Flash Drive Disaster Recovery

The Problem: Your Unraid flash drive dies, taking with it:

• All Docker container configurations
• System settings and user shares
• Plugin configurations and templates
• Years of careful setup work

The Solution: Config Guardian automatically backs up everything needed to rebuild your server:

• All running containers → Docker templates + compose files
• System configuration → Settings, shares, plugins
• Complete rebuild guide → Step-by-step restoration
• Change tracking → See what changed between backups

Application

Emergency Setup (Flash Drive Died)

Quick Install on Fresh Unraid

1. Install fresh Unraid on new hardware/flash drive
2. Set up basic array and enable Docker
3. Install Config Guardian:

# SSH into Unraid and run:
mkdir -p /mnt/user/appdata/unraid-config-guardian
mkdir -p /mnt/user/backups/unraid-docs

docker run -d \
  --name unraid-config-guardian \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 7842:7842 \
  -v /mnt/user/appdata/unraid-config-guardian:/config \
  -v /mnt/user/backups/unraid-docs:/output \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro \
  -v /boot:/boot:ro \
  -e PUID=99 -e PGID=100 \
  -e SCHEDULE="0 2 * * 0" \
  stephondoestech/unraid-config-guardian:latest

1. Access: http://your-unraid-ip:7842
2. Generate backup to start protecting your new setup

Preventive Setup (Normal Use)

Install via Community Apps → Search "Config Guardian" → Install

Pro Tip: Set up weekly automated backups immediately after configuring any new containers!

Your Backup Contains Everything Needed

unraid-backup/
├── container-templates.zip # Native Unraid XML templates → Drop in Docker tab
├── docker-compose.yml      # Emergency fallback containers
├── unraid-config.json      # System settings, shares, plugins
├── restore.sh              # Automated restoration script
├── changes.log             # What changed since last backup
└── README.md               # Step-by-step recovery guide

Data Sources:

• Running Docker containers (via Docker API)
• Unraid system configuration (/boot/config/)
• User shares and disk settings
• Plugin configurations and templates

Super Simple Recovery

When disaster strikes:

1. Fresh Unraid install → Set up array
2. Restore from backup:

   cd /mnt/user/backups/unraid-docs/latest
   bash restore.sh
   

3. Add containers: Docker tab → Your templates are in the dropdown
4. Copy back appdata from your separate backups

That's it! Your entire server configuration is restored.

IMPORTANT: This is NOT a Data Backup Solution

Config Guardian only backs up your CONFIGURATION, not your data. You still need a proper backup solution for your appdata and media files.

Recommended backup solutions:

• Kopia - Modern, fast, encrypted backups
• Duplicacy - Web-based backup management
• Rustic - Rust-based restic alternative
• Unraid Plugins: CA Backup/Restore, Appdata Backup

What Config Guardian backs up:

• Docker container configurations and templates
• Unraid system settings and shares
• Plugin configurations
• Recovery scripts and documentation

What you still need to backup separately:

• /mnt/user/appdata/ (your container data)
• /mnt/user/ (your media and files)
• Any custom scripts or configurations

Configuration

Essential Settings:

SCHEDULE="0 2 * * 0"       # Weekly backup (Sunday 2 AM)
PUID=99 PGID=100           # Standard Unraid permissions
MASK_PASSWORDS=true        # Hide sensitive data in backups

Common Issues:

• No templates in dropdown: Enable Template Authoring Mode in Docker settings
• Permission errors: See troubleshooting guide

If the web UI won’t start and logs are empty, check your container template includes PUID and PGID (e.g., 99/100) and recreate the container so the entrypoint can set permissions.

Manual Usage

# Generate backup now
docker exec unraid-config-guardian python3 src/unraid_config_guardian.py

# View logs
docker logs unraid-config-guardian

# Check what changed
cat /mnt/user/backups/unraid-docs/latest/changes.log

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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Built by Stephon Parker for the Unraid community

Development supported by Claude (Anthropic)

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