Setting Up Backblaze B2 Restic for Automated Backups

To set up Backblaze B2 Restic for automated backups, you'll need to create a B2 account and generate an account ID and application key. This will allow you to access your B2 bucket and store your backups securely.

First, install Restic on your system. You can download the binary from the official Restic website or use a package manager like Homebrew on macOS. Restic is a command-line backup tool that integrates seamlessly with Backblaze B2.

Next, create a new B2 bucket to store your backups. This can be done through the Backblaze B2 dashboard or using the B2 command-line tool. Make sure to note down the bucket ID, as you'll need it later to configure Restic.

With your B2 bucket created, you can now configure Restic to use it for backups. This involves setting up a Restic repository and specifying the B2 bucket as the storage backend. You can do this by running a series of commands, which are outlined in the next section.

To set up Backblaze B2, you'll need to create a B2 account and set up a bucket for your backups. This is a cloud storage "folder" where you'll store your backups. You can do this via the B2 web GUI or use the b2 CLI client.

First, you'll need to create a B2 Cloud Storage Bucket with the following options: Bucket name, Files in bucket are, Default Encryption, and Object Lock. For example, you might choose a Bucket name like "my-bucket-name", and set Files in bucket are to "Private".

To create the bucket, go to the B2 web GUI and follow the prompts. You'll also need to set up an app key, which will give you a Key ID and Key that you'll need later.

Create an Application Key with access to the bucket. You'll need to specify the Name of Key, Allow access to Bucket(s), Type of Access, File name prefix, and Duration (seconds). For example, you might choose a Name of Key like "my-app-name" and Allow access to Bucket(s) like "my-bucket-name".

Here's a summary of the required settings for creating a B2 Cloud Storage Bucket:

Save the Application Key credentials to a file named credentials.txt. You'll need this file when installing the Velero server components later.

To initialize your repository with restic, you'll need to provide your Backblaze B2 Application Key.

The Backblaze B2 bucket is where your data resides, and the restic repository is where your backups and snapshots are stored.

First, you'll need to export the necessary environment variables: B2_ACCOUNT_ID and B2_ACCOUNT_KEY.

Here are the specific steps to initialize your repository: export B2_ACCOUNT_ID=$keyIDexport B2_ACCOUNT_KEY=$applicationKeyrestic -r b2:$bucketName: init

You'll be prompted for a password, which is what protects your repository. Be sure to choose a strong password and store it in a safe place.

A successful initialization will display a message saying that your repository was successfully created, along with a unique repository ID.

The backup process with Backblaze B2 and restic is a game-changer. restic is efficient in the copy process, updating, adding, or removing files as needed.

If a file is changed, it'll update it. If a file is new, it'll add it. If a file is deleted, it'll remove it. If a file is unchanged, it'll do nothing.

This means that restic won't waste any time uploading already-uploaded files, making the backup process much faster.

Let's see how restic performs during our second test backup. If a file is changed, restic will update it. If a file is new, it'll add it. If a file is deleted, it'll remove it. If a file is unchanged, it'll do nothing.

You can see the efficiency of restic in action. Here's what happens during the second backup job: restic doesn't have to waste any time uploading already-uploaded files. This is a significant advantage, especially for large datasets.

Let's break down the process:

This approach ensures that restic only uploads what's necessary, making the backup process much faster.

The backup script is a crucial part of the backup process, and it's essential to get it right. You can create a backup script in a convenient location like /usr/bin/backup_script.sh.

To back up your data, the script targets two directories: your Documents folder and the repos directory where you keep cloned repositories. The script then sends an email with a success or failure message based on the return code of the restic calls.

You can use secrets from Keychain to populate environment variables used by restic, such as RESTIC_PASSWORD_COMMAND. This is a string with the command that restic will run when the password is needed.

The extra flag -o b2.connections=20 is specific to the Backblaze B2 backend, but you can omit it if you use a different storage provider. I've found that using different status codes can be useful in distinguishing why the script ends, especially in future automation.

To create a backup script, you'll need some essential tools and knowledge. I'll be using Restic, a command-line tool for creating backups and restoring files, and Backblaze B2, a cloud storage provider.

You'll also need to be familiar with launchd, macOS's system service management, which can be replaced with cron on other operating systems. Additionally, you'll need to know how to use the macOS keychain, a secure way to store secrets.

Here are the essential tools and services required:

To create a backup script, you'll need to have some basic knowledge of certain tools and services. I'll assume you're familiar with them, but if not, don't worry, I'll explain how to use them in the context of creating the backup script.

Here are the specific tools and services you'll need:

These tools will help you create a reliable backup system for your files.

To troubleshoot and optimize your backblaze b2 restic setup, keep in mind that you need to provide your Backblaze B2 Application ID, which can be done by setting the B2_ACCOUNT_ID and B2_ACCOUNT_KEY environment variables.

Adding a file with a list of files to exclude can be a lifesaver. Simply create a file called excludes.txt and add the files you want to skip to it, then pass it to restic with the --exclude-file flag.

Passing your restic repository password into restic can be done by exporting the RESTIC_PASSWORD_FILE environment variable and setting it equal to a file that contains the password.

To get the most information about your backup jobs, consider adding the --verbose flag twice to your restic backup command.

Here's a quick reference to some common gotchas and tips: