Backups Aren't Simple

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Backups emerge as deceptively complex, with many arguing that the real value lies in reliable, tested restores rather than in simply copying data. Commenters compare tools like Restic, Borg, ZFS snapshots, and cloud services, highlighting issues such as silent corruption, ransomware, sync-vs-backup confusion, bit rot, and lock-in to providers like OneDrive or iCloud. Across homelabs and production systems alike, the consensus is that effective strategies require multiple copies, offsite storage, regular restore drills, and careful attention to security and failure modes.

Restore > Backup

  • Strong consensus that backups are only valuable if restores are regularly tested.
  • Several people report finding silent corruption or broken schemes only during restore attempts.
  • Some services/companies explicitly frame their business as “restoration,” not “backup.”

Tools and Strategies

  • Frequent praise for restic (often with Backrest), Borg/borgmatic, Kopia, rsnapshot, rsync-based schemes, ZFS/Btrfs snapshots, Proxmox Backup Server, ReaR, CloudNativePG+Barman.
  • ZFS/Btrfs snapshots + offsite replication (e.g., syncoid/sanoid, rsync.net, NAS-to-NAS) are popular for “simple, reliable” setups.
  • Time Machine is repeatedly mentioned as surprisingly good and “magical” when full-machine restores work.
  • Some prefer plain files/tar+zstd+gpg and rotation for portability and Glacier-like storage.

Cloud, Object Storage, and 3‑2‑1

  • Debate on online backup: useful as a copy, but not as sole archive due to billing, business failure, lockouts, or egress pricing.
  • Object-lock / append-only features seen as important protection against ransomware or rogue scripts, but not against provider collapse.
  • 3‑2‑1 (multiple copies, different media, offsite) is cited, with warnings to diversify vendors and hardware.

Sync vs Backup

  • Several stress that sync/replication (e.g., Syncthing, OneDrive-style) is not backup: deletions and corruption propagate instantly.
  • Versioning, snapshots, or file history are needed to recover from user error or malware.

Photos, Mobile, and Consumer Pain Points

  • Many treat family photos as their only rigorously backed-up data, often using multiple clouds plus local NAS/Immich.
  • Backing up iCloud/Google Photos comprehensively is described as non-trivial; various scripts and tools are shared, none perfect.
  • Cameras are criticized for poor built-in backup/sync and limited dual-card support, though some value their “offline” nature.

Failure Stories and Human Factors

  • Multiple anecdotes of catastrophic loss (lightning, SD-card failures, cloud policy changes, bad scripts, repartitioning, phone resets).
  • These experiences often trigger serious backup discipline.
  • Others argue most non-technical people don’t care enough for elaborate schemes and implicitly rely on cloud services.

Hidden Complexity and Risks

  • Backups intersect with consistency (databases vs apps), ACLs/LDAP, sparse files, root permissions, containers, privesc risk.
  • Bit rot mitigation via checksums and copy-on-write filesystems is discussed; tooling and operational overhead are non-trivial.