Backup to SFTP or SSH Remote Server

To store your backups on an SFTP or SSH remote server instead of the default storage, you can configure the backup process to use the --storage ssh or --storage remote option. This section explains how to set up and configure SSH-based backups.

Configuration Steps

Specify the Storage Type
Add the --storage ssh or --storage remote flag to your backup command.
Set the Remote Path
Define the full remote path where backups will be stored using the --path flag or the REMOTE_PATH environment variable.
Example: --path /home/jkaninda/backups.
Required Environment Variables
The following environment variables are mandatory for SSH-based backups:
- SSH_HOST: The hostname or IP address of the remote server.
- SSH_USER: The username for SSH authentication.
- REMOTE_PATH: The directory on the remote server where backups will be stored.
- SSH_IDENTIFY_FILE: The path to the private key file for SSH authentication.
- SSH_PORT: The SSH port (default is 22).
- SSH_PASSWORD: (Optional) Use this only if you are not using a private key for authentication.
Security Recommendation: Using a private key (SSH_IDENTIFY_FILE) is strongly recommended over password-based authentication (SSH_PASSWORD) for better security.

Example Configuration

Below is an example docker-compose.yml configuration for backing up to an SSH remote server:

services:
  pg-bkup:
    # In production, lock your image tag to a specific release version
    # instead of using `latest`. Check https://github.com/jkaninda/pg-bkup/releases
    # for available releases.
    image: jkaninda/pg-bkup
    container_name: pg-bkup
    command: backup --storage remote -d database
    volumes:
      - ./id_ed25519:/tmp/id_ed25519
    environment:
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - DB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_NAME=database
      - DB_USERNAME=username
      - DB_PASSWORD=password
      ## SSH Configuration
      - SSH_HOST="hostname"
      - SSH_PORT=22
      - SSH_USER=user
      - REMOTE_PATH=/home/jkaninda/backups
      - SSH_IDENTIFY_FILE=/tmp/id_ed25519
      ## Optional: Use password instead of private key (not recommended)
      #- SSH_PASSWORD=password

    # Ensure the pg-bkup container is connected to the same network as your database
    networks:
      - web

networks:
  web:

Recurring Backups to SSH Remote Server

To schedule recurring backups, you can use the --cron-expression flag or the BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION environment variable. This allows you to define a cron schedule for automated backups.

Example: Recurring Backup Configuration

services:
  pg-bkup:
    # In production, lock your image tag to a specific release version
    # instead of using `latest`. Check https://github.com/jkaninda/pg-bkup/releases
    # for available releases.
    image: jkaninda/pg-bkup
    container_name: pg-bkup
    command: backup -d database --storage ssh --cron-expression "@daily"
    volumes:
      - ./id_ed25519:/tmp/id_ed25519
    environment:
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - DB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_NAME=database
      - DB_USERNAME=username
      - DB_PASSWORD=password
      ## SSH Configuration
      - SSH_HOST="hostname"
      - SSH_PORT=22
      - SSH_USER=user
      - REMOTE_PATH=/home/jkaninda/backups
      - SSH_IDENTIFY_FILE=/tmp/id_ed25519
      ## Optional: Delete old backups after a specified number of days
      #- BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS=7
      ## Optional: Use password instead of private key (not recommended)
      #- SSH_PASSWORD=password

    # Ensure the pg-bkup container is connected to the same network as your database
    networks:
      - web

networks:
  web:

Key Notes

Cron Expression: Use the --cron-expression flag or BACKUP_CRON_EXPRESSION environment variable to define the backup schedule. For example, 0 1 * * * runs the backup daily at 1:00 AM.
Backup Retention: Optionally, use the BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS environment variable to automatically delete backups older than a specified number of days.
Security: Always prefer private key authentication (SSH_IDENTIFY_FILE) over password-based authentication (SSH_PASSWORD) for enhanced security.