All systems operational 21 locations · null network Pay with crypto · ∅ KYC
خانه / Guides / VPS Backup and Restore — 3-2-1 on Root Servers
How-to

VPS Backup and Restore — 3-2-1 on Root Servers

NulNet Tor relay abstract: layered light rings around a node

Separate state from rebuildable, keep three copies on two media, and run the one restore test that decides whether any of it works.

متن بلند مقاله به انگلیسی است. هدر، کاتالوگ و پرداخت ترجمه شده‌اند.

Decide what is state

On most servers the irreplaceable set is small: databases, uploaded files, TLS keys, the configs that took a week to get right. The OS is reproducible — restore speed comes from automating the rebuild, and a short Ansible or cloud-init script you actually update beats a golden image you forgot existed. Draw that line first: what is state gets copies, what is rebuildable gets a script.

VPS from $3* (fund $50+), storage 1–5 TB NVMe from $24/mo annual-eff, dedicated with IPMI from $30.80/mo. Crypto invoice, no KYC.

Launch now

The pattern

On NulNet

  1. Snapshots ride VPS and storage plans as a checkout add-on — right for pre-change rollback, too shallow to call a strategy alone.
  2. For the off-box leg, a Depot 1 box (1 TB NVMe, $30 list, $24 on the annual term) as a Borg or Restic target keeps copies inside the same crypto-only, no-KYC rails.
  3. Encrypt at the source — Borg and Restic do this natively — so the target never holds plaintext and a compromised target is not a breach.
Are snapshots backups?

No — they are fast rollbacks on the same platform as the live box. They cover a bad deploy, not a provider failure or ransomware. For those, an off-box encrypted copy is the layer that answers.

How often should I back up?

Databases: continuous archiving where supported, daily as the floor. Files: daily. Schedule the restore test quarterly — untested restores fail silently.

Can I back up to NulNet Storage from another provider?

Yes. Any server with SSH can push to your storage box over SFTP or native Borg/Restic protocols — the target never learns where the source is hosted.

What about backing up dedicated servers?

Same pattern, bigger sets: no snapshots on metal, so the off-box leg carries it — a storage tier sized to the data, pulled with Borg or Restic. RAID is not a backup.

Ready to launch?

Build the box — VPS, storage or bare metal — create the password, pay the invoice that follows.