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Storage Backends

PanelAlpha Snapshot Tool supports three types of storage backends for your snapshots.

Local Storage

Store backups on the same server.

Repository type: local
Example: /backup/pasnap-snapshots

Best for: Development, testing, local backups

Pros Cons
Fast backup/restore Single point of failure
Simple setup Limited by local disk space
No network required Lost if server fails

Configuration

RESTIC_REPOSITORY="/backup/pasnap-snapshots"

⚠️ Warning: If the server fails, you will lose your backups. Consider using remote storage for production environments.

SFTP Storage

Store backups on a remote server via SSH.

Repository type: sftp
Example: sftp:backup-user@backup.example.com:/backups/panelalpha

Best for: Remote server backups, existing SSH infrastructure

Pros Cons
Secure (SSH encryption) Requires SSH access setup
Widely supported Depends on remote server availability
Off-site storage Network latency

Configuration

RESTIC_REPOSITORY="sftp:user@hostname:/path/to/backups"

SSH Key Setup

For passwordless authentication, set up SSH keys:

# Generate SSH key (if you don't have one)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "backup@panelalpha"

# Copy key to remote server
ssh-copy-id backup-user@backup.example.com

S3-Compatible Storage

Store backups in cloud object storage.

Repository type: s3
Example: s3:s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/my-bucket/pasnap-snapshots

Supported providers: - AWS S3 - Hetzner Storage Box - DigitalOcean Spaces - MinIO - Any S3-compatible storage

Best for: Production environments, scalable storage

Pros Cons
Highly available Requires cloud account
Scalable Ongoing costs
Geographically distributed Network dependent
Cost-effective Initial setup complexity

Configuration

RESTIC_REPOSITORY="s3:s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bucket-name/pasnap-snapshots"
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="your-access-key"
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="your-secret-key"

Provider-Specific Examples

AWS S3: 

RESTIC_REPOSITORY="s3:s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/my-bucket/panelalpha"

Hetzner Storage Box: 

RESTIC_REPOSITORY="s3:https://nbg1.your-objectstorage.com/bucket-name/panelalpha"

DigitalOcean Spaces: 

RESTIC_REPOSITORY="s3:nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/my-space/panelalpha"

MinIO (self-hosted): 

RESTIC_REPOSITORY="s3:https://minio.example.com/bucket-name/panelalpha"

Choosing a Backend

Scenario Recommended Backend
Development/Testing Local
Small production, existing SSH infra SFTP
Production, high availability needed S3
Compliance requirements S3 with versioning
Budget-conscious Local or self-hosted MinIO

Testing Connection

After configuration, always test your connection:

sudo ./pasnap.sh --test-connection