How to Set Up and Use Restic for Linux Backups

If you’re managing a Linux system, regular backups aren’t optional—they’re essential. Whether you’re running a personal server, a small business VPS, or your own workstation, losing data can cost you time, money, or worse.

Restic is a fast, secure, and efficient backup tool that’s easy to use and designed with security in mind. In this post, I’ll show you how to set it up and run your first backup on a Linux system.

Why Use Restic?

Restic is:

• Open source
• Encrypts by default
• Supports multiple backends (local, SFTP, AWS S3, Backblaze B2, and more)
• Deduplicates data, saving space
• Cross-platform

It’s everything you need in a modern backup tool—without the bloat.

Step 1: Install Restic

Installation varies slightly by distro.

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install restic

On Fedora:

sudo dnf install restic

On Arch:

sudo pacman -S restic

Or download the binary directly from restic.net if you want the latest release.

Step 2: Set Up a Backup Repository

A repository is where your backups are stored. You can back up to:

• A local directory
• An external drive
• A remote server (via SFTP)
• A cloud provider (S3, B2, etc.)

Example: Local Backup

restic init --repo /path/to/backup

You’ll be prompted to set a password—this will be required every time you access the backup.

Step 3: Run Your First Backup

To back up your home directory to the repo you just created:

restic -r /path/to/backup backup /home/yourusername

Replace /home/yourusername with the path you want to back up. Restic will scan the directory, compare with previous snapshots (if any), and save only the changed data.

Step 4: Automate It with a Cron Job

Create a simple script, for example:

#!/bin/bash
export RESTIC_PASSWORD='yourpassword'
restic -r /path/to/backup backup /home/yourusername

Make it executable:

chmod +x ~/restic-backup.sh

Add to crontab:

crontab -e

Then add:

0 2 * * * /home/yourusername/restic-backup.sh

This runs your backup every night at 2 AM.

Step 5: Check Your Backups

To list all snapshots:

restic -r /path/to/backup snapshots

To restore a snapshot:

restic -r /path/to/backup restore latest --target /tmp/restore-test

You can also verify data integrity:

restic -r /path/to/backup check

Tips and Best Practices

• Store your backups offsite whenever possible.
• Always test your restores.
• Use environment variables or a .env file to keep passwords out of scripts.
• Consider integrating with cloud storage for redundancy.

Final Thoughts

Restic is one of the best tools out there for encrypted, efficient backups on Linux. Once set up, it quietly does its job in the background—and that’s exactly what you want from a backup system.

Got questions about Restic or need help setting up cloud backups? Drop them in the comments below.