ZeroByte — Automated Backup Solution for Self-Hosters

Introduction

ZeroByte is an open-source backup automation tool designed for self-hosters who want a web-based interface for managing encrypted backups. Built on top of Restic, it adds scheduling, monitoring, and a visual dashboard while inheriting Restic's proven deduplication, encryption, and multi-backend storage capabilities.

What ZeroByte Does

• Schedules automated backups with configurable cron-like timing
• Encrypts all backup data using Restic's built-in AES-256 encryption
• Deduplicates data across backup snapshots to minimize storage usage
• Supports multiple storage backends including local disk, S3, SFTP, and cloud providers
• Provides a web dashboard for monitoring backup status, history, and storage metrics

Architecture Overview

ZeroByte is a TypeScript application that wraps Restic as the backup engine. The web interface displays backup job status, schedules, and storage statistics. The scheduler triggers Restic commands at configured intervals, capturing output for the dashboard. Configuration and state are stored locally, and backup data flows directly between the source and the configured Restic repository backend.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy via Docker with a single container exposing the web dashboard
• Mount a configuration volume for persistent settings and backup job definitions
• Configure backup sources by specifying directories to include and exclude
• Set up one or more Restic repository backends (local, S3, B2, SFTP)
• Define backup schedules and retention policies through the web interface

Key Features

• Web-based dashboard for visual backup management and monitoring
• Built on Restic for battle-tested encryption and deduplication
• Multi-backend support covering local, cloud, and remote storage targets
• Configurable retention policies for automatic snapshot pruning
• Docker-native deployment with minimal system requirements

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Restic — CLI only; ZeroByte adds a web dashboard and scheduling layer
• Duplicati — Java-based with its own backup format; ZeroByte uses Restic's proven engine
• BorgBackup — powerful CLI deduplication; ZeroByte provides a more accessible web interface
• Kopia — has its own web UI; ZeroByte leverages the Restic ecosystem
• Databasus — focused on database-specific backups; ZeroByte handles general file system backups

FAQ

Q: Does ZeroByte replace Restic? A: No. ZeroByte uses Restic under the hood. It adds scheduling and a web interface on top of Restic's backup capabilities.

Q: What storage backends are supported? A: All Restic-supported backends including local filesystem, AWS S3, Backblaze B2, SFTP, and others.

Q: Is my backup data encrypted? A: Yes. Restic encrypts all data with AES-256 before it leaves the source machine.

Q: Can I restore individual files from a backup? A: Yes. ZeroByte supports browsing snapshots and restoring specific files or directories.

Sources

• https://github.com/nicotsx/zerobyte