DBackup

Self-hosted database backup automation with encryption, compression, and smart retention.

Website • Documentation • Quick Start • API Reference • Changelog • Roadmap

What is DBackup?

DBackup is a comprehensive, self-hosted backup solution designed to automate and secure your database backups. It provides AES-256-GCM encryption, flexible storage options, and intelligent retention policies to ensure your data is always protected and recoverable.

Whether you're running a single MySQL database or managing multiple PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and SQL Server instances, DBackup offers a unified interface with real-time monitoring, granular access control, and seamless restore capabilities.

No vendor lock-in by design - every backup is a standard database dump (SQL, BSON, RDB, etc.) encrypted with open AES-256-GCM. If DBackup is ever unavailable, you can decrypt and restore your backups with a single Node.js script and the key from your Recovery Kit. No proprietary formats, no dependencies on DBackup itself.

✨ Features

🗄️ Database Backup

• 9 Database Engines - MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite, Redis, Valkey, Microsoft SQL Server, and Firebird (beta)
• Selective Database Backup - Choose exactly which databases to back up per job instead of creating separate sources for each database
• Multi-Database Jobs - Back up multiple databases from a single source in one job with a unified TAR archive format
• AES-256-GCM Encryption - Encrypt backups with managed Encryption Profiles, key rotation, and downloadable Recovery Kits for offline decryption
• GZIP & Brotli Compression - Reduce backup size and storage costs with built-in compression
• SSH Remote Execution - Run backup tools directly on the remote database host via SSH, eliminating the need to expose database ports to the DBackup server

☁️ Storage & Destinations

• 13+ Storage Adapters - S3, Cloudflare R2, Hetzner, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, SMB, Rsync, and local filesystem
• Multi-Destination Jobs - Upload each backup to multiple storage destinations simultaneously for redundancy or off-site copies
• Storage Explorer - Browse backup files across all destinations, inspect metadata, download files, or generate secure direct download links
• Storage Monitoring & Alerts - Per-destination alerts for usage spikes, storage limit warnings, and missing backups within a defined time window

🔄 Restore & Recovery

• One-Click Restore - Restore directly from the Storage Explorer to any configured database target
• Database Remapping - Restore databases under different names or map multiple databases to new targets
• Version Compatibility Check - Pre-restore validation warns about version mismatches before execution
• Integrity Verification - Post-upload SHA-256/MD5 checksum validation after every backup, plus scheduled full integrity scans across all stored backups (Jobs mode or full storage scan)
• No Vendor Lock-In - Backups are standard database dumps encrypted with open AES-256-GCM. Decrypt and import manually with just Node.js, no DBackup required
• Recovery Kit - Downloadable ZIP with your encryption key and a standalone decryption script for disaster recovery without DBackup

📊 Monitoring & Visibility

• Live Backup Progress - Real-time progress tracking shows exactly what's happening during backup and restore operations
• Interactive Dashboard - Activity charts, job status overview, KPI cards, and auto-refreshing activity feeds
• Backup Calendar - GitHub-style 12-month heatmap showing backup activity and success/failure patterns at a glance
• Database Explorer - Browse databases, tables, and live data directly from DBackup with server-side pagination, full-text search, schema inspection, and deep-link URL support across all 8 database engines
• Database Version History - Automatic tracking of database engine version changes over time with a timeline chart and change log
• Storage Usage History - Track storage growth over time with area charts and trend indicators
• Execution History - Full log of every backup and restore with duration, file size, status, and error details

🔔 Notifications

• 9 Notification Channels - Discord, Slack, Teams, Telegram, Gotify, ntfy, Webhook, SMS (Twilio), and Email (SMTP)
• Per-Job Notification Settings - Configure which notification channels fire for each backup job individually
• System Event Notifications - Get notified about user logins, account creation, restore results, storage alerts, update availability, and system errors across all channels
• Repeat Intervals - Configurable reminder intervals for recurring alerts (storage warnings, update notices)

⏰ Scheduling & Retention

• Cron-based Scheduling - Flexible job scheduling with a visual Schedule Picker (Simple Mode + Cron Mode)
• Retention Policy Templates - Reusable named GFS (Grandfather-Father-Son) retention policies with per-destination assignment
• Naming Templates & Schedule Presets - Reusable filename patterns with tokens ({job_name}, {db_name}, date/time) and named cron presets for consistent scheduling across jobs
• Automated Config Backups - Self-backup of the entire DBackup configuration to any storage adapter

👥 Access Control & Security

• SSO / OIDC - OpenID Connect with pre-built adapters for Authentik, PocketID, Keycloak, and a generic OIDC option
• RBAC - User groups with granular permissions, protected SuperAdmin group, and audit logging
• 2FA / Passkeys - Two-factor authentication and WebAuthn passkey support
• Credential Vault - Centralized encrypted storage for SSH keys, API tokens, OAuth credentials, SMTP accounts, and username/password pairs - reusable across all adapters without re-entering secrets per job
• HTTPS by Default - Auto-generated self-signed certificates on first run with certificate upload UI for custom certificates and HSTS enforcement
• Configurable Rate Limits - Per-category rate limiting (Auth, API Read, API Write) adjustable from the Settings UI

🔗 API & Automation

• REST API - Trigger backups, poll executions, manage adapters, and explore storage via API
• Fine-grained API Keys - Scoped permissions and expiration dates for CI/CD pipelines and scripts
• Ready-made Examples - cURL, Bash, and Ansible examples included in the API docs

🎨 Designed for Simplicity

• Intuitive UI - Clean, modern interface that makes complex backup workflows feel simple
• Quick Setup Wizard - Guided first-run setup wizard to get your first backup running in minutes
• Highly Configurable - Session lifetimes, rate limits, retention periods, notification preferences, system tasks, and more
• Docker Ready - Multi-arch images (AMD64/ARM64), health checks, graceful shutdown, and configurable PUID/PGID

🚀 Quick Start

Supported Platforms: AMD64 (x86_64) • ARM64 (aarch64)

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  dbackup:
    image: skyfay/dbackup:latest
    container_name: dbackup
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - ENCRYPTION_KEY=       # openssl rand -hex 32
      - BETTER_AUTH_URL=https://localhost:3000
      - BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=   # openssl rand -base64 32
      # All additional environment variables: https://docs.dbackup.app/user-guide/installation#environment-variables
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data              # All persistent data (db, storage, certs)
      - ./backups:/backups        # Optional: used for local backups

docker-compose up -d

Open https://localhost:3000 and create your admin account (accept the self-signed certificate warning on first visit).

📖 Full installation guide: docs.dbackup.app/user-guide/getting-started

🗄️ Supported Databases

☁️ Supported Destinations

🔔 Supported Notifications

📚 Documentation

Full documentation is available at docs.dbackup.app:

• User Guide - Installation, configuration, usage
• API Reference - Interactive REST API documentation
• Developer Guide - Architecture, adapters, contributing
• Changelog - Release history
• Roadmap - Planned features

🛠️ Development

# Clone & install
git clone https://github.com/Skyfay/DBackup.git && cd DBackup
pnpm install

# Configure environment
cp .env.example .env  # Edit with your secrets

# Start dev server (applies pending migrations automatically on startup)
pnpm dev

For contribution guidelines, see the CONTRIBUTING.md.

💬 Community & Support

• 💬 Discord: Join our community at https://dc.skyfay.ch
• 📝 Documentation: Full guides and API reference at docs.dbackup.app
• 🔗 API Reference: Interactive API docs at api.dbackup.app or in-app at /docs/api
• 🐛 Issues: Report bugs or request features on GitHub Issues
• 📧 Support: General questions and support via support@dbackup.app
• 🔒 Security: Report vulnerabilities responsibly via security@dbackup.app (please do not open public issues for security reports)

🤖 AI Development Transparency

Architecture & Concept

The system architecture, infrastructure design, strict technology stack selection, and feature specifications for DBackup were entirely conceptualized and directed by a human System Engineer to solve real-world infrastructure challenges.

Implementation

The application code was generated by AI coding agents following detailed architectural specifications and coding guidelines. All features were manually tested for correctness, stability, and real-world reliability. Automated unit tests (Vitest) and static security audits complement the manual QA process.

Open for Review

DBackup is thoroughly tested and used in production, but a formal manual security audit by an external developer has not yet been completed. If you are a software developer or cybersecurity professional, your expertise is highly welcome! We invite the open-source community to review the code, submit PRs, and help us elevate DBackup to a fully verified, enterprise-ready standard.

Security Disclosure: If you discover a security vulnerability, please do not open a public GitHub issue. Instead, report it responsibly via email to security@dbackup.app.

📝 License

GNU General Public License v3.0