I'm a Linux pro – here are my top 5 command line backup tools for desktops and servers

I use Linux for both desktop and server. My preference for a server OS is one without a GUI, which means I have to turn to a lot of command-line tools. In some cases, I prefer to use the same command-line tools for both desktop and server, because it simplifies everything. After all, I don’t want to have to learn two different tools for the same job. On top of that, the command-line tools I’ve included in this list are very powerful and flexible enough to meet all of my needs.

With a command-line backup tool, I can enjoy automated backups using either built-in features or cron, which makes them even more flexible. Plus, command-line tools tend to use fewer resources than their GUI counterparts.

Also: 8 things you can do with Linux that you can’t do with MacOS or Windows

With that said, what are the best command-line backup tools available to Linux? 

Here are five of them for your consideration.

1. Rsync

The rsync command-line backup tool is the easiest to use on the list and can be used to back up locally (to external-attached drives) or remotely. Rsync is also one of the more popular backup tools for Linux users. This backup tool includes features like incremental backups, whole directory tree and file system updates, file permission, links, and ownership preservation, and can be automated with the help of bash scripts and cron. Of course, rsync doesn’t have to be set up for automatic backups, as you can run it manually whenever you need. 

The best quality about rsync is that it’s really easy to use (as long as you’re okay with the Command Line Interface). Not only that, but it’s also fast and can even work over SSH, so it’s more secure. Rsync comes preinstalled on most Linux distributions, so you can start using it right out of the gate.

2. Tar

Tar is a command-line archiving tool for Linux that can also be used for backups. One of the best parts of using tar for backups is that it’s simple. Tar can be used in conjunction with cron to create automated backups and with Gzip to create compressed backups. You can even append a file to a tar backup and exclude files while creating your backup. Tar allows you to view the contents of a backup and easily extract the contents. Tar is preinstalled on all Linux distributions, so there’s nothing to install, and it’s free to use. You can even use tar to back up to a remote machine, with the help of SSH.

3. Bacula

Unlike rsync and tar, Bacula is hard to set up. Really hard. In fact, I would only recommend Bacula to those with plenty of Linux experience. Even so, Bacula is a powerhouse backup tool. With Bacula, you get data backup, recovery, and verification. This backup solution is also enterprise-ready, so you know it can do the job. The reason why Bacula is so challenging is that it is comprised of several parts: a directory, a console, a file, storage, a catalog, and a monitor. 

One consideration is that the free version of Bacula is a community edition, but there is also an enterprise edition, which includes support. Unless you are super serious about your backups, I wouldn’t suggest Bacula. If you are super serious, Bacula is one of the most powerful backup solutions you’ll find for Linux.

4. Backupninja

Backupninja fits somewhere between rsync and Bacula in the difficulty category. Backupninja uses ini-style files for configuration, so you’ll need to understand how those work before you set up your first backup. Backupninja includes features like scheduled backups, scripts to handle different types of backups, status report emails, backup action configurations (using the ninjahelper wizard), flexible storage options, monitoring, alerts, MySQL database backups, encrypted remote backups, and even backups of Subversion repositories. Backupninja can be installed from the standard repositories. 

Something to keep in mind is that there is backupninja and Backup Ninja, and they are not the same thing. Where backupninja is a free, open-source software, Backup Ninja is not. 

Also: Want to save your aging computer? Try these 5 Linux distributions

5. Restic

Restic is a modern command-line backup tool that can back up locally or remotely (remote backups are handled via SFTP). Restic uses cryptography for every step of the process, so your backups are safe, no matter where you back them up. One important feature of Restic is that it follows Semantic Versioning, which means your backups will always be compatible, no matter what version of the app you use. Restic is a single executable file, which makes it much easier than the likes of Bacula or backupninja. Restic is available in the Ubuntu standard repositories and the EPEL repository for Fedora. 

Although Restic is easier than the two more challenging backup solutions on the list, it is more difficult than rsync or tar. With this tool, you have to initialize a repository. Restic features file exclusion, snapshot listing, data restoration, deduplication, compression, cloning, and pruning. Restic is open-source and free to use.

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