NulNetVPS Backup and Restore — 3-2-1 on Root Servers
Separate state from rebuildable, keep three copies on two media, and run the one restore test that decides whether any of it works.
Separate state from rebuildable, keep three copies on two media, and run the one restore test that decides whether any of it works.
Root NVMe 1–5 TB2.5–10 GbpsSnapshots $9.50Borg/Restic/rsync16 coins + XMR
Plan ledger
| Plan | vCPU | RAM | NVMe | Port | $/TB list | $/TB annual | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depot 1 | 2 vCPU | 8 GB DDR4 ECC | 1 TB NVMe | Unmetered / 2.5 Gbps | $30.00 | $24.00 | $30.00 list · $24.00/mo annual |
| Depot 2 | 4 vCPU | 16 GB DDR4 ECC | 2 TB NVMe | Unmetered / 5 Gbps | $20.00 | $16.00 | $40.00 list · $32.00/mo annual |
| Depot 3 | 4 vCPU | 16 GB DDR5 ECC | 3 TB NVMe | Unmetered / 5 Gbps | $16.67 | $13.33 | $50.00 list · $40.00/mo annual |
| Depot 4 | 6 vCPU | 32 GB DDR5 ECC | 4 TB NVMe | Unmetered / 10 Gbps | $15.00 | $12.00 | $60.00 list · $48.00/mo annual |
| Depot 5 | 8 vCPU | 32 GB DDR5 ECC | 5 TB NVMe | Unmetered / 10 Gbps | $14.00 | $11.20 | $70.00 list · $56.00/mo annual |
Full ledger: all storage SKUs.
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 nowThe pattern
- 3 copies: live data, an on-box snapshot for fast rollback, and an off-box backup that survives the box.
- 2 media: local NVMe for second-level recovery, plus a copy on separate storage — different account, provider, or cold.
- 1 tested restore: a scheduled run that restores into a scratch directory and diffs. Untested backup is a hope, not a backup.
On NulNet
- Snapshots ride VPS and storage plans as a checkout add-on — right for pre-change rollback, too shallow to call a strategy alone.
- 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.
- 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.