lazy-backup

Terminal-based backup manager for SSH servers with a TUI and CLI interface.

lazy-backup lets you manage backups across multiple remote SSH servers from a single terminal application. Backups are transferred via rsync (with SFTP fallback), stored locally with automatic rotation, and all operations are logged in SQLite.

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Features

• Multi-server management — add any number of SSH servers (password or key auth)
• Backup repositories — configure multiple backup paths per server with independent retention limits
• Smart transfer — uses rsync when available, falls back to SFTP automatically
• Automatic rotation — removes oldest local and remote backups when the limit is exceeded
• SSH key generation — generates RSA key pairs directly from the app
• Operation log — every download/upload is recorded in a local SQLite database
• Dual interface — interactive TUI for manual work, CLI flags for cron/automation

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Screenshot

┌─ Servers ──────────┐  ┌─ Repositories ─────────────────┐  ┌─ Logs ──────────────────────┐
│ web (root@1.2.3.4) │  │ nginx-conf: /etc/nginx (max 5) │  │ [03:00:01] download ✓       │
│ db  (pg@10.0.0.5)  │  │ pgdata: /var/lib/pg (max 3)    │  │ [03:00:04] download ✓       │
└────────────────────┘  └────────────────────────────────┘  │ [03:05:12] upload   failed  │
                                                              └─────────────────────────────┘
[tab] switch panels  [a] add  [d] delete  [g] download  [u] upload  [q] quit

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Requirements

• Go 1.21+
• rsync (optional — recommended for efficient transfers)
• SSH access to the remote servers you want to back up

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Installation

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/kamighost1/lazy-backup.git
cd lazy-backup/app
go build -o backup-manager .

The SQLite database backup_manager.db is created automatically in the working directory on first run.

Docker (development)

docker compose up -d
docker exec -it dev-lazy-backup bash
cd /app && go build -o backup-manager && ./backup-manager

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Usage

TUI mode (no arguments)

./backup-manager

Key	Action
Tab	Switch focus between panels
a	Add server / repository
d	Delete selected item
g	Download backup from server
u	Upload latest local backup to server
q / Ctrl+C	Quit
Esc	Close form

CLI mode

Pass any flag to skip the TUI and run in headless mode — useful for cron jobs.

# List all configured servers
./backup-manager -list-servers

# List repositories for server ID 1
./backup-manager -list-repos -server=1

# Download backup for repository ID 2
./backup-manager -repo=2 -action=download

# Upload the latest local backup to the server
./backup-manager -repo=2 -action=upload

# Print the SSH public key generated for server ID 1
./backup-manager -show-pubkey=1

Cron example — nightly backup at 03:00:

0 3 * * * /opt/backup-manager -repo=1 -action=download >> /var/log/backup.log 2>&1

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Adding a server

Press a in the servers panel and fill in the form:

Field	Description
Name	Display alias
Host	IP address or hostname
Port	SSH port (default: 22)
User	SSH login
Password	Leave blank when using a key
Key path	Path to the private key file (optional)

If you provide a key path that does not exist yet, the app generates a new RSA key pair (<path> + <path>.pub) automatically on the first connection. Use -show-pubkey=<server_id> to retrieve the public key and add it to the remote server's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.

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Local backup layout

backups/
  repo1_20260512_030000/   ← repo ID=1, date and time
  repo1_20260513_030000/
  repo2_20260512_030000/

When the number of copies for a repository exceeds max_backups, the oldest directory is deleted automatically (both locally and on the remote server).

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Project structure

lazy-backup/
├── app/
│   ├── main.go        # Entry point — routes to TUI or CLI
│   ├── models.go      # Data structures (Server, BackupRepo, BackupLog)
│   ├── db.go          # SQLite CRUD via modernc.org/sqlite
│   ├── cli.go         # CLI flag parser
│   ├── ui.go          # TUI (tview)
│   ├── sshutils.go    # SSH, rsync, SFTP, key generation, rotation
│   ├── db_test.go
│   ├── sshutils_test.go
│   └── go.mod
├── docker/
│   └── Dockerfile
└── docker-compose.yml

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Running tests

cd app
go test ./...

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Dependencies

Package	Purpose
github.com/rivo/tview	TUI framework
github.com/gdamore/tcell/v2	Terminal backend
github.com/pkg/sftp	SFTP client
golang.org/x/crypto/ssh	SSH client
modernc.org/sqlite	SQLite — pure-Go driver, no CGO

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Known limitations

• SFTP fallback transfers only a single file, not a directory tree — use rsync for directory backups.
• Host key verification is disabled (InsecureIgnoreHostKey); suitable for trusted private networks only.
• Server passwords are stored in plaintext in the SQLite database.

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License

MIT