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Backup & Restore ​

This document explains how to backup and restore your dotfiles and system configurations.

Overview ​

The backup scripts save your dotfiles, configurations, and important system files to a specified directory (local or remote). This ensures you can:

  • Restore configurations after a system reinstall
  • Sync settings across multiple machines
  • Keep a history of configuration changes
  • Migrate to a new computer

Backup Scripts ​

macOS: backup-osx.sh ​

Location: backup/backup-osx.sh

Purpose: Backup macOS-specific configurations and dotfiles

Usage:

sh
./backup/backup-osx.sh [OPTIONS]

Options:

-d, --destination DIR   Backup destination directory (default: ./backup-<timestamp>)
-h, --help             Display help message

Examples:

sh
# Backup to default location
./backup/backup-osx.sh

# Backup to specific directory
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/Dropbox/dotfiles-backup

# Backup to external drive
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d /Volumes/Backup/dotfiles

# Backup to remote mount
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/mnt/nas/dotfiles

Debian/Ubuntu: backup-debian.sh ​

Location: backup/backup-debian.sh

Purpose: Backup Debian/Ubuntu-specific configurations and dotfiles

Usage:

sh
./backup/backup-debian.sh [OPTIONS]

Options:

-d, --destination DIR   Backup destination directory (default: ./backup-<timestamp>)
-h, --help             Display help message

Examples:

sh
# Backup to default location
./backup/backup-debian.sh

# Backup to specific directory
./backup/backup-debian.sh -d ~/backup/dotfiles

# Backup to mounted network share
./backup/backup-debian.sh -d /mnt/backup/dotfiles

What Gets Backed Up ​

Shell Configuration ​

  • .zshrc - Zsh configuration
  • .bashrc - Bash configuration (if exists)
  • .profile - Shell profile
  • .config/dotfiles/ - Custom functions and environment

Development Tools ​

  • .gitconfig - Git configuration
  • .vscode/ - VS Code workspace settings
  • .config/gh/ - GitHub CLI configuration
  • .config/gh-dash/ - GitHub Dashboard config
  • .config/lazygit/ - Lazygit configuration
  • .config/nvim/ - Neovim configuration

Application Configs ​

  • .config/cheat/ - Cheat configuration
  • .mattermost/ - Mattermost theme
  • .continue/ - Continue.dev config
  • .prototools - Proto version manager

Oh-my-zsh ​

  • .oh-my-zsh/custom/ - Custom themes and plugins
  • Theme file: this-is-tobi.zsh-theme

Kubernetes & Cloud ​

  • .kube/config - Kubernetes configuration
  • .aws/ - AWS CLI configuration (if exists)
  • .config/gcloud/ - Google Cloud SDK (if exists)

SSH Keys (Optional) ​

  • .ssh/ - SSH keys and configuration
    • Note: Keys are backed up with restrictive permissions

Package Lists ​

The scripts also create package lists:

  • macOS: Homebrew package list
  • Debian: apt package list
  • Proto: Installed tool versions
  • npm: Global packages (if installed)

Backup Structure ​

Example backup directory structure:

backup-2023-10-15-143022/
├── dotfiles/
│   ├── .zshrc
│   ├── .gitconfig
│   ├── .prototools
│   └── .config/
│       ├── dotfiles/
│       ├── cheat/
│       ├── gh-dash/
│       ├── lazygit/
│       └── nvim/
├── vscode/
│   ├── settings.json
│   ├── mcp.json
│   └── extensions.json
├── oh-my-zsh/
│   └── custom/
│       └── themes/
│           └── this-is-tobi.zsh-theme
├── kubernetes/
│   └── config
├── ssh/ (optional)
│   ├── config
│   └── *.pub
└── package-lists/
    ├── brew-packages.txt
    ├── brew-casks.txt
    ├── apt-packages.txt
    └── proto-tools.txt

Backup Best Practices ​

Regular Backups ​

sh
# Weekly backup
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/Dropbox/dotfiles-backup

# Use cron for automation (macOS/Linux)
# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add weekly backup (Sunday at 2 AM)
0 2 * * 0 /path/to/dotfiles/backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/Dropbox/dotfiles-backup

Version Control ​

sh
# Initialize git in backup directory
cd ~/backups/dotfiles
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Backup $(date +%Y-%m-%d)"

# Push to private repository
git remote add origin git@github.com:you/private-dotfiles-backup.git
git push -u origin main

Multiple Destinations ​

sh
# Local backup
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/backups/dotfiles

# Cloud backup (Dropbox)
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/Dropbox/dotfiles-backup

# Network backup
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d /Volumes/NAS/backups/dotfiles

# External drive
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d /Volumes/Backup/dotfiles

Encryption ​

For sensitive data:

sh
# Backup first
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/backup-temp

# Encrypt with gpg
tar czf - ~/backup-temp | gpg -c > dotfiles-backup.tar.gz.gpg

# Or use age
tar czf - ~/backup-temp | age -p > dotfiles-backup.tar.gz.age

# Upload encrypted backup to cloud
rclone copy dotfiles-backup.tar.gz.gpg remote:backups/

Restoring from Backup ​

Full Restore ​

  1. Clone dotfiles repository:
sh
git clone https://github.com/this-is-tobi/dotfiles.git
cd dotfiles
  1. Run setup script:
sh
./setup/setup-osx.sh -p 'base,devops,js'  # Your profiles
  1. Restore backed-up files:
sh
# Copy from backup
cp -r ~/backups/dotfiles/dotfiles/. ~/

# Or use rsync
rsync -av ~/backups/dotfiles/dotfiles/ ~/
  1. Restore application configs:
sh
# VS Code
cp -r ~/backups/dotfiles/vscode/.vscode ~/.vscode

# Kubernetes config
mkdir -p ~/.kube
cp ~/backups/dotfiles/kubernetes/config ~/.kube/config
chmod 600 ~/.kube/config
  1. Reload shell:
sh
exec zsh

Selective Restore ​

Restore only specific configurations:

sh
# Just shell config
cp ~/backups/dotfiles/dotfiles/.zshrc ~/

# Just Git config
cp ~/backups/dotfiles/dotfiles/.gitconfig ~/

# Just VS Code settings
cp -r ~/backups/dotfiles/vscode/.vscode ~/workspace/.vscode

# Just Kubernetes config
cp ~/backups/dotfiles/kubernetes/config ~/.kube/config

Package Restore ​

Reinstall packages from backup lists:

macOS:

sh
# Install Homebrew packages
xargs brew install < ~/backups/dotfiles/package-lists/brew-packages.txt

# Install Cask applications
xargs brew install --cask < ~/backups/dotfiles/package-lists/brew-casks.txt

Debian/Ubuntu:

sh
# Install apt packages
xargs sudo apt install -y < ~/backups/dotfiles/package-lists/apt-packages.txt

Proto tools:

sh
# Restore Proto tools
while read -r line; do
  tool=$(echo "$line" | awk '{print $1}')
  version=$(echo "$line" | awk '{print $2}')
  proto install "$tool" "$version"
done < ~/backups/dotfiles/package-lists/proto-tools.txt

Remote Backups ​

Using rclone ​

Setup rclone for cloud storage:

sh
# Configure rclone (first time)
rclone config

# Backup to cloud
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d /tmp/dotfiles-backup
rclone sync /tmp/dotfiles-backup remote:dotfiles-backup

# Restore from cloud
rclone sync remote:dotfiles-backup ~/restored-dotfiles

Supported providers:

  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox
  • OneDrive
  • AWS S3
  • Backblaze B2
  • And many more

Using rsync over SSH ​

Backup to remote server:

sh
# Initial backup
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d /tmp/dotfiles-backup
rsync -avz /tmp/dotfiles-backup user@server:/backups/

# Restore from remote
rsync -avz user@server:/backups/dotfiles-backup ~/restored-dotfiles

Using Git ​

Backup to private Git repository:

sh
# Create backup
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/dotfiles-backup

# Initialize git
cd ~/dotfiles-backup
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Backup $(date +%Y-%m-%d)"

# Push to private repo
git remote add origin git@github.com:you/private-backup.git
git push -u origin main

Automated Backups ​

cron (macOS/Linux) ​

sh
# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Daily backup at 2 AM
0 2 * * * /Users/you/dotfiles/backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/Dropbox/dotfiles-backup

# Weekly backup on Sunday at 3 AM with cloud sync
0 3 * * 0 /Users/you/dotfiles/backup/backup-osx.sh -d /tmp/backup && rclone sync /tmp/backup remote:dotfiles

launchd (macOS) ​

Create ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.dotfiles-backup.plist:

xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.user.dotfiles-backup</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/Users/you/dotfiles/backup/backup-osx.sh</string>
        <string>-d</string>
        <string>/Users/you/Dropbox/dotfiles-backup</string>
    </array>
    <key>StartCalendarInterval</key>
    <dict>
        <key>Hour</key>
        <integer>2</integer>
        <key>Minute</key>
        <integer>0</integer>
    </dict>
</dict>
</plist>

Load the agent:

sh
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.dotfiles-backup.plist

systemd timer (Linux) ​

Create /etc/systemd/system/dotfiles-backup.service:

ini
[Unit]
Description=Dotfiles Backup

[Service]
Type=oneshot
User=you
ExecStart=/home/you/dotfiles/backup/backup-debian.sh -d /home/you/backups/dotfiles

Create /etc/systemd/system/dotfiles-backup.timer:

ini
[Unit]
Description=Dotfiles Backup Timer

[Timer]
OnCalendar=daily
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

Enable the timer:

sh
sudo systemctl enable --now dotfiles-backup.timer

Backup Strategies ​

3-2-1 Rule ​

Keep:

  • 3 copies of your data
  • On 2 different storage types
  • With 1 copy offsite

Example:

  1. Original files on your computer
  2. Local backup on external drive
  3. Cloud backup (Dropbox, S3, etc.)

Incremental Backups ​

Use time-stamped backups:

sh
# Create dated backup
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/backups/dotfiles-$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

# Keep last 7 days, delete older
find ~/backups -name 'dotfiles-*' -mtime +7 -exec rm -rf {} \;

Differential Backups ​

Only backup changed files:

sh
# First full backup
./backup/backup-osx.sh -d ~/backups/full

# Subsequent differential backups
rsync -av --compare-dest=~/backups/full ~ ~/backups/diff-$(date +%Y-%m-%d)

Security Considerations ​

Sensitive Data ​

Be careful with:

  • SSH private keys
  • API keys and tokens
  • Passwords and credentials
  • Cloud provider credentials

Best practices:

  • Don't backup private keys to cloud (or encrypt them)
  • Use secret management tools (1Password, Vault)
  • Exclude sensitive files from backups
  • Encrypt backups containing credentials

Permissions ​

Ensure proper file permissions:

sh
# SSH keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_*
chmod 644 ~/.ssh/*.pub

# Kubernetes config
chmod 600 ~/.kube/config

# GPG keys
chmod 700 ~/.gnupg

Troubleshooting ​

Backup Fails ​

Check permissions:

sh
# Ensure script is executable
chmod +x backup/backup-osx.sh

# Check destination is writable
touch ~/backups/test && rm ~/backups/test

Check disk space:

sh
# macOS
df -h ~/backups

# Linux
df -h ~/backups

Restore Fails ​

Verify backup integrity:

sh
# Check backup directory exists
ls -la ~/backups/dotfiles

# Verify files are present
find ~/backups/dotfiles -type f | wc -l

Permissions issues:

sh
# Fix ownership
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ~/restored-dotfiles

# Fix permissions
chmod -R u+rw ~/restored-dotfiles