Restic – Fast and Secure Backup Tool

Restic is a modern backup program that can back up your files to various backends including local directories, SFTP servers, and cloud storage. Written in Go, Restic offers deduplication, encryption, and verification out of the box. It is designed to be easy to use, fast, and secure, making it perfect for both personal and enterprise backup needs.

Key Features

• Encryption – All data is encrypted with AES-256 before leaving your computer
• Deduplication – Only stores unique data chunks, saving storage space
• Multiple Backends – Local, SFTP, S3, Azure, GCS, Backblaze B2, and more
• Snapshots – Every backup creates an immutable snapshot
• Cross-Platform – Works on Linux, macOS, Windows, and BSD
• Verification – Verify backup integrity anytime

Installation

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install restic

# RHEL/CentOS/Fedora
sudo dnf install restic

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S restic

# Or download binary
wget https://github.com/restic/restic/releases/latest/download/restic_linux_amd64.bz2

Basic Usage

# Initialize repository
restic init --repo /backup/location

# Create backup
restic backup ~/Documents --repo /backup/location

# List snapshots
restic snapshots --repo /backup/location

# Restore from backup
restic restore latest --target /restore/path --repo /backup/location

# Backup to S3
export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=xxx
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=xxx
restic -r s3:s3.amazonaws.com/bucket-name backup ~/data

Use Cases

Restic is ideal for automated server backups, personal data protection, cloud backup solutions, disaster recovery planning, and compliance requirements.

Download Restic