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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

Linux Backup and Restore Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to backing up and restoring your Linux system, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including file backups, system backups, automated backups, and restore procedures.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding Backups
  2. What to Backup
  3. File-Level Backups
  4. System Configuration Backups
  5. Full System Backups
  6. Automated Backups
  7. Restoring from Backups
  8. Backup Tools
  9. Best Practices

Understanding Backups

What is a Backup?

Backup is a copy of your data stored separately from the original.

Why backups matter:

  • Data loss protection: Recover from accidental deletion
  • System recovery: Restore system after failure
  • Configuration recovery: Restore settings after changes
  • Peace of mind: Know your data is safe

Types of Backups

File-level backups:

  • What: Backs up individual files and folders
  • Use for: Documents, photos, personal files
  • Tools: rsync, tar, GUI tools

System configuration backups:

  • What: Backs up system settings and configuration
  • Use for: Restoring system configuration
  • Tools: Configuration file copying, system settings export

Full system backups:

  • What: Backs up entire system
  • Use for: Complete system recovery
  • Tools: Timeshift, Clonezilla, dd, Btrfs snapshots

Backup Storage Locations

Where to store backups:

  • External drive: USB drive, external hard drive
  • Network storage: NAS, network drive
  • Cloud storage: Online backup services
  • Separate partition: Different partition on same drive

Best practices:

  • Multiple locations: Don't rely on one backup
  • Off-site backup: Keep copy away from computer
  • Regular backups: Backup frequently
  • Test restores: Verify backups work

What to Backup

Essential Files to Backup

Personal files:

  • Documents, photos, videos
  • Downloads folder
  • Desktop files
  • Music, books, etc.

Configuration files:

  • ~/.config/: Application configurations
  • ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc: Shell configurations
  • ~/.ssh/: SSH keys and configs
  • ~/.local/: User-specific data

System configuration:

  • /etc/: System configuration files
  • Package lists: pacman -Q > package-list.txt
  • Bootloader configuration

File-Level Backups

rsync

Install rsync:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S rsync

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install rsync

# Fedora
sudo dnf install rsync

Backup home directory:

# Backup home
rsync -av --exclude='.cache' ~/ /backup/home/

# Restore
rsync -av /backup/home/ ~/

Options:

  • -a: Archive mode (preserves permissions, timestamps)
  • -v: Verbose output
  • --exclude: Exclude directories

tar

Create archive:

# Backup home
tar -czf backup-home-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/

# Backup system (exclude system directories)
sudo tar -czf backup-system.tar.gz --exclude=/proc --exclude=/sys --exclude=/dev --exclude=/run --exclude=/tmp /

Restore:

# Extract
tar -xzf backup-home-20240115.tar.gz

# To specific location
tar -xzf backup-home-20240115.tar.gz -C /restore/path

System Configuration Backups

Package Lists

Backup installed packages:

# Arch/CachyOS
pacman -Q > package-list.txt

# Debian/Ubuntu
dpkg --get-selections > package-list.txt

# Fedora
dnf list installed > package-list.txt

Restore packages:

# Arch/CachyOS
pacman -S $(cat package-list.txt | cut -d' ' -f1)

# Debian/Ubuntu
dpkg --set-selections < package-list.txt
apt-get dselect-upgrade

Configuration Files

Backup config:

# Backup /etc
sudo tar -czf etc-backup.tar.gz /etc

# Backup user config
tar -czf config-backup.tar.gz ~/.config

Full System Backups

Timeshift

Install Timeshift:

# Arch/CachyOS
yay -S timeshift

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install timeshift

# Fedora
sudo dnf install timeshift

Create snapshot:

# Create snapshot
sudo timeshift --create

# List snapshots
sudo timeshift --list

Restore:

# Restore from snapshot
sudo timeshift --restore

Clonezilla

Use Clonezilla:

# Download ISO from clonezilla.org
# Boot from ISO
# Follow wizard to create disk image

dd (Disk Image)

Create disk image:

# Create image
sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=/backup/system.img bs=4M status=progress

# Restore image
sudo dd if=/backup/system.img of=/dev/sda bs=4M status=progress

Warning: dd can destroy data if used incorrectly. Use with caution.

Btrfs Snapshots

If using Btrfs:

# Create snapshot
sudo btrfs subvolume snapshot / /mnt/snapshots/snapshot-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# List snapshots
sudo btrfs subvolume list /

Automated Backups

Cron Job

Create backup script:

# Create script
vim ~/backup.sh

Script example:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/backup"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Backup home
rsync -av --exclude='.cache' ~/ "$BACKUP_DIR/home-$DATE/"

# Backup package list
pacman -Q > "$BACKUP_DIR/package-list-$DATE.txt"

Make executable:

chmod +x ~/backup.sh

Add to crontab:

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Daily backup at 2 AM
0 2 * * * /home/user/backup.sh

systemd Timer

Create service:

# Create service
sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/backup.service

Service file:

[Unit]
Description=System Backup

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/backup.sh

Create timer:

# Create timer
sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/backup.timer

Timer file:

[Unit]
Description=Daily Backup

[Timer]
OnCalendar=daily
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

Enable timer:

sudo systemctl enable backup.timer
sudo systemctl start backup.timer

Restoring from Backups

Restore Files

From rsync:

rsync -av /backup/home/ ~/

From tar:

tar -xzf backup-home-20240115.tar.gz

Restore System

From Timeshift:

# Boot from live USB
# Launch Timeshift
# Select snapshot
# Restore

From Btrfs snapshot:

# Boot from live USB
# Mount root
# Restore snapshot
sudo btrfs subvolume snapshot /mnt/snapshots/snapshot-20240115 /mnt/restored

Backup Tools

GUI Tools

Timeshift:

# Launch GUI
sudo timeshift-gtk

Deja Dup (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt install deja-dup

BackInTime:

# Arch/CachyOS
yay -S backintime

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install backintime-qt4

Best Practices

Backup Strategy

3-2-1 Rule:

  • 3 copies: Original + 2 backups
  • 2 different media: Different storage types
  • 1 off-site: Keep one backup off-site

Regular Backups

Schedule:

  • Daily: Important files
  • Weekly: Full system
  • Monthly: Archive old backups

Test Restores

Verify backups:

# Test restore to different location
# Verify files are correct
# Ensure system can boot

Summary

This guide covered backup and restore for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions, including file backups, system backups, automated backups, and restore procedures.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.

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