Nextcloud releases beta to save backups to other users

Nextcloud has created a backup application that allows users to store an image of their installation elsewhere. A backup can be stored on an external drive, but also in the installations of other Nextcloud users.

The software is called Nextcloud Backup and has been in beta since Monday. Backup allows users to automatically backup their own installation to another. The service creates a compressed and encrypted backup that contains both the saved files and the configuration preferences. This is done in snapshots of 100MB each. It is only possible to save local data in the backup. Non-local data from external storage, for example, cannot be saved.

The snapshots can then be saved in different places. This can be done in the traditional way, for example via ftp or smb, or on a disk that is linked to the system. However, it is also possible to save the snapshots on another user’s Nextcloud installation. To do this, they must create a new user account.

Users can choose which folders or files they want to back up or not. It is also possible to schedule when and how often backups should be made, and which parts of the installation should be included. Restoring a backup is done via the command line.