1w ago

How and where should I keep backups of system configurations?

Sorry for adding to the massive pile of backup-related question, but I could not figure out how to manage backups from existing answers..

I want to backup my VPS setup (think container-defining files, its volumes, and etc configs), but am unsure where to put it. Does keeping these in the VPS itself make sense? If so, how do I create and manage the backup?

Also, I would need a remote copy - what is the good location for this? I wish I could copy to my laptop, but obviously I cannot do that automatically. Should I pay money for a backup? I want to avoid paying lots of money just for backups. Thanks in advance!

27 comments

Create git repo
Put all config in git repo
Create repo on codeberg
Clone git repo to both VPS and laptop
No extra money needed
- Make sure to not check in secrets in plaintext. git crypt is one way to encrypt secrets before checking them in.
  
  I suggest SOPS
  
  Terraform sensitive variables and AWS secrets manager? ^^
  
  I don't like big corporations so I wouldn't do that, but sure
- Codeberg sounds like a good way! I was concerned about server config being stored on self-hosted forgejo (which is configured by the very server config), turns out that need not be the case.
- Edit: Was asking about the config targetting process for git (not how to use git) and was going to ask an AI to do some googling for me.
  
  Please don't use AI for simple things like this.
  The Odin Project has a tutorial on Git Basics and a guide on Setting Up Git. The instructions are roughly the same whether on Github, Codeberg, etc.
  Once you have the repository, it's as simple as:
  sh
  
  git add . git commit -m "Updated config" git push origin main
  
  Please don't use AI for simple things like this.
  Simple things seems like the best use of AI
  
  https://docs.codeberg.org/getting-started/first-repository/
  Follow this, should suffice
  
  That's what you just got shown: Shove the configgy bits into Git.
  You will likely have to find the configs you want to save first.
  
  I was hoping for a guide to capture said configs with a recommended subset. Not instructions for using git.
  So no the guides don't help with that.
  I'll just stick to my mkdocs repo.

27 comments