docker-volume-backup

Backup Docker volumes locally or to any S3, WebDAV, Azure Blob Storage, Dropbox, Google Drive or SSH compatible storage.

The offen/docker-volume-backup Docker image can be used as a lightweight (below 25MB) companion container to an existing Docker setup. It handles __recurring or one-off backups of Docker volumes__ to a __local directory__, __any S3, WebDAV, Azure Blob Storage, Dropbox, Google Drive or SSH compatible storage (or any combination thereof) and rotates away old backups__ if configured. It also supports __encrypting your backups using GPG__ and __sending notifications for (failed) backup runs__.

Documentation is found at - Quickstart - Configuration Reference - How Tos - Recipes

Quickstart

Recurring backups in a compose setup

Add a backup service to your compose setup and mount the volumes you would like to see backed up:

services:
  volume-consumer:
    build:
      context: ./my-app
    volumes:
      - data:/var/my-app
    labels:
      # This means the container will be stopped during backup to ensure
      # backup integrity. You can omit this label if stopping during backup
      # not required.
      - docker-volume-backup.stop-during-backup=true
backup:
    # In production, it is advised to lock your image tag to a proper
    # release version instead of using latest.
    # Check https://github.com/offen/docker-volume-backup/releases
    # for a list of available releases.
    image: offen/docker-volume-backup:latest
    restart: always
    env_file: ./backup.env # see below for configuration reference
    volumes:
      - data:/backup/my-app-backup:ro
      # Mounting the Docker socket allows the script to stop and restart
      # the container during backup. You can omit this if you don't want
      # to stop the container. In case you need to proxy the socket, you can
      # also provide a location by setting DOCKER_HOST in the container
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
      # If you mount a local directory or volume to /archive a local
      # copy of the backup will be stored there. You can override the
      # location inside of the container by setting BACKUP_ARCHIVE.
      # You can omit this if you do not want to keep local backups.
      - /path/to/local_backups:/archive
volumes:
  data:

One-off backups using Docker CLI

To run a one time backup, mount the volume you would like to see backed up into a container and run the backup command:

docker run --rm \
  -v data:/backup/data \
  --env AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="<xxx>" \
  --env AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="<xxx>" \
  --env AWS_S3_BUCKET_NAME="<xxx>" \
  --entrypoint backup \
  offen/docker-volume-backup:v2

Alternatively, pass a --env-file in order to use a full config as described in the docs.

Looking for help?

In case your are looking for help or guidance on how to incorporate docker-volume-backup into your existing setup, consider becoming a sponsor and book a one hour consulting session.

Copyright © 2026 offen.software and contributors. Distributed under the MPL-2.0 License.