How to Backup VPS to Home Server using BORG

To back up your VPS to your home server using BorgBackup, follow these steps:

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1. Install Borg on Both VPS & Home Server

On VPS:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install borgbackup -y

On Home Server:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install borgbackup -y

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2. Set Up SSH Access (Passwordless Login)

On your VPS, generate an SSH key:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "borg-backup"

Press Enter to accept defaults.

Copy the key to your Home Server:

ssh-copy-id user@home-server

Test SSH login:

ssh user@home-server

If it logs in without a password, SSH is set up.

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3. Initialize the Borg Repository on Home Server

On VPS, run:

ssh user@home-server "borg init --encryption=repokey ~/borg-backups"

This initializes ~/borg-backups on your Home Server.

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4. Create a Backup from VPS to Home Server

Run this from VPS:

borg create --stats --progress user@home-server:~/borg-backups::backup-$(date +%Y-%m-%d) /important/data

• Replace /important/data with directories to back up.

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5. Automate Backups with Cron

Edit crontab:

crontab -e

Add a daily backup at 2 AM:

0 2 * * * borg create --stats user@home-server:~/borg-backups::backup-$(date +\%Y-\%m-\%d) /important/data

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6. Prune Old Backups

To keep 7 daily, 4 weekly, and 6 monthly backups, run:

borg prune -v --list user@home-server:~/borg-backups --keep-daily=7 --keep-weekly=4 --keep-monthly=6

Add this to cron for automatic pruning.

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7. Verify Backups

List backups:

borg list user@home-server:~/borg-backups

Restore a file:

borg extract user@home-server:~/borg-backups::backup-YYYY-MM-DD path/to/file

This setup ensures automatic, secure backups from your VPS to your home server. 🚀