I have several applications running in Docker containers on a Proxmox virtual machine, and I'm looking for an easy way to back them up. Ideally, I'd love a graphical interface where I can just select a container and hit 'Backup' to have everything necessary for a full restore. Right now, I back up the entire VM using Proxmox Backup Server, but restoring a single container requires me to restore the whole VM, which overwrites changes in other containers. I'm also concerned about my Paperless-NGX setup; I want to be able to restore it easily without having to redo configurations like volume mounts or user settings. Is this kind of one-click solution available?
4 Answers
For a more automated approach, you might explore tools like Backrest or docker-backup. They let you set up backups that can be automated to a degree, though it still requires some initial configuration. You want to focus on backing up the persistent data, which usually involves your data volumes and using something like rsync for your backups.
Just a heads up, it's important to realize that containers are ephemeral. Instead of worrying about backing them up, focus on backing up your volumes where data is stored. This could simplify things a lot for you.
I’ve set up multiple VMs running Docker on Proxmox, and I use a TrueNAS VM for my configuration backups. I map each VM to a specific config folder on the NFS drive. This way, it's easier to back up data without worrying about losing everything if one container goes down. It’s not one-click, but it works well for me!
Backing up containers directly isn't really a common practice since they're designed to be stateless. You should focus on storing the Docker images in an external registry. That way, if you need to recreate a container, you can easily pull the image and set it up again without losing any important data.
Exactly! You should treat containers like disposable units. Just make sure all your data lives in volumes so you can manage their backup separately.