#Is it easier to just backup the immich container instead of the immich database?

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mighty solstice
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I’ve just got immich running on docker desktop on an old windows machine, and I can believe how smooth it is. I use Tailscale to complete the package and have remote access.
I’ve now decided that I want to make immich my primary photo solution, (as well as backups of the photos already on multiple hard drives.
So I’m wanting to learn or put in place a backup solution. But having read the documentation I get a little confused as to what i need to back up. Would it just be easier for me to just backup the container?

tame ledgeBOT
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:wave: Hey @mighty solstice,

Thanks for reaching out to us. Please carefully read this message and follow the recommended actions. This will help us be more effective in our support effort and leave more time for building Immich immich.

References

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Checklist

I have...

  1. :ballot_box_with_check: verified I'm on the latest release(note that mobile app releases may take some time).
  2. :ballot_box_with_check: read applicable release notes.
  3. :ballot_box_with_check: reviewed the FAQs for known issues.
  4. :ballot_box_with_check: reviewed Github for known issues.
  5. :ballot_box_with_check: tried accessing Immich via local ip (without a custom reverse proxy).
  6. :ballot_box_with_check: uploaded the relevant information (see below).
  7. :ballot_box_with_check: tried an incognito window, disabled extensions, cleared mobile app cache, logged out and back in, different browsers, etc. as applicable

(an item can be marked as "complete" by reacting with the appropriate number)

Information

In order to be able to effectively help you, we need you to provide clear information to show what the problem is. The exact details needed vary per case, but here is a list of things to consider:

  • Your docker-compose.yml and .env files.
  • Logs from all the containers and their status (see above).
  • All the troubleshooting steps you've tried so far.
  • Any recent changes you've made to Immich or your system.
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tame ledgeBOT
left gust
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Would it just be easier for me to just backup the container?
No, that's basically never the right way to go

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You need to make a database dump (or use the built-in system to do that), then back up that dump and the media files in UPLOAD_LOCATION

mighty solstice
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So my understanding is these dumps are created automatically?

left gust
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If Immich is configured to do so

mighty solstice
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I have dumps under pictures/backups

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Can i just store them in a folder called backup, wit the dump folder and upload folder

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In a different location

left gust
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You mean just a copy? That's not really a backup

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You should use an actual backup tool, and have multiple versions in different places

tame ledgeBOT
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So when people say "x is not a backup tool" what they are actually saying is "you probably don't actually want a single point in time copy of your data", which is what that tool is doing.

And that "backup tools" exist today that:

  • can run on a schedule
  • only copy new/changed data (incremental)
    keep track of changes over time in the backup, with the option to restore to a previous version

This gives you the ability to recover a file that was deleted some time ago, restore to a point prior to data corruption, etc., all while being space efficient (similar blocks are deduplicated)

Popular backup tools are restic and borg.

mighty solstice
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Are there any gui backup tools that run on windows?

left gust
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Probably