Debian System Backup and Restore Script (Version 2.0)

This repository contains a shell script for backing up and restoring key system elements of a Debian-based system. It is useful for creating a recovery point before making significant changes to the system.

Features

• Backs up the list of installed packages.
• Backs up configuration files in /etc.
• Optionally: Backs up the entire file system (with configurable exclusions).
• Provides a restore function to revert the system to the saved state.
• Logs all actions in detail.

Requirements

• A Debian-based system (e.g., Debian, Ubuntu).
• Sufficient disk space for the backup.

Usage

1. Clone the repository

Clone this repository to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/VolkanSah/Debian-System-Backup-and-Restore-Script
cd Debian-System-Backup-and-Restore-Script

2. Make the script executable

Ensure the script has execution permissions:

chmod +x backup_script.sh

3. Run the backup script

To create a backup, run the script with the backup argument:

./backup_script.sh backup

For a full file system backup:

./backup_script.sh backup full

This will:

• Create a timestamped backup directory.
• Save the list of installed packages to installed_packages.list.
• Compress and store configuration files from /etc into etc_backup.tar.gz.
• Optionally back up the entire file system (if "full" is specified).

4. Restore from a backup

To restore the system from a backup, run the script with the restore argument and the path to the backup directory:

./backup_script.sh restore /path/to/backup_directory

For a full system restore:

./backup_script.sh restore /path/to/backup_directory full

This will:

• Restore the list of installed packages.
• Extract and restore configuration files from etc_backup.tar.gz.
• Optionally restore the entire file system (if "full" is specified).

Script Details

The updated script offers the following improvements:

• Detailed logging of all actions.
• Configurable options for important settings.
• An exclusion list for full backups.
• Improved structure with separate functions for backup and restore.
• Flexible options for normal and full backup/restore.
• Enhanced error handling and checks.

Recommendations

• Error Handling: The script now includes basic error handling. Consider adding further checks, such as for available disk space.
• Notifications: Integrate notifications (e.g., via email) to inform you of successful backups or restores.

License

This project is licensed under the GPLv3 license. See the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request for improvements or suggestions.

Contact

For questions or support, please open an issue in the repository.

Supporting the Project

If you find this project helpful and would like to support it, there are several ways to do so:

• If you find this script useful, please give it a ⭐ on GitHub. This helps make the project more visible and reach more people.
• Follow me: If you're interested in updates and future improvements, please follow my GitHub account to stay informed.
• Learn more about my work: I invite you to view all my work on GitHub and visit my developer website at https://volkansah.github.io. There, you'll find detailed information about me and my projects.
• Share the project: If you know someone who could benefit from this project, please share it. The more people who can use it, the better.

If you appreciate my work and would like to support it, please visit my GitHub Sponsor page. Any kind of support is greatly appreciated and helps me improve and expand my work.

Thank you for your support! ❤️

Copyright S. Volkan Kücükbudak