Analysis updated 2026-05-18
Add automated, scheduled backups of PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite to a self-hosted Rails app
Back up files uploaded through Rails Active Storage alongside the database
Store encrypted, deduplicated backup snapshots in S3-compatible storage via restic
Run restore drills and generate JSON evidence of backup status for security reviews
| crmne/kamal-backup | mitchellh/net-ssh-shell | dhh/conductor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 79 | 79 | 74 |
| Language | Ruby | Ruby | Ruby |
| Last pushed | — | 2015-03-27 | 2010-09-16 |
| Maintenance | — | Dormant | Dormant |
| Setup difficulty | moderate | easy | moderate |
| Complexity | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Audience | ops devops | developer | developer |
Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.
Requires a Kamal-deployed Rails app and S3-compatible (or restic REST) storage to hold snapshots.
Kamal-backup is a Ruby gem that adds automated, scheduled database and file backups to Rails web applications deployed with Kamal. Kamal is a deployment tool that uses Docker containers on your own servers rather than a managed cloud platform, and kamal-backup plugs into that system as what Kamal calls an "accessory", an add-on container that runs alongside your main application. The problem it solves is that self-hosted Rails apps typically need recurring backups of their PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, or SQLite database, plus any files uploaded through Rails Active Storage (the built-in file attachment system), but setting this up properly is often a separate operations project. Kamal-backup makes it a one-config addition. Under the hood it uses restic, a backup tool that produces encrypted and deduplicated snapshots stored in S3-compatible object storage, a restic REST server, or a local filesystem location. Deduplication means only the changes since the last backup are stored, saving storage space. You configure a schedule in seconds, point it at your database and storage paths, and the container handles the rest automatically. It also includes restore drills, test restores to verify your backups actually work, and a command to generate JSON evidence of backup status for security reviews. A developer running a self-hosted Rails app with Kamal who wants reliable, encrypted, automated backups without building a separate backup system would use this.
A Ruby gem that adds scheduled, encrypted database and file backups to Rails apps deployed with the Kamal deployment tool.
Mainly Ruby. The stack also includes Ruby, Kamal, restic.
License is not specified in the description.
Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.
Mainly ops devops.
This repo across BitVibe Labs
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