BACKINTIME(1)

📦
version 1.6.2 · 10 versions
, in fedora 43, fedora 44

✨ backintime ✨

okay bestie, gather round, because this is the manual for backintime — the command line version of Back In Time, the lil' backup queen herself 💖 (the graphical version is a whole separate diva, backintime-qt(1)). Stick with me and you'll be backing up like a main character in no time. No cap. 🫶

💫 NAME 💫

backintime — create and manage incremental backups using rsync. That's it. That's the vibe. 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

backintime [<global args>] <commands> [<args>]

backintime [-h | --help] [-p | --profile NAME|ID] [--config PATH]
[--quiet] [--debug] [-v | --version] [--license] [--diagnostics]
<commands> [<args>]

backintime [-h | --help] [-p | --profile NAME|ID] [--config PATH]
[--quiet] [--debug] [-v | --version] [--license] [--diagnostics] {
backup [--checksum] [--background] | show [--path] [--last] | restore
[--checksum] [--delete] [--local-backup | --no-local-backup]
[--only-new] [WHAT] [WHERE] [BACKUP_ID] | remove [--skip-confirmation]
[BACKUP_ID ...] | prune | unmount | shutdown | check-config
[--no-crontab] | pw-cache [{start,stop,restart,reload,status}] }

like, that's a LOT of brackets but it's giving "choose your own adventure" and honestly? iconic. 👑

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

Back In Time is a simple backup tool for Linux. The backup is done by taking backups of a specified set of directories and files. This is the command line tool. The graphical tool is backintime-qt(1).

🧚 Incremental or full?

Not me asking the real questions. The answer is: both, at the same time. Modified files are transferred, while unchanged files are linked to the new destination using the hard link feature of rsync(1). This saves storage space. In other words each backup is technically a full backup (contains each file) but copies only the really changed files (to save disk space) and "reuses" unchanged files by setting a so-called "hard-link".

so it's a full backup and it's got that low-storage footprint. bestie it's literally a girlboss. 💅

⏰ Scheduling

For automatic and scheduled backups cron(1) is used. yes, cron. she's old, she's reliable, she's the group chat admin of your filesystem. 🕰️

🦋 Restoring

Restoring is straightforward via file manager, command line or Back In Time itself. pick your fighter. no wrong answers. 💜

🌈 Modes

Several backup profile modes are supported. The simplest is the Local profile, which creates backups of items on the local machine and stores them on the same machine. Additionally, Local Encrypted profiles encrypt the backups using EncFS. To store backups on a remote machine, the SSH profile can be used. These backups can also be encrypted using the SSH Encrypted profile.

Regarding encrypted profiles, please take a look at A NOTE ON SECURITY. (scroll down, it's important, don't skip it, I'm watching 👀)

💅 GLOBAL OPTIONS 💅

  • -h, --help — Display a short help. tiny lil' cheat sheet, adorable.
  • -p, --profile NAME|ID — Select profile by name or ID. call her by her name OR her number, she answers either way.
  • --config PATH — Read config from PATH. (Default: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/backintime/config) 💀
  • --quiet — Suppress status messages on standard output. shhh. girl is focusing.
  • --debug — Show debug messages. for when you need the tea ☕
  • -v, --version — Show version.
  • --license — Show license.
  • --diagnostics — Show diagnostic information to support debugging. doctor's appointment for your backup setup 🩺

🔥 COMMANDS 🔥

🍓 backup

Create a new backup, but only if the profile is scheduled and if the machine is not running on battery. (yes, she respects your battery's boundaries. queen behavior.)

  • --checksum — Force to use checksum for checking if files have been changed.
  • --background — Run in background via daemonization. she's busy, she'll text you later 💌

🍓 show

List backup ID's or paths.

  • --path — List backup paths instead of their ID.
  • --last — Show the last (youngest) backup only.

🍓 restore

Restores entire backups or selected files and folders from them. the moment you've all been waiting for. ✨

  • --checksum — Force to use checksum for checking if files have been changed.
  • --delete — Restore and delete newer files which are not in the backup. WARNING: deleting files in filesystem root could break your whole system!!! (bestie. BESTIE. absolutely do not. this is the "hold my earrings" of flags 😭)
  • --local-backup — Create backup files before changing local files.
  • --no-local-backup — Temporarily disable creation of backup files before changing local files.
  • --only-new — Only restore files which do not exist or are newer than those in destination. Using "rsync --update" option.
  • WHAT — Restore file or directory WHAT. (this spot is for the thing you want back)
  • WHERE — Restore to WHERE; empty argument will default to original destination. (this spot is for where it should land)
  • BACKUP_ID — Specific ID or an integer as index (0=last backup; -1=very first backup). yes you read that right, 0 is the baby and -1 is the grandparent. iykyk. 👵

🍓 remove

Remove a backup. say bye, but like, with intention.

  • --skip-confirmation — Skip the confirmation question. Be careful! (fr fr, be careful!!)
  • BACKUP_ID — ID of the backup to be removed.

🍓 prune

Remove and keep backups based on "Remove & Retention" policy.

🍓 unmount

Unmount the profile.

🍓 shutdown

Shut down the computer after the backup is finished. she's done for the day and so are you. 💤

🍓 check-config

Checks the configuration of all profiles. The config file is verified, the backup destination path is created for each profile, and crontab entries are setup for scheduled profiles.

  • --no-crontab — Do not install crontab entries.

🍓 pw-cache

Control the Password Cache for non-interactive cronjobs.

  • [start|stop|restart|reload|status] — Commands can be send to the daemon.

🔒 A NOTE ON SECURITY AND ENCFS 🔒

okay this is the serious part, and it matters, so put your phone down for a sec. 🫶

Because of security issues with EncFS it is planned to remove it from Back In Time. To continue the support of encrypted backups it is the goal to replace it with an alternative if possible. See this document for details and the current state of the transition process.

https://github.com/bit-team/backintime/doc/ENCRYPT_TRANSITION.md

The security issues are mentioned in a security audit from 2014 and not fixed until today. The EnCFS project is not maintained anymore and his former maintainer recommend to switch to GoCryptFS. See the following links for further readings:

fr fr: EncFS is not it anymore. audit from 2014, unfixed, unmaintained. switch to GoCryptFS or read every link above before you trust it with your secrets. 🔥

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

💜 AUTHOR 💜

Back In Time Team

that's the whole manual, bestie, you ate it all up 💅🌸 okay bye, and remember: back up your files before your files back you up. mwah 🫶

backintime version 1.6.2 · dated 2026-10-16 · BACKINTIME(1) — see you in the next section, love you, mean it 💖

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