Backups you can restore without us
4 min read
A backup is only as good as the restore. Why Zefily uses restic with your own storage and your own password, and the habits that make backups actually work.
Everyone has backups. Fewer people have restores. The difference usually shows up at the worst possible moment: the disk is gone, the client is on the phone, and the backup turns out to be a week old, incomplete, or locked inside a service you can no longer reach.
When we designed backups in Zefily, we started from one rule: you must be able to restore your data without Zefily. If we disappeared tomorrow, or you simply decided to leave, your backups should still be yours and still be usable.
In short
- Zefily backs up with restic: encrypted on the server, deduplicated and compressed.
- Backups go to your storage (S3-compatible, Google Drive, SFTP, FTP/FTPS or the server) with your repository password.
- You can restore with plain restic, without Zefily.
- Every new server gets a nightly plan for all sites and databases, keeping 7 daily, 4 weekly and 6 monthly snapshots.
Why restic
Zefily backs up with restic, a well-known open-source backup program. On your server, site files and database dumps are:
- encrypted before they leave the server,
- deduplicated, so after the first run only the changes are uploaded,
- compressed, so the storage bill stays small.
restic is not a Zefily format. It is a standard tool with good documentation and a large community, and it runs on Linux, macOS and Windows.
Your storage, your password
Backups go to storage you own: any S3-compatible service (AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, MinIO…), Google Drive, an SFTP server such as a storage box, FTP/FTPS, or a directory on the server itself for quick restores.
The repository password is yours too. The panel shows it to you (after asking for your password), and with that password and your storage keys, plain restic can list and restore your backups from any machine:
restic -r s3:https://s3.example.com/bucket/prefix snapshots
restic -r s3:https://s3.example.com/bucket/prefix restore latest --target ./restore
No export step, no proprietary archive, no "contact support to get your data".
Sensible defaults
Every new server gets a backup plan right after setup: every night, all sites and databases on the server (including the ones you add later), keeping 7 daily, 4 weekly and 6 monthly snapshots. It waits only for you to connect a storage destination, and the panel reminds you until you do.
When a run fails, the plan's creator gets an email and a notice in the panel, once per failure. A silent backup failure is the worst kind.
Restores that do not make things worse
A restore in a panic is when people overwrite the one good copy they had left. So in Zefily:
- a full restore goes into a separate restore folder on the server, never over live files,
- single files and folders can be picked from a snapshot, like in a file manager, and restored next to the backups or back to their original place (that theme file someone deleted, the uploads folder from yesterday),
- restores wait for your passkey, so a stolen session cannot use them to roll your site back to last month.
Habits that matter more than tools
Good tools help, but backups are mostly habits. The ones we recommend:
- Keep a copy off the server. "This server" as a destination is great for quick restores, but it disappears with the disk. Always have at least one remote destination.
- Think 3-2-1. Three copies of your data, on two different kinds of storage, one of them somewhere else. A local destination plus remote S3 storage at another provider gets you there.
- Test a restore. Once a month, restore one site's files into the restore folder and open a few of them. It takes five minutes and turns hope into knowledge.
- Store the password safely. Put the repository password and the storage keys in your password manager, somewhere that does not depend on the server or on Zefily.
- Back up before big changes. WordPress updates from the panel take their own snapshot first. For anything else, press Back up now before you start.
Leaving is part of the design
We like to think you will stay because Zefily is useful, not because your data is stuck. Backups in plain restic, on your storage, with your password, are one part of that. Your server stays a normal Linux server with standard software, too.
Frequently asked questions
Can I restore Zefily backups without Zefily?
Yes. Backups are standard restic repositories in your own storage. With the repository password (shown in the panel) and your storage keys, restic can list and restore them from any machine.
Where can Zefily store backups?
In any S3-compatible storage (AWS S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, MinIO), Google Drive, an SFTP server, FTP/FTPS, or a directory on the server itself.
Are backups encrypted?
Yes. restic encrypts site files and database dumps on the server before they are uploaded; only someone with the repository password can read them.
Can I restore a single file?
Yes. Browse files opens a snapshot like a file manager; pick up to 20 files or folders and restore them next to the backups or to their original place. Restores need your passkey.
What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?
Keep three copies of your data, on two different kinds of storage, with one copy somewhere else. A destination on the server plus remote storage at another provider covers it.
Read the backups documentation, or how to leave Zefily if you ever want to.