Backups (also known as Deja Dup) is the default Ubuntu backup utility. It helps you handle scheduling backups and restoring in easy ways on your Ubuntu computers. It is simple by look but rich by feature as it includes ability to save your backups into both network storages as well as online storages such as Nextcloud, Google Drive or OneDrive. To Ubuntu user, Backups fills the purpose of KBackup to Kubuntu users and Windows Backup to Microsoft users. This article is part of our published compilation List of Ubuntu Default Applications and Their Purposes. We hope this helps everyone including you Ubuntu beginners. Now let's start sharing Free Software together once again!

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Screenshots

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(a)	(b)	(c)
(d)	(e)	(f)

Where:

(a) Backups (Deja Dup) window at first run. It reads "Welcome to Backups. Create your first backup. Restore from a previous backup."

(b) Overview of Deja Dup. Basically, it offers only two things, making backup and restoring.

(c) Preferences of Deja Dup is divided into two, General and Folders. Under General, we see Storage and Schedule options.

(d) Under Folders, we see Folders to back up and Folders to ignore options.

(e) Password protection of the backup in action. User can choose whether to enable it or not.

(f) Restoring backup in action. We can see here files from a previous backup.

Description

Backups also known as Deja Dup is the default Ubuntu backup utility. It enables Ubuntu user to make backups easily, and save the backups into local storage as well as online ones such as Google Drive or Nextcloud (see Tutorials section). Deja Dup official website says that it focuses on personal data and if you need a full system backup you would need another software. Deja Dup is part of GNOME that is the desktop user interface of Ubuntu and it has been official utility since a very long time. By technology, Deja Dup is actually a graphical user interface to another program called duplicity that does the real job under the cover. Deja Dup is Free Software published under GNU General Public License a software license acknowledged as both Free Software and Open Source.

Purposes

Backups aka Deja Dup serves these purposes:

1. Make backup select folder or disk partition.

2. Restore backup.

3. Do (1) and (2) in encrypted way e.g. with your password.

4. Schedule backup daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

How to run the program

There are several ways to run Backups. Pick one of these.

1. Open Ubuntu applications menu -> type "backups" -> click Backups -> Backups runs.

2. Run Terminal -> type "deja-dup" -> press Enter -> Backups runs.

3. Press Alt+F2 + type "deja-dup" -> press Enter -> Backups runs.

Location on screen

Backups can be found on your screen at the locations mentioned below:

1. On the Ubuntu applications menu.

2. On the App Center, under the name Déjà Dup Backups.

3. On the Help, under Files and Backing up chapter.

Examples of usage

Here's some simple usage examples of Backups. 

1. To backup Pictures and save the backup into Downloads:

Run Backups -> create new backup -> select folder to backup "Pictures" -> select folder as storage destination "Downloads" -> if asked about password, disable it -> if asked about schedule, disable it -> OK.

2. To backup with schedule by once a week:

Do (1) but select "Weekly" to the schedule.

3. To backup with password protection:

Do (1) but enable password and fill in password only you know and don't forget it.

4. To restore:

Run Backups -> select Restore -> select which one to restore -> Restore -> OK. 

User Documentation

Backups comes with its own full documentation. Ubuntu even includes two of them. Pick one of these to open it:

1. Run Backups -> press F1 or click triple line button -> Help.

2.  Run Help -> Files, Folders & search -> Backing Up.

Tutorials on Deja Dup 

We have one published tutorial on using Deja Dup. Here we also present you tutorials and documentations written by the community.

1. Backup Ubuntu with Deja Dup and Nextcloud

2. Official Documentation of Deja Dup

3. Official Ubuntu Wiki Documentation of Backups

4. Official Ubuntu Help Documentation of Backups

Contributing to Deja Dup 

Backups aka Deja Dup is written in Vala programming language with GTK framework and recommended to be developed using Builder IDE. Deja Dup is a GNOME application. Thus, contributing to Deja Dup is the same as contributing to other GNOME apps. If you do, your contribution will benefit GNOME, benefit Ubuntu, benefit other GNU/Linux users in the world. You can contribute in many ways including donating, bug reporting, bug fixing, coding etc. You can find all of it at the official website of Deja Dup under References section below.

Similar Programs

KDE KBackup

FreeFileSync

Windows Backup (proprietary/nonfree)

References

Duplicity - the underlying program at does the actual backup jobs.

Deja Dup Official Website at GNOME

Deja Dup Official Code Forge at Gitlab

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