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Why bother with backups?

Things happen. Computers crash, files get corrupted, and accidents occur. When disaster strikes, having a backup can save you from losing important data forever. Backups are like insurance for your data, providing a safety net in case something goes wrong.

Coming up with a backup strategy

The first step in doing backups is to come up with a strategy that suits your needs. Here are some key considerations:

• What to back up: Decide which files and directories are critical and need to be backed up.
• How often to back up: Determine the frequency of your backups based on how often your data changes.
• How often you check your backups: Regularly verify that your backups are working correctly and can be restored.
• Where to store backups: Choose a secure location for your backups, such as an external hard drive or a cloud storage service.

3-2-1 Backup Strategy

The 3-2-1 backup strategy is a widely recommended approach to data backup. It involves:

• 3 copies of your data: The original data and two backups.
• 2 different storage types: For example, one copy on your server's hard drive and another on an external hard drive.
• 1 offsite backup: A copy of your data stored in a different physical location, such as a cloud storage service.

Tools for making backups

There are several tools available for making backups, each with its own features and capabilities. Here are some tutorials on popular backup tools:

• Borg: Borg Backup is an efficient, powerful, and secure backup tool that uses deduplication and encryption to store your data. We have a detailed guide here: Making backups with Borg
• rsync: Rsync is a versatile file-copying tool that can be used for local and remote backups.
• Apple TimeMachine: TimeMachine is a built-in backup tool for macOS that automatically backs up your data to an external drive.