Restic is a modern, open-source backup program designed for efficiency, security, and simplicity. It enables users to create encrypted, incremental backups of files and directories, ensuring that data is safely stored and can be restored in case of data loss, corruption, or accidental deletion. Restic supports a wide range of backend storage options, including local directories, remote servers via SFTP, and various cloud services such as Amazon S3 and Backblaze B2. With features like deduplication, snapshot management, and pruning, Restic minimizes storage usage while maintaining data integrity. Its ease of use and strong focus on security make it an excellent choice for both individual and enterprise-level backup solutions.

Backing up your server is essential to ensure data safety and recoverability in case of hardware failure, data corruption, or accidental deletions. Restic is an efficient, fast, secure backup program supporting various backend storage options. This guide will walk you through setting up and using Restic to back up your Ubuntu 24.04 server.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

  • A server running Ubuntu 24.04.
  • Root or a user with sudo privileges.
  • Access to a storage backend for storing backups (e.g., an external drive, cloud storage, or an SFTP server).
  • Internet connection if you plan to use cloud storage.

Install Restic

Restic is included in the default Ubuntu repositories. I will show you how to install restic from the Ubuntu repository (method 1) and how to get the latest binary by downloading it manually (method 2).

Method 1: Install from the Official Ubuntu Repository (recommended)

Update your package index:

 sudo apt update

Install Restic:

 sudo apt install restic

Using Restic Backup on Ubuntu 24.04 linux ubuntu

Method 2: Install from the Official Binary

Download the latest Restic binary from the official GitHub releases page:

 wget https://github.com/restic/restic/releases/download/v0.17.0/restic_0.17.0_linux_amd64.bz2

Decompress the file:

 bzip2 -d restic_0.17.0_linux_amd64.bz2

Make the binary executable:

 chmod  x restic_0.17.0_linux_amd64

Move the binary to /usr/local/bin for global usage:

 sudo mv restic_0.17.0_linux_amd64 /usr/local/bin/restic

Verify the installation:

 restic version

Initialize a Backup Repository

Restic requires a repository (a location where backups are stored). This repository can be local (a directory on the server) or remote (on another server or cloud storage).

Local Repository

Choose or create a directory where the backups will be stored. For example, use /backup/restic:

 sudo mkdir -p /backup/restic

Initialize the repository:

 sudo restic init --repo /backup/restic

You’ll be prompted to enter a password to secure the repository. Make sure to remember this password, as you’ll need it for all operations with this repository.

Remote Repository (SFTP)

To back up to a remote server via SFTP:

Initialize the repository on the remote server:

 restic -r sftp:user@hostname:/path/to/repo init

Replace user, hostname, and /path/to/repo with appropriate values.

Enter the password when prompted.

Cloud Repository

Restic supports various cloud providers (e.g., Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Cloud Storage). The configuration varies slightly depending on the provider. Refer to the Restic documentation for detailed instructions on setting up cloud storage as a repository.

Create a Backup

Now that your repository is set up, you can create your first backup.

Backup a Directory

To back up a directory (e.g., /home/user/data):

sudo restic -r /backup/restic backup /home/user/data

If you’re using a remote repository, use:

sudo restic -r sftp:user@hostname:/path/to/repo backup /home/user/data

Excluding Files and Directories

You can exclude specific files or directories from the backup using the --exclude option:

sudo restic -r /backup/restic backup /home/user/data --exclude /home/user/data/temp

For multiple exclusions, use an exclude file:

  1. Create an exclude file: 
     sudo nano /home/user/exclude.txt
  2. Add paths to be excluded: 
     /home/user/data/temp
 /home/user/data/cache
  3. Use the exclude file during backup: 
     sudo restic -r /backup/restic backup /home/user/data --exclude-file /home/user/exclude.txt

Automated Backups

You can automate backups using cron jobs. Open the crontab editor:

 sudo crontab -e

Add a cron job to run daily at 2 AM:

 0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/restic -r /backup/restic backup /home/user/data >> /var/log/restic_backup.log 2>&1

Save and exit the editor.

This cron job will run the backup command daily at 2 AM and log output to /var/log/restic_backup.log.

Verify Backups

It’s crucial to verify your backups to ensure data integrity regularly.

sudo restic -r /backup/restic check

For remote repositories:

sudo restic -r sftp:user@hostname:/path/to/repo check

Restore Data from Backup

Restic makes it straightforward when you need to restore data.

Restore to Original Location

To restore a directory to its original location:

sudo restic -r /backup/restic restore latest --target /

Restore to a Different Location

To restore to a different location, specify the target directory:

sudo restic -r /backup/restic restore latest --target /restore/location

Browsing and Selecting Snapshots

You can browse available snapshots before restoring:

sudo restic -r /backup/restic snapshots

To restore a specific snapshot:

sudo restic -r /backup/restic restore [snapshot_id] --target /restore/location

Replace [snapshot_id] with the ID of the snapshot you want to restore.

Maintenance and Pruning

Over time, your backup repository may grow in size. Restic provides options to prune old data and maintain the repository.

Prune Old Snapshots

To remove old snapshots and optimize storage usage:

sudo restic -r /backup/restic forget --keep-last 5 --prune

This command keeps the last 5 snapshots and removes others, followed by pruning unused data.

Schedule Pruning with Cron

You can automate pruning with a cron job:

  1. Open the crontab editor: 
     sudo crontab -e
  2. Add a cron job to run pruning weekly at 3 AM: 
     0 3 * * 7 /usr/local/bin/restic -r /backup/restic forget --keep-last 5 --prune >> /var/log/restic_prune.log 2>&1
  3. Save and exit the editor.

Conclusion

Restic is a powerful and flexible tool for backing up your Ubuntu 24.04 server. By following this guide, you can ensure that your data is safely backed up and can be restored easily in case of an emergency. Remember to regularly verify and prune your backups to maintain data integrity and optimize storage usage. With Restic’s secure encryption and efficient data management, your backup strategy will be both robust and reliable.

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