Tools tagged with "Backup"
Tools tagged "backup" copy data (files, databases, virtual machines, or entire systems) to a secondary location so it can be restored after data loss, corruption, or a ransomware attack. Open source backup tools range from simple file-sync utilities to full backup suites with deduplication, encryption, incremental snapshots, and scheduled retention policies.
Common use cases include backing up self-hosted application databases (Postgres, MySQL) to object storage, protecting personal files and photos across devices, backing up entire servers or virtual machines for disaster recovery, and backing up SaaS data (like a Google Workspace or GitHub account) that a provider does not guarantee to preserve. Backup tools are also commonly paired with self-hosted app stacks so a home server or small business server has an automated offsite copy.
When choosing one, check encryption support (client-side encryption before data leaves the source, so the storage destination never sees plaintext), incremental backup and deduplication to avoid re-uploading unchanged data every run, supported storage backends (S3-compatible object storage, SFTP, local disk, other cloud providers), restore speed and whether partial or file-level restores are possible versus only full-image restores, and retention policy controls (keep daily for a week, weekly for a month, and so on). Verifying that test restores actually work matters more than backup frequency.
Self-hosted backup tools typically replace Backblaze, Carbonite, and built-in cloud backup services tied to a single vendor, as well as commercial enterprise backup software like Veeam for smaller-scale needs. Running your own backup tool means paying only for the underlying storage (often cheap object storage) instead of a per-device or per-TB subscription, and controlling encryption keys yourself so a storage provider breach does not expose the actual data.
