Backup software is used to perform a complete back up of a file, data, database, system or server. It enables users to make a duplicate of everything contained on the original source. This type of software is also used to perform a recovery of the data or system in the event of a disaster.

Making file backups is an essential activity for all users, yet many users do not take adequate steps to protect their data. Whether a computer is being used in a corporate environment, or for private use, the machine’s hard disk may fail without any warning signs. Alternatively, some data loss occurs as a result of human error. Without regular backups being made, data will inevitably be lost even if the services of a specialist recovery organisation are used.

While it has always been possible to use command line tools to backup files in Linux, this can be a daunting task for beginners and end-users. This article explores how making regular backups can be a painless task. We explore backup software with intuitive graphical interfaces, applications that backup systems with snapshots, whilst not forgetting the powerful command-line tools that exist.

To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 31 high quality free Linux backup tools. Hopefully, there will be something of interest for anyone who wishes to safeguard their hard work.

Now, let’s explore the 31 backup tools at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, providing a screenshot of the software in action (where relevant), a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources.

Backup BackupPC High-performance, enterprise-grade system for backing up PCs restic Fast, efficient and secure backup software Clonezilla Offers similar functionality to Symantec Ghost TimeShift Takes regular incremental snapshots of the filesystem Mondo Rescue A powerful disaster recovery suite Duplicity Encrypted bandwidth-efficient backup Borg Deduplicating backup software bup Backup a system based on the git packfile format Déjà Dup Hides the complexity of doing backups the Right Way Bacula Network backup, recovery and verification Amanda Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver Duplicati Store encrypted backups online Bareos Backup Archiving Recovery Open Sourced rsync Fast remote file copy program Back in Time Equivalent of OS X's Time Machine UrBackup Easy to setup open source client/server backup system Rescuezilla Easy backup, recovery & bare metal restore KBackup Backup program targeted at non-computer experts fwbackups Feature-rich backup software rsnapshot Local and remote filesystem snapshot utility Partclone Provides utilities to save and restore used blocks on a partition XtraBackup Backup tool for InnoDB and XtraDB databases kup Backup scheduler for the Plasma desktop FOG Cloning / imaging solution / rescue suite BURP Uses librsync to save network traffic and space PING Also offers similar functionality to Symantec Ghost tar Tar archiving utility dar Full featured archiver with support for differential backups Cronopete Graphical backup utility based on Apple Time Machine SafeKeep Centralized and easy to use backup program Cedar Backup Local and remote backups to CD or DVD media

You may have read the story about a man deleting his entire company with one mistaken piece of code: accidentally misusing rm -rf in Ansible. It was a fairly obvious hoax designed to be a viral marketing effort. It achieved that goal as scores of media sources carried the story. But at least it will have alerted readers to the importance of making sure their data is safe. But remember, human error is not the only source of data loss. Other ways of losing data include mechanical damage to RAID or disks, file system corruption, theft, fire, as well as viruses and malware.

Return to our complete collection of recommended free and open source software including our latest additions.

Related articles