The Top 8 File Backup Apps for Linux

The availability of cheap storage and affordable tech has enabled people to become tech-savvy. Despite the levels of technological advancements, people always prefer to use the old, tried-and-tested backup methods to safeguard their data against any potential data losses.

Operating systems are becoming better at avoiding fatal system crashes, which result in data losses. Nevertheless, since such losses are inevitable, enterprises and general users need to ensure maximum data security via regular data backups.

Here are the top eight apps best suited for enterprise and general users to backup their system files.

The Best Enterprise Backup Solutions for Linux

These enterprise-level backup applications are perfect for small, medium, and large-scale businesses.

1. Bacula

Bacula is an open-source Linux-based backup tool that offers an interactive user interface. The application caters to enterprise-level tasks involving large volumes of data. It can sync data from different networks, and the data scheduler is a handy offering for end users. Eventually, the scheduler automates the entire data backup process.

As an end-user, all you need to do is set the backup frequency, and Bacula will do the rest on the server. It is equipped with various interfaces for administrators to interact easily with the platform. TLS authentication, duplicate job control, and virtual backups are a few other handy features that Bacula brings to the table.

First, update your system using APT:

        sudo apt-get update -y

Then, install MySQL Server:

        sudo apt-get install mysql-server

In the end, install the Bacula package using APT:

        sudo apt-get install bacula -y

You will need to configure the directory before you can start using Bacula to save your files.

2. UrBackup

UrBackup is another open-source server backup tool that supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. This app is a perfect choice for server backups as it uses a mixture of image and file backups to ensure data security and swift restorations.

UrBackup’s web interface shows all essential information such as client status, recent activities, and valuable stats. It offers backup support through CD and USB drives. This app sends backup reports to the administrators and ensures an efficient and seamless data backup process.

The software sends email notifications to the administrator if the backup is pending for a specific amount of time. Speedy restorations and multi-platform support make it an apt app for enterprises.

Before installing UrBackup, update your system's repository list.

        sudo apt-get update -y

Then, add the official UrBackup repository to your system.

        sudo add-apt-repository ppa:uroni/urbackup

Lastly, install the urbackup-server package as follows:

        sudo apt install urbackup-server

3. Clonezilla

Clonezilla is a free and popular data backup tool with handy features like partial cloning, image partitioning, and UDPcast. You can backup your data to a local drive, an SSH server, a SAMBA server, an NFS server, and even the existing home partition (this is not recommended though).

Clonezilla ties its functionality to DBRL (Diskless Remote Boot in Linux), which benefits the client machine as it provides a diskless environment. The application is available in two versions:

Clonezilla SE
Clonezilla Live

The former version offers enterprise-focused functionality, while the latter version caters to single machines specifically.

To install, update your system's repository list using APT.

        sudo apt-get update -y

Then, install Clonezilla as follows:

        sudo apt-get install -y clonezilla

4. Rsync

Rsync is a CLI-driven, Linux-based backup tool, which continues to be one of the top contenders for enterprise-level tasks. It offers superlative features like incremental backups, with options to update the entire directory tree, and file system support for local and remote backups, along with file permission preservations.

You can also use the graphical user interface Grsync; however, it is easier to use scripts for backup automation within the command-line version. You can sync two servers using the rsync backup tool.

Type the following command to install rsync on a Debian-based system:

        sudo apt-get install rsync

Backup Tools for Regular Linux Users

5. Déjà Dup

Déjà Dup is a simple Linux-based backup tool that offers all necessary functionalities for a regular computer. It offers encrypted, off-site, and regular backup facilities using Duplicity as the backend.

It comes equipped with local, remote, and cloud backup storage support services, which are compatible with Google Drive and Nextcloud.

Déjà Dup supports encryption and compression of data for efficient backups. You can easily set the frequency of your backups, and the application will automatically carry out the backup at a scheduled time slot. The best thing about Déjà Dup is that it can be integrated into the GNOME desktop environment easily.

To install Déjà Dup, update your system's resource list and then download the package using APT.

        sudo apt update
sudo apt install deja-dup

6. Back In Time

Back In Time is a backup utility based on rsync; it's capable of running on GNOME and KDE-based desktops. It's written in Python3 and stores backups in plain text.

For backing up files, the app caters to the requirements of a regular Linux-based machine. It works by taking snapshots of the directories and then backing up the directories directly. You can configure the storage location to save the backed-up snapshots. The application also supports automatic backup through its handy backup scheduler.

To install Back In Time, you will have to add the PPA repository, then update your system and finally install Back In Time via the terminal.

        sudo add-apt-repository ppa:bit-team/stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install backintime-qt4

7. Timeshift

Timeshift is primarily used for backing up the entire operating system, including every file on the system. Like Back In Time, Timeshift also takes snapshots of the directories and then backs them using rsync or Btrfs on the backend.

Timeshift is perfect for regular users who want to back up their entire system. The functionality of Timeshift is very similar to Windows System Restore on Windows and the Time Machine tool on Mac. You can use the system backup to restore your machine to the same state when the backup was taken.

Issue the following command to install Timeshift on a Debian-based distro like Ubuntu:

        sudo apt install timeshift

8. Amanda

Amanda is an open-source backup tool that works effortlessly on Linux, Unix, and GNU-based systems. You can easily backup data from different network sources onto a single server. It comes with a rapid installer that makes the installation process seamless. It comes with an intelligent backup scheduler that suggests the best backup frequency for your configuration.

The backup fault tolerance feature is beneficial as it syncs the initiated backup and avoids compromising the entire backup during a network interruption. Amanda is equipped with broad platform protection that avoids any malicious data compromising situations for your server.

Which Backup Tool Is Your Favorite?

Data backup tools play a vital role in connecting the server and the client machine with data access points. This makes the process of choosing a reliable tool extremely important as it controls all the crucial data on your machine.

Features like swift restoration and incremental backups are helpful for a regular user. Enterprises should look for features like database support, encryption support, and support for multiple data formats in their chosen backup tool.