOGLE_PROJECT_ID, GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS
4. Optional Flags Common examples:
   • SFTP key: -o sftp.args="-i /path/to/key"
   • Disable locking: --no-lock
   • Bandwidth limits: --limit-upload 1000, --limit-download 1000
5. Maintenance Policies
   • Prune Policy: Schedule for cleaning unreferenced data
   • Check Policy: Schedule for backup integrity verification

After adding a repository, use "Index Snapshots" to import existing backups. Continue to the next section to set up your backup plan.

3. Backup Plan Configuration

Create a backup plan by clicking "Add Plan" and configuring these settings:

Plan Settings

1. Plan Name
   • Choose a descriptive, immutable name
   • Recommended format: [storage]-[content] (e.g., b2-documents)
2. Repository
   • Select your target repository
   • Cannot be changed after creation

1. Backup Configuration
   • Paths: Directories/files to backup
   • Excludes: Patterns or paths to skip (e.g., *node_modules*)
2. Schedule Choose one:
   • Hourly/daily intervals
   • Cron expression (e.g., 0 0 * * * for daily midnight backups)
   • Clock options:
     • UTC/Local: Wall-clock time
     • Last Run Time: Relative to previous execution
3. Retention Policy Controls snapshot lifecycle:
   • Count-based: Keep N most recent snapshots
   • Time-based: Keep snapshots by age (e.g., daily for 7 days, weekly for 4 weeks)
   • None: Manual retention management

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