There are a lot of ways to handle backups these days, but this is how I currently do it.
I wanted a lightweight solution without background jobs because I don’t need real-time backups of my work. What I need is a system that, when I run it, creates encrypted snapshots of changes and stores them in multiple locations.
My data is centralized on a portable SSD, which includes the following key folders:
- OneDrive: I use this mainly as a shared folder between my devices. I don’t rely on any services here — it’s just files that I could store anywhere else if needed
- Archive: A collection of things I’m no longer actively working on or that aren’t immediately relevant but still worth keeping
- PersonalServer: A replica of my Linux server
- Developer: A replica of my “Developer” folder from my computer, which contains the repositories for apps I maintain
The Backup Process
Before backing anything up, I run a script that updates these folders on the SSD. Then, I use Restic to back everything up to two locations (both encrypted):
- My local NAS
- Hetzner Storage Box
This setup gives me three copies:
- A local copy on my SSD
- Another on my NAS
- A remote copy on Hetzner
I highly recommend Restic if you’re comfortable with the terminal. It takes only a few minutes to set up the first time, and after that, it’s pretty easy to maintain