Skip to main content

Backup Strategies: Protect Your Data

Backup strategies protect data. Full backups. Incremental backups. Different strategies for different needs.

Here's the thing: Backups are insurance. You hope you never need them. But when you do, they're essential.

Backup Types​

Full Backup​

What: Complete copy of all data.

Pros: Simple. Complete recovery. Cons: Time-consuming. Large storage.

When to use: Initial backup. Periodic full backups.

My take: Full backups are simple. Use them for initial backup.

Incremental Backup​

What: Only changed files since last backup.

Pros: Fast. Small storage. Cons: Requires full + all incrementals for restore.

When to use: Daily backups.

My take: Incremental backups are efficient. Use them for daily backups.

Differential Backup​

What: All changes since last full backup.

Pros: Faster restore than incremental. Cons: Larger than incremental.

When to use: Balance between speed and storage.

My take: Differential is a middle ground. Use it when it fits.

Backup Tools​

tar: Archive Tool​

# Full backup
tar -czf backup_full.tar.gz /data

# Incremental (with snapshot)
tar -czf backup_inc.tar.gz -g snapshot.snar /data

My take: tar is versatile. Use it for backups.

rsync: Sync Tool​

# Sync to backup location
rsync -av /data/ /backup/data/

My take: rsync syncs files. Useful for backups.

Backup Strategy​

3-2-1 Rule​

  • 3 copies of data
  • 2 different media types
  • 1 offsite backup

My take: Follow 3-2-1 rule. It's a good guideline.

Common Schedule​

  • Daily: Incremental backups
  • Weekly: Full backup
  • Monthly: Archive full backup

My take: Daily incrementals. Weekly full. Monthly archive. Adjust as needed.

Common Mistakes (I've Made These)​

  1. Not testing restores: Backups are useless if you can't restore. Test restores.

  2. No offsite backup: If site is destroyed, local backups are lost. Use offsite.

  3. Not automating: Manual backups are forgotten. Automate them.

  4. No retention policy: Backups accumulate. Clean them up.

  5. Backing up to same disk: If disk fails, backups are lost. Use different disk.

Real-World Examples​

Automated Backup​

#!/bin/bash
# Daily incremental backup
tar -czf "/backup/inc_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz" -g snapshot.snar /data

Full Backup​

#!/bin/bash
# Weekly full backup
tar -czf "/backup/full_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz" /data

What's Next?​

Now that you understand backup strategies, you can protect data. Or review what you've learned. You're ready.

Personal note: I've lost data before. Then I learned backups. Now I backup everything. Automatically. Backups are insurance. Use them. Test them.