STATUS //
Active
STACK //
Restic
Backrest
Backblaze B2
Encrypted USB
Syncthing
LAST UPDATED //
July 2026
Nexus eventually became important enough that "I'll just rebuild it"
stopped being the backup plan. After so many hours of tinkering and
configuring, it only made sense to put a proper backup plan in place.
The goal is not to back up every single replaceable media file. It is to
protect the configuration, service data, and notes that would be a pain
to reconstruct after a drive failure, bad update, or one of my own
mistakes.
The result is a layered setup, like a backup burger: Restic snapshots
managed through Backrest, encrypted cloud copies in Backblaze B2, and a
manual USB backup stored off-site.
BACKUP PHILOSOPHY //
A backup is only useful if I know what it contains, where it is stored,
and how to restore it.
I would much rather protect a smaller set of important data properly and
efficiently than blindly copy everything without a clear recovery plan.
BACKUP LAYERS //
The first layer is an automated cloud backup. Backrest manages encrypted
Restic snapshots and sends the important configuration and service data
to Backblaze B2 on a set schedule.
The second layer is a manual encrypted USB backup. It covers the same
kind of critical data, but the drive is stored off-site when it is not
being updated.
Syncthing helps move notes and other important files between devices,
but it is not treated as a backup. A deletion can sync just as easily as
a useful change, so those files still need to exist inside the actual
backup layers.
WHAT IS NOT BACKED UP //
Movies, TV shows, and other replaceable media are intentionally left out
of the backup plan. Rebuilding those libraries would be annoying, but
not nearly as annoying as losing weeks of configuration, notes, or
service data.
Backing up everything would increase storage use, transfer time, and
cost without improving recovery where it matters most. I do not need 15
copies of Akira stored across several drives.
I am also not the type of person to hoard a massive library of unwatched
media just to fill hard drive space. I keep a relatively small backlog,
keep tabs on it, and generally don't hang on to media after I've watched
it.
RESTORE TESTING //
A backup is only useful if I can actually get the data back. I
occasionally roleplay a disaster by restoring a small file or folder
into an isolated location, then verify the repository afterward.
A little excessive? Possibly, but it gives me peace of mind instead of
assuming a successful backup job means recovery will always work.
The goal is not to torture myself by rehearsing a full disaster every
week. It is to know the backups are readable and that I understand the
restore process before I actually need it.