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Installation ​

Prerequisites ​

  • A Linux VPS (Debian/Ubuntu, RHEL/Fedora, etc.) with root/sudo.
  • Python 3.8+.
  • Client tools for whatever you back up (the installer tries to install these for you):
    • PostgreSQL: pg_dump / psql — package postgresql-client
    • MySQL/MariaDB: mysqldump / mysql — package default-mysql-client or mariadb-client
  • An S3-compatible bucket and an access key / secret key.

1. Install ​

bash
git clone https://github.com/AnAverageBeing/s3-database-storage-for-vps.git
cd s3-database-storage-for-vps
sudo bash install.sh

The installer:

  1. Installs system dependencies (python3, pip, gzip, database client tools).
  2. Copies the program to /opt/s3dbbackup and creates an isolated Python virtualenv there.
  3. Creates the s3dbbackup command at /usr/local/bin/s3dbbackup.

2. Run the setup wizard ​

bash
sudo s3dbbackup setup

The wizard walks you through nine short steps:

  1. S3 storage — endpoint, region, access key, secret key, bucket, path-style toggle.
  2. Folder — a prefix everything is stored under.
  3. Connection test — it won't continue until S3 responds.
  4. Pick databases — choose from an auto-detected, numbered list (1,3,4 or all).
  5. Local copy — optionally keep a copy on the node.
  6. Frequency — hourly / 6h / 12h / daily / weekly / custom.
  7. Retention — how many copies to keep per database.
  8. Discord alerts — optional webhook + event selection.
  9. Schedule — it writes and enables the systemd timer, then offers to run a backup now.

Recommended values

  • Cloudflare R2: Region auto, path-style on.
  • DigitalOcean Spaces: Region = datacenter (e.g. sgp1), path-style on.
  • AWS S3: leave Endpoint blank, set the region, path-style off.
  • Frequency: daily for most servers; every 6 hours for busy databases.
  • Max copies: 7 (a week of dailies).

3. Verify ​

bash
# Show config, last run, and next scheduled run
sudo s3dbbackup status

# Confirm the timer is active and see the next trigger time
systemctl list-timers s3dbbackup.timer

# Run a backup on demand
sudo s3dbbackup backup

After a run, check your bucket — objects appear under:

<bucket>/<folder>/<db-type>/<db-name>/<timestamp>.sql.gz

Troubleshooting ​

No databases were detected

The wizard scans using local/peer authentication. If your databases require a password, choose Add databases manually (or answer "yes" when asked whether the dumps need explicit credentials) and provide host/port/user/password.

pg_dump/mysqldump not found

Install the client tools:

bash
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install -y postgresql-client default-mysql-client
# RHEL/Fedora
sudo dnf install -y postgresql mysql
S3 connection fails

Double-check the endpoint, region, and path-style setting for your provider. Most non-AWS providers (R2, MinIO, Spaces, B2) require path-style on. The wizard lets you edit and retry without restarting.

The timer isn't running
bash
sudo systemctl enable --now s3dbbackup.timer
systemctl status s3dbbackup.timer
journalctl -u s3dbbackup.service --no-pager   # see backup run logs

Uninstall ​

bash
# Removes the timer, command, and /opt/s3dbbackup — keeps your config
sudo bash uninstall.sh

# Also remove /etc/s3dbbackup (config)
sudo bash uninstall.sh --purge

Local backup files under /var/backups/s3dbbackup (or your chosen path) and any objects already in S3 are left untouched.