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Duplicati can back up an Ubuntu server directly to Google Drive, encrypt the data, run unattended, and restore selected files or an entire recovery set. The practical choice is how Duplicati will run: its Server service and web interface provide stored configuration and scheduling, while duplicati-cli works well with cron or another scheduler on a headless host.
This guide covers installation, Google Drive authorization, source selection, encryption, scheduling, retention, restore testing, and the operational details that determine whether the backup will actually be usable during an outage.
What you need before starting
- An Ubuntu server with an architecture supported by the matching Duplicati Debian package.
- A Google account with access to the Drive location that will hold the backup.
- Sufficient Google Drive quota for the initial backup and future versions.
- Permission to install a long-running service or create a scheduled command, depending on your deployment choice.
- A protected place for the Duplicati configuration database, OAuth credentials or tokens, and backup passphrase.
- A separate staging directory in which to perform a restore test without overwriting production data.
Decide what “recoverable” means before creating the job. A server backup normally includes application data, configuration files, and databases exported in a consistent state. Copying a live database directory without a suitable dump or quiescing procedure can produce files that exist in the backup but cannot be used reliably.
Choose a Duplicati deployment mode
Ubuntu is Debian-based, so the normal Linux installation route is the matching .deb package. Duplicati provides GUI, Server, Agent, and command-line forms; Docker is another option for environments that prefer containerized services. A desktop is not required for a remote server.
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| Deployment | Best fit | Scheduling | Operational characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server | Most Ubuntu servers, especially when an administrator wants a web interface | Built in | Stores job configurations, starts scheduled backups, maintains a local database, and exposes the management interface |
CLI (duplicati-cli) |
Minimal or strictly headless systems | Cron, systemd timer, or another external scheduler | Commands are explicit and scriptable; you must arrange scheduling, logging, alerting, and configuration management |
| Agent | Installations that use the agent-oriented package and management model | Depends on the selected agent setup | Useful where the agent is preferred over a full interactive server interface |
| Docker | Hosts standardized around containers | Configured through the containerized Duplicati service | Requires deliberate persistent volumes for configuration, database, and any local state |
| GUI | Ubuntu systems with a local desktop | Through the graphical application | Convenient interactively, but usually unnecessary for a remote production server |
For most headless Ubuntu machines, use the Server when you want one long-running service with a web UI and built-in schedule. Choose CLI when an existing operations platform already controls cron or timers and you want backup execution to be fully represented by commands and exit codes.
What the Server does
Duplicati’s documentation describes its role precisely: “The server is responsible for saving backup configurations, starting scheduled backups, and provide the user interface.” That makes it more than a graphical launcher. The service must remain running, its local database must be protected and backed up or reproducible, and its web interface must be restricted to trusted administration paths.
What CLI-only operation does
duplicati-cli can operate without a server instance and can use a local database path. Cron or another scheduler starts the command, while your surrounding tooling captures standard output, logs, duration, and the process exit status. This model avoids a continuously exposed management interface, but it does not remove the need to protect credentials and preserve the exact job settings.
Install Duplicati on Ubuntu
- Identify the server architecture. Use the package that matches the machine’s CPU architecture. Installing a package built for a different architecture can fail immediately or leave an unusable installation.
- Choose the package form. Select the Debian
.debpackage for a normal Ubuntu installation. If the host has no desktop, select the Server, Agent, or CLI-oriented variant rather than assuming a GUI is required. Use Docker only if persistent container storage and service management are already part of your operating practice. - Install using Ubuntu’s package mechanism. Install the downloaded package with the system’s normal Debian package workflow, then confirm that the selected Duplicati executable or service is present.
- Decide where state lives. The Server needs a writable configuration database and log location. A CLI job needs a deliberate local database path if you do not want state in a transient home directory. Put these paths on storage included in your host-recovery plan and restrict their permissions.
- Start and protect the service if using Server. Run it under a dedicated service account where practical. Limit the web interface to the administration network, a protected tunnel, or an equivalent access control; do not treat an unrestricted management port as a safe default.
After installation, record the Duplicati version, package architecture, service account, configuration database path, and the location where logs are collected. Those details shorten recovery time when the original Ubuntu host is replaced.
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Connect Duplicati to Google Drive
Google Drive is a supported Duplicati backend that can read and write backup data. The connection is normally established from the destination selector in the Server interface, or from the corresponding CLI destination and authorization workflow.
- Create or edit a backup job. In the destination step, open the storage-provider list and choose the Google Drive backend.
- Complete OAuth authorization. Follow Duplicati’s documented authorization flow. The browser authorization may occur on a different workstation from the headless Ubuntu server; use the exact handoff presented by your installed Duplicati version rather than improvising credentials.
- Select the destination scope. Choose the Drive account, drive or shared-drive context, and destination folder required by your organization. Use a dedicated folder for the server rather than mixing backup chunks with ordinary documents.
- Run the connection check. Let Duplicati enumerate or write to the selected location before scheduling a large backup. A successful sign-in does not by itself prove that the chosen folder is writable.
- Document the access identity. Record which account, drive, and folder were selected. If your arrangement uses a service account or shared drive, document that explicitly so another operator can reproduce access during a restore.
Protect the authorization data and generated tokens with the same care as the backup itself. They should be readable only by the Duplicati service account or the administrator responsible for restores. If the Google account, shared-drive membership, or token changes, treat that as an operational event and verify the next backup rather than waiting for an incident.
Select source data that can actually be restored
Start with paths that matter to service recovery, not every byte on the server. Typical selections include application configuration, deployment files, certificates where policy permits, user data, and database dumps created immediately before the backup.
Include
- Application and service configuration directories.
- Web content, uploads, and other business data.
- Database dumps or export files produced by a consistent procedure.
- System details needed to rebuild the host, when they are safe and useful to retain.
Exclude or handle separately
- Temporary files, caches, package caches, and regenerable build artifacts.
- Mounted remote filesystems unless you intentionally want a second copy through this job.
- Live database files when the database documentation requires a dump, snapshot, or quiesced state.
- Secrets that policy forbids storing in the selected Google Drive account.
Write down the source paths and exclusions as part of the job record. A restore operator should not have to infer what was intentionally omitted.
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Encrypt the backup and protect the passphrase
Duplicati’s CLI documentation states that backups are encrypted by default unless --no-encryption is supplied, and that --passphrase can protect the backup. Keep encryption enabled unless a documented policy gives you a specific reason not to.
- Choose a strong, unique passphrase for this backup set.
- Store it in your approved secret-management system, not in a shell history file, ticket comment, or unprotected script.
- Document who can retrieve it and the exact recovery procedure.
- Test that an authorized operator can obtain the passphrase and decrypt a staging restore.
Google Drive authorization and backup encryption solve different problems. OAuth controls who can access the destination; the passphrase controls whether downloaded backup data can be decrypted. Losing the passphrase can make encrypted backup data unrecoverable even if every remote file is still present.
Build the backup job
Whether you use Server or CLI, configure the same policy decisions deliberately.
Source and destination
Specify the exact source directories, Google Drive account and folder, encryption settings, and any exclusions. Avoid a destination that is inside the source tree, which can create recursion or unnecessary uploads.
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Block size
Block size affects how much data must be re-uploaded when files change and how efficiently Duplicati can process large files. The appropriate value depends on the size and change rate of your data and the available quota. The official documentation does not prescribe one universal value, so record the rationale for your selection and revisit it when the workload changes.
Local database
Duplicati keeps local job state in a database. Give it stable storage, protect its permissions, and include its location and rebuild procedure in your host-recovery documentation. A replacement host must be able to recreate the job and reach the same Google Drive destination even if the original database is lost.
Schedule backups and define retention
A Server job can use Duplicati’s built-in schedule. With CLI, invoke the job from cron, a systemd timer, or another scheduler and capture logs plus the exit status for monitoring.
| Policy decision | What it controls | How to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery-point objective | How much recent work you can afford to lose | Set the interval between successful backups to match the service’s business tolerance |
| Recovery-time objective | How quickly the service must be usable again | Consider download volume, restore processing, database import time, and the time to rebuild Ubuntu |
| Retention duration | How far back you can recover | Keep versions long enough to discover delayed corruption or accidental deletion |
| Upload volume | Google Drive quota and network use | Base it on source size, change rate, block size, and how often jobs run |
| Restore-test frequency | How often you prove the backup is usable | Set a recurring test interval appropriate to the system’s importance and change rate |
There is no single correct schedule or retention count. A frequently changing production database may need more recovery points than a static file server, while a small quota may require exclusions or a shorter retention window. Keep enough history to cover the period in which corruption or accidental deletion might first be noticed.
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Server scheduling
- Open the configured backup job in the Duplicati web interface.
- Set the schedule interval or calendar expression provided by your installed version.
- Choose retention and version-pruning behavior that matches the policy table above.
- Save the job and run an initial backup manually so errors appear before the first unattended run.
CLI scheduling
- Place the complete command, including destination, source paths, database path, and required options, in a protected script or scheduler definition.
- Run it as the same service identity that owns the configuration and token files.
- Redirect output to a monitored log and preserve the exit status.
- Configure alerting for non-success results, repeated failures, authentication errors, and quota conditions.
- Run the command manually once, then confirm that the scheduler invokes the identical command.
Run an initial backup and inspect its log
- Begin with a small but representative source set if the server contains a large amount of data.
- Start the operation and watch the live or captured log for authentication, permission, quota, and source-read errors.
- Confirm that remote data appears in the intended Google Drive folder.
- Check the final operation status and scheduler exit code, not merely whether the process started.
- Record the job identifier, source list, destination identity, database path, and passphrase location in your operations documentation.
Do not declare success because files are visible in Drive. A usable backup must also be decryptable, addressable by Duplicati, and restorable into a clean location.
Test a restore before relying on the backup
Duplicati provides a --dry-run option that simulates an operation without changing local or remote files. Use it to validate command construction and selection logic, but do not confuse a dry run with a content restore.
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--dry-runand review the output for incorrect paths, destination access, or option errors. - Create a staging directory. Use a new directory on storage with enough room for the selected files. Never make the first test restore write over the production source.
- Select representative data. Include configuration, a database dump, a large file, a directory tree, and files with meaningful permissions or timestamps.
- Restore to the staging path. Use the CLI’s
--restore-pathoption to specify a destination other than the original location. - Choose history when necessary. Use
--versionto select a historical backup version instead of automatically restoring the newest point. - Verify the result. Compare file contents and names, inspect ownership, permissions, and timestamps, and validate the database or application with its own consistency checks.
- Clean up safely. Remove staging data according to your data-handling policy after the test and record what was tested, which version was used, and any limitations discovered.
A representative restore should be repeated on a schedule, after major job changes, and whenever the Google Drive account, Ubuntu host, encryption passphrase, or Duplicati version changes.
Server versus CLI with cron: a practical decision
| Decision axis | Server and web UI | CLI plus cron or timer |
|---|---|---|
| Headless suitability | Suitable when the service runs remotely and the UI is accessed securely | Excellent for minimal hosts with no management interface |
| Built-in scheduling | Yes; the Server starts scheduled jobs | No; an external scheduler starts each command |
| Operational visibility | Central job list, configuration view, and operation history | Depends on your log collection, alerting, and scheduler reporting |
| Secret handling | Tokens and configuration are held by the service account and local database | Scripts, environment, token files, and database paths must be protected explicitly |
| Local database management | Managed as part of the Server installation, but still requires protected persistent storage | Choose and preserve the database path yourself |
| Restore workflow | Can be initiated through the interface or command tools | Explicit command-line options such as --restore-path and --version fit scripted recovery |
Choose Server for the lower day-to-day configuration burden. Choose CLI when your organization already treats cron, timers, secrets, and logs as code and wants no continuously running management UI. Either model can produce a reliable backup; neither model compensates for an untested restore.
Troubleshoot common failures
OAuth authorization fails or expires
- Confirm that the Ubuntu host can reach the authorization endpoint or that the documented browser handoff was completed correctly.
- Check that the authorized account still has access to the selected Drive or shared drive.
- Verify that the service account can read the token files and that permissions were not changed during a package or host migration.
- Reauthorize through Duplicati’s destination settings, then run a small test operation.
The destination is read-only or the folder is wrong
- Check the selected account, drive context, and folder identifier.
- Confirm that the account has write permission, not merely the ability to view files.
- Document the corrected destination so a future restore does not target an obsolete folder.
The job reports quota or upload errors
- Inspect the operation log to distinguish Drive quota from local disk or network failures.
- Review source exclusions, retention, and block-size choices against the available quota.
- Do not delete historical versions blindly; first decide which recovery points policy requires.
The scheduled job never runs
- For Server, confirm that the service is running and that the job is enabled with a valid schedule.
- For CLI, run the exact scheduler command manually under the scheduler’s service identity.
- Check scheduler logs, executable paths, working directories, token permissions, and exit-code handling.
A restore cannot decrypt or validate data
- Verify that the passphrase is the one assigned to this backup set; do not generate a replacement and expect old data to open.
- Confirm that the restore is pointed at the correct Drive account, folder, and historical version.
- Inspect Duplicati’s operation log and test a smaller representative selection in a fresh staging directory.
Plan for an Ubuntu host replacement
- Install the matching Duplicati package on the replacement architecture.
- Recreate the service account, protected directories, and persistent database location.
- Restore or recreate the job configuration, source paths, destination details, and encryption passphrase access.
- Authenticate the replacement host to the same Google Drive account, drive, and folder.
- Run a dry run, then restore representative files into staging.
- Only after validation should you retire the original host or disable its scheduler.
Keep the configuration database and passphrase-recovery instructions available during disaster recovery. If the database is not preserved, the remote backup chunks may still be usable, but rebuilding the job settings and destination access will take additional documented work.
Quick Recap
Operational checklist
- Package architecture matches the Ubuntu server.
- Server, Agent, CLI, or Docker mode is recorded and appropriate for the host.
- Google Drive account, drive type, and folder are documented.
- OAuth tokens and local configuration files have restrictive permissions.
- Source paths and exclusions include recoverable application data and consistent database exports.
- Encryption remains enabled and the passphrase is recoverable through approved procedures.
- Schedule and retention match recovery-point, recovery-time, corruption-discovery, and quota requirements.
- Logs and exit statuses are monitored.
- A dry run has completed without option or path errors.
- A real restore into a separate staging directory has verified contents and application consistency.
- The replacement-host procedure has been written and periodically exercised.
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