
You are looking for a good option for a backup.
You should test the open source solution Duplicati.
Here is your guide!
What is Duplicati?

Duplicati is a backup tool that enables 1-click backups to protect servers or private local computers from total failure. Duplicati is a software with a web interface that you call up in your browser.
If you deal with home servers and home labs, you can hardly avoid Duplicati. The software is officially in beta status (for years). However, this does not mean that the software is unstable. The project is open source, and you should not and cannot hold anyone responsible if data disappears. In 99% of cases, you have forgotten to back up your data yourself or configured it incorrectly.
On the other hand, we have expensive commercial backup software that doesn’t work any better. Invest in backup hardware (see below) rather than a money-hungry backup company.
Why do I need backups?
Monks have copied books over and over again for thousands of years to preserve knowledge, data or images. The medium of paper is exposed to the elements and deteriorates after X years.
In the 21st century, we use magnetic hard drives and flash cell storage, which look super robust and modern, but becomes illegible more quickly than paper (2 to 20 years). That’s why we need backups, the transcripts of the 21st century. Backups protect us from …
- Data loss (hardware failure)
- Ransomware gangs and the penalty payment
- Our own stupidity (file accidentally deleted)
- Physical damage (meteorite on laptop or dive)
Data loss can happen in thousands of ways, so we need backups.
Where to store backups?
There is no single answer to this question, but you certainly have requirements that your backup should fulfil:
- Speed: Fast backups are only possible with solid disc drives (SSDs) and good CPUs. On the other hand, SSDs die suddenly and only last a few years. Regular changes are mandatory!
- Always available: Network Attached Storages are hard drives that are connected to the network via a computer. You can store any backups there at any time. On the other hand, NAS systems are also encrypted in the event of a ransomware attack.
- Durable: The M-Disc generation of hard drives not only stores 4K films, but also data backups. According to the manufacturer, these backups should be preserved for a thousand years. If there are no more M-Disc players in the year 3025, your Blu-ray will be useless.
- Inexpensive: Hard disc drives (HDD) are the robust classic for backups. Magnetic discs die slowly, and data recovery is relatively easy. On the other hand, they are heavy, super slow and hum all day long.
Is RAID not enough?
The Random Array of Independent Disks (RAID) protects you from the failure of individual storage devices, but not from malware, your stupidity or criminals.
A backup should preferably be separated from the network and wait in a dark corner of your home for its big moment. RAID is used by companies to make it easier to replace hard drives. As a private individual, RAID can quickly become expensive and time-consuming.
When is Duplicati a good choice?
Duplicati is a good choice if you want to back up Docker container data. Of course, you can also back up other folders on your computer or server. Duplicati strikes a good balance between speed and availability of backups (incremental backups) and shines with a good overview in the user interface.

When should you not use Duplicati?
Duplicati takes some time to set up and is not the easiest way to back up data. If you only use a private laptop at home, for example, then simple methods are sufficient (see chapter Keep it stupid simple).
What technology does Duplicati use?
Duplicati uses incremental backups. Based on a full backup, Duplicati analyses which files have changed in a new backup after 7 days. Duplicati adds new files and changes as a new block. The software can also encrypt this block and save it to almost any backup medium via the network or Internet.

Duplicati tutorial
The best way to install Duplicati is with Docker. There are other installation methods, but this method is very suitable for backing up home servers / home labs and all other computers in a network.
Installation
If you have never worked with Docker before, read this tutorial first.
docker-compose up -f docker-duplicati.yaml
The Docker Compose summarises all configuration in one file:
docker-duplicati.yaml
version: "3.9"
services:
duplicati:
image: lscr.io/linuxserver/duplicati:2.0.7
container_name: duplicati
restart: always
environment:
- PUID=0
- PGID=0
- TZ=Europe/London
volumes:
- duplicaticonfig:/config
- duplicatibackup:/backups
- /home/youruser:/source/
- /etc/timezone:/etc/timezone:ro
- /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
ports:
- 60007:8200
networks:
- duplicati_network
volumes:
duplicaticonfig:
duplicatibackup:
networks:
duplicati_network:
name: duplicati_network
Explanation Docker Compose
We use the image lscr.io/linuxserver/duplicati
. The software restart: always
starts with every boot process. The duplicaticonfig
and duplicatibackup
locations store the configurations and a block database.
Add the folders you want to back up with the parameter /home/youruser:/source/
. Allow the container to use a port 60007:8200
, start the container and call up http://localhost:60007 in the browser.
Backup and restore
- Click on “Add Backup” > Configure New Backup > Next
- Activate the encryption by entering a password > Next
- Where do you want to save the backup? This only makes limited sense on the local PC. Use SFTP or an S3 bucket to transfer the data. Create a user on the target system, e.g. your NAS, just for the backups. Create a folder
mybackup (/home/backupsuser/mybackup)
in the home directory of the NAS. Test the connection withTest connection
. Make sure that you can reach the server at all. If the test is successful, click Next.

- Here you tick the boxes for the folders you want to back up. > Next
- Automatic backups are possible if the server on the other side is also switched on at this time. Alternatively, you can also start backups manually. > Next
- Set the backup retention to Smart backup. This option is recommended for most users. If you want to learn more about backup strategies, read this docu.
No backup setup without a test
The backup now runs automatically when it is saved. You can start backups manually with “Run now” on the home screen. If you are introducing a new backup system with Duplicati, you should restore individual files as a test
Move a file on the productive system to a USB stick, for example, and try to restore the file with Duplicati Restore. Even if the file is only 10 MB in size, the restore can take a long time (1 hour) because the software has to go through all the data piece by piece. On the other hand, the backups are generated faster with this method.
Alternative to Duplicati? Keep it stupid, simple
There is a lot of software on the market for creating a backup.
Most people forget that a good method is still simple copying. Every operating system allows simple copying. You can professionalise copying with tools such as rsync (Linux) or robocopy (Windows), but in principle you don’t need any fancy software if you only want to copy a limited amount of data (approx. 100 GB of multimedia and documents). This method has disadvantages, but if you avoid backups because the software is too complicated, you should use this method in order to have a single backup at all.
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