Databasus — Self-Hosted Database Backup Tool with Web Dashboard

Introduction

Databasus is a self-hosted backup tool designed specifically for databases. It provides a web-based dashboard to configure, schedule, and monitor backup jobs for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and MongoDB. Backups can be stored locally or uploaded to S3-compatible object storage with optional encryption.

What Databasus Does

• Backs up PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, and MongoDB databases on configurable schedules
• Uploads backups to S3-compatible storage (AWS S3, MinIO, Backblaze B2)
• Encrypts backups at rest using AES-256 encryption
• Provides a web dashboard to manage databases, schedules, and restore points
• Sends notifications on backup success or failure via email and webhooks

Architecture Overview

Databasus is a single Go binary that embeds a web server and task scheduler. It uses native database dump tools (pg_dump, mysqldump, mongodump) to create consistent backups. The scheduler triggers jobs based on cron expressions. Completed backups are optionally compressed with gzip, encrypted, and uploaded to configured storage backends. All job metadata and configuration is stored in a local SQLite database.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy via Docker or download the Go binary from GitHub releases
• Access the web dashboard at port 3000 to add database connections
• Configure backup schedules using cron expressions in the dashboard
• Set up S3-compatible storage credentials for remote backup storage
• Enable email or webhook notifications for backup status alerts

Key Features

• Unified backup management for three major database engines
• Cron-based scheduling with manual backup trigger option
• One-click restore from any backup point through the web UI
• Backup retention policies with automatic cleanup of old backups
• Docker-first design with minimal resource footprint

Comparison with Similar Tools

• pgBackRest / Barman — PostgreSQL-specific; Databasus supports multiple database engines in one tool
• Restic / BorgBackup — General-purpose file backup; Databasus is purpose-built for database-consistent dumps
• Velero — Kubernetes volume snapshots; Databasus does application-level database dumps for portability
• mysqldump scripts — Manual scripting; Databasus adds scheduling, retention, UI, and notifications

FAQ

Q: Does Databasus support logical or physical backups? A: Databasus performs logical backups using native dump tools (pg_dump, mysqldump, mongodump), producing portable SQL or BSON files.

Q: Can I restore a backup to a different server? A: Yes. Backups are standard dump files that can be restored to any compatible database server using native restore tools or the Databasus UI.

Q: Does it support backing up remote databases? A: Yes. You provide the database host, port, and credentials in the dashboard. The database does not need to be on the same machine.

Q: How are backup credentials stored? A: Credentials are stored in the local SQLite database. For sensitive environments, use environment variables or Docker secrets for initial configuration.

Sources

• https://github.com/databasus/databasus
• https://databasus.com