How to Securely Backup Your Databases with the Open‑Source Databasus Tool

Overview

Databasus is a free, open‑source, self‑hosted backup service that provides a web UI for defining and managing backup jobs for multiple database engines. It automates scheduling, compression, storage to various back‑ends, and notification of backup results.

Supported Databases

PostgreSQL : versions 12‑18

MySQL : 5.7, 8, 9

MariaDB : 10, 11

MongoDB : 4‑8

Scheduling

Flexible timing : hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or custom cron expressions.

Precise execution windows : e.g., run at low‑traffic periods such as 04:00.

Smart compression : reduces backup size by 4‑8× with roughly 20 % overhead.

Storage Targets

Local storage : store backups on the host filesystem (e.g., ./databasus-data).

Cloud / remote storage : Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, Google Drive, NAS, Dropbox, SFTP, Rclone and other compatible endpoints.

Security : data remains under user control; encryption is applied before upload.

Security Features

AES‑256‑GCM encryption for all backup files.

Zero‑trust storage – encrypted data is useless to attackers even on shared buckets.

Confidential information is encrypted, preventing leaks in logs.

Backup operations use a read‑only database user.

Team Collaboration

Workspaces group databases, notification programs and storage per project or team.

Role‑based access control (viewer, member, admin, owner) governs who can view or manage resources.

Audit logs record all system activity and configuration changes.

Installation & Deployment

Automated Linux Script (recommended)

The script installs Docker (if missing), sets up the internal database, and configures the service to start on system boot.

sudo apt-get install -y curl \
sudo curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/databasus/databasus/refs/heads/main/install-databasus.sh | sudo bash

Docker Deployment

Run the official container directly:

docker run -d \
  --name databasus \
  -p 4005:4005 \
  -v ./databasus-data:/databasus-data \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  databasus/databasus:latest

This command starts the service, maps port 4005 for the web UI, mounts a persistent volume for configuration and backup metadata, and ensures the container restarts automatically after reboots.

Usage Guide

Open the web UI at http://localhost:4005.

Click “New Database” and follow the wizard to add a backup source (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB or MongoDB).

Define a schedule – choose a preset interval or provide a custom cron expression.

Enter the database connection details (host, port, credentials, optional SSL).

Select a storage destination (local directory, S3 bucket, Google Drive, etc.).

Optionally configure notification channels (email, Telegram, Slack, Discord, webhook).

Save the configuration; Databasus validates the settings and immediately creates the backup job.

Open‑Source Repository

Source code, releases and issue tracking are available at https://github.com/databasus/databasus.

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