3-2-1 Backup Strategy¶
Don’t dismiss backups as dull – losing data or passwords is far worse. A robust backup strategy protects you against data loss, theft, corruption, deletion, or ransomware. We’ll show you how to implement a 3-2-1 backup plan by keeping 3 copies of your data on 2 different media types and 1 off-site copy:
- Store original files on your primary devices, like your computer laptop, phone, camera, and so on.
- Regularly create local copies on an encrypted backup device. Keep it near, for example at home or your work place, to quickly restore your data after an incident.
- Periodically create remote copies, for example encrypted backups in the cloud. This enables recovery in events affecting both original files and local copies.
There is a dedicated chapter for scheduled server backups if you self-host.
FreeFileSync¶
Manage your backups effortlessly with FreeFileSync, a free and open source synchronisation tool. Rather than backing up all files every time, FreeFileSync identifies the differences between two folders and transfers only the necessary data.
Step-by-step guide
| Instructions | Description |
|---|---|
| Install FreeFileSync | Download the latest FreeFileSync installer for Windows, double click on the .exe file and follow the installation wizard. |
| Choose folders | Start FreeFileSync and select the two folders to be compared: • source folder: in the left panel, select the folder containing the data you want to back up • target folder: in the right panel, select the folder where the data should be backed up to |
| Compare folders | Click on the button Compare to examine the differences between both folders, based on file modification time and file size. Note that you can also configure a slower, but more detailed comparison based on file content. Once the process is finished, you can visualize in the central column which files are identical between both folders, which files are different, and which files are only available in one of both folders. |
| Synchronise folders | There are two main ways to synchronise the source and target folders, carefully choose the one corresponding your needs: Mirror synchronisation: • proceed as described above to compare both folders • select the Mirror -> synchronisation option • the central column should indicate one single sync direction, from the source (left) folder to the target (right) folder • you can visualize in the central column which files will be updated in the target folder, which files will be added to the target folder, and which files will be deleted from the target folder • you can exclude files or entire sub-folders from the synchronisation process by using the right-click menu • once you've selected all files which need to be synchronised, click on the Synchronisation button. FreeFileSync will now copy files from the source to the target folder, and erase files from the target folder, until both folders are exact copies. Two-way synchronisation: • proceed as described above to compare both folders • select the <- Two way -> synchronisation option • unlike the mirror option, the two-way synchronisation detects differences between both folders in both directions. The central column should therefore indicate two sync directions, both from the source (left) folder to the target (right) folder, and the other way round • you can visualize in the central column which files will be updated in the source and/or target folders, which files will be added to the source and/or target folders, and which files will be deleted from the source and/or target folders. Conflicting versions between files will also be displayed • you can change sync direction or entirely exclude files/sub-folders from the synchronisation process by using the right-click menu • once you've defined how all files need to be synchronised, click on the Synchronisation button. FreeFileSync will now copy or erase files from both source and target folder until they are exact copies. |
Step-by-step guide
| Instructions | Description |
|---|---|
| Install FreeFileSync | Download the latest FreeFileSync installer for macOS, which should open by itself and mount a new volume containing the FreeFileSync application. If not, open the downloaded .dmg file and drag the appearing FreeFileSync icon on top of the Application folder. For easy access, open the Applications folder and drag the FreeFileSync icon to your dock. |
| Choose folders | Start FreeFileSync and select the two folders to be compared: • source folder: in the left panel, select the folder containing the data you want to back up • target folder: in the right panel, select the folder where the data should be backed up to |
| Compare folders | Click on the button Compare to examine the differences between both folders, based on file modification time and file size. Note that you can also configure a slower, but more detailed comparison based on file content. Once the process is finished, you can visualize in the central column which files are identical between both folders, which files are different, and which files are only available in one of both folders. |
| Synchronise folders | There are two main ways to synchronise the source and target folders, carefully choose the one corresponding your needs: Mirror synchronisation: • proceed as described above to compare both folders • select the Mirror -> synchronisation option • the central column should indicate one single sync direction, from the source (left) folder to the target (right) folder • you can visualize in the central column which files will be updated in the target folder, which files will be added to the target folder, and which files will be deleted from the target folder • you can exclude files or entire sub-folders from the synchronisation process by using the right-click menu • once you've selected all files which need to be synchronised, click on the Synchronisation button. FreeFileSync will now copy files from the source to the target folder, and erase files from the target folder, until both folders are exact copies. Two-way synchronisation: • proceed as described above to compare both folders • select the <- Two way -> synchronisation option • unlike the mirror option, the two-way synchronisation detects differences between both folders in both directions. The central column should therefore indicate two sync directions, both from the source (left) folder to the target (right) folder, and the other way round • you can visualize in the central column which files will be updated in the source and/or target folders, which files will be added to the source and/or target folders, and which files will be deleted from the source and/or target folders. Conflicting versions between files will also be displayed • you can change sync direction or entirely exclude files/sub-folders from the synchronisation process by using the right-click menu • once you've defined how all files need to be synchronised, click on the Synchronisation button. FreeFileSync will now copy or erase files from both source and target folder until they are exact copies. |
Step-by-step guide
| Instructions | Description |
|---|---|
| Install FreeFileSync | Download the latest FreeFileSync installer for Linux, which should be called something similar to FreeFileSync_XX.YY_Linux.tar.gz. For the sake of this tutorial, let's assume the file was downloaded to the /home/gofoss/Downloads folder. Unpack and install the files with the following commands (adapt accordingly): cd /home/gofoss/Downloads tar xfv FreeFileSync_XX.YY_Linux.tar.gz ./FreeFileSync_XX.YY_Install.run Then, follow the on-screen instructions to accept the license terms, select an installation directory and install the software. |
| Choose folders | Start FreeFileSync and select the two folders to be compared: • source folder: in the left panel, select the folder containing the data you want to back up • target folder: in the right panel, select the folder where the data should be backed up to |
| Compare folders | Click on the button Compare to examine the differences between both folders, based on file modification time and file size. Note that you can also configure a slower, but more detailed comparison based on file content. Once the process is finished, you can visualize in the central column which files are identical between both folders, which files are different, and which files are only available in one of both folders. |
| Synchronise folders | There are two main ways to synchronise the source and target folders, carefully choose the one corresponding your needs: Mirror synchronisation: • proceed as described above to compare both folders • select the Mirror -> synchronisation option • the central column should indicate one single sync direction, from the source (left) folder to the target (right) folder • you can visualize in the central column which files will be updated in the target folder, which files will be added to the target folder, and which files will be deleted from the target folder • you can exclude files or entire sub-folders from the synchronisation process by using the right-click menu • once you've selected all files which need to be synchronised, click on the Synchronisation button. FreeFileSync will now copy files from the source to the target folder, and erase files from the target folder, until both folders are exact copies. Two-way synchronisation: • proceed as described above to compare both folders • select the <- Two way -> synchronisation option • unlike the mirror option, the two-way synchronisation detects differences between both folders in both directions. The central column should therefore indicate two sync directions, both from the source (left) folder to the target (right) folder, and the other way round • you can visualize in the central column which files will be updated in the source and/or target folders, which files will be added to the source and/or target folders, and which files will be deleted from the source and/or target folders. Conflicting versions between files will also be displayed • you can change sync direction or entirely exclude files/sub-folders from the synchronisation process by using the right-click menu • once you've defined how all files need to be synchronised, click on the Synchronisation button. FreeFileSync will now copy or erase files from both source and target folder until they are exact copies. |
Support¶
For further details or questions, refer to FreeFileSync's documentation, tutorials or community.