Dockerbak

A comprehensive Docker backup and restore tool that connects to remote systems, analyzes Docker environments, and creates complete backups with step-by-step restoration instructions.

Features

• Secure Credential Management: Master password-protected encrypted storage for SSH credentials
• Remote Docker Analysis: Connect to any Docker host via SSH and analyze containers/stacks
• Comprehensive Backups:
  • Container configurations and metadata
  • Volume data (full backup of all mounted volumes)
  • Docker Compose files
  • Network configurations
• Interactive CLI: Beautiful terminal interface with menus and progress indicators
• Automatic Restore Instructions: Generates detailed markdown guides for restoring containers
• Stack Support: Detect and backup entire Docker Compose stacks
• Flexible: Backup individual containers or complete stacks

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• SSH access to the remote Docker host
• Docker installed on the remote host

Setup

1. Clone or download this repository:

cd dockerbak

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Make the script executable:

chmod +x dockerbak.py

Usage

Quick Start

Run Dockerbak:

./dockerbak.py

Or with Python:

python3 dockerbak.py

First Run

On your first run, you'll be prompted for:

1. Master Password: This password protects your encrypted credential store. Choose a strong password and remember it - it's never stored anywhere.

2. SSH Connection Details:

   • Hostname or IP address
   • SSH username
   • SSH port (default: 22)
   • Authentication method (password or SSH key)
   • Your SSH credentials

3. Save Credentials: You can choose to save credentials for future use (recommended)

Subsequent Runs

After the initial setup:

1. Enter your master password to unlock the credential store
2. Select a saved connection or add a new one
3. Choose what to backup from the interactive menu

Features in Detail

Credential Management

Credentials are stored encrypted using:

• Fernet symmetric encryption (AES-128)
• PBKDF2 key derivation with 600,000 iterations
• Master password that's never stored, only used to derive encryption keys
• Secure file permissions (600) on credential files

Credential files are stored in ~/.dockerbak/:

• credentials.enc - Encrypted credentials
• salt - Salt for key derivation

Backup Contents

Each backup includes:

1. metadata.json: Complete container configuration

   • Image name and version
   • Environment variables
   • Labels and annotations
   • Port mappings
   • Restart policies
   • Resource limits
   • And more...

2. volumes/: Compressed archives of volume data

   • Named volumes
   • Bind mounts
   • Volume metadata

3. networks.json: Network configuration

   • Network names
   • Network settings
   • IP addresses

4. docker-compose.yml: Compose file (if part of a stack)

5. manifest.json: Backup manifest with checksums

6. RESTORE_INSTRUCTIONS.md: Detailed restoration guide

Backup Structure

backup_20240115_143022/
├── manifest.json
├── RESTORE_INSTRUCTIONS.md
└── my-container/
    ├── metadata.json
    ├── networks.json
    ├── docker-compose.yml
    └── volumes/
        ├── data_volume.tar.gz
        ├── data_volume.json
        ├── config_volume.tar.gz
        └── config_volume.json

Menu Options

Main Menu

• Backup individual container: Select one or more containers to backup
• Backup Docker Compose stack: Backup an entire stack with all its containers
• List all containers: View all containers on the remote host
• List all stacks: View all Docker Compose stacks
• Exit: Disconnect and exit

Backup Process

1. Select containers/stack to backup
2. Choose backup directory (default: /backups - automatically uses sudo if needed)
3. Watch the progress as backup proceeds
4. Review backup summary with location of restore instructions

Restoring from Backup

After creating a backup, detailed restore instructions are automatically generated in RESTORE_INSTRUCTIONS.md within the backup directory.

The restore instructions include:

1. Prerequisites: What you need before restoring
2. Network Creation: Commands to recreate Docker networks
3. Volume Restoration: Steps to restore volume data
4. Container Creation: Complete docker run commands or docker-compose deployment
5. Verification: How to verify the restoration
6. Troubleshooting: Common issues and solutions

Example Restore Flow

# 1. Navigate to backup directory
cd backup_20240115_143022

# 2. Read the instructions
cat RESTORE_INSTRUCTIONS.md

# 3. Follow the step-by-step guide to restore

Security Best Practices

1. Master Password: Use a strong, unique master password
2. SSH Keys: Prefer SSH key authentication over passwords
3. Backup Security: Store backups in secure locations with appropriate permissions
4. Credential Rotation: Regularly update stored credentials
5. Access Control: Limit who has access to the master password and backups

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Problem: Cannot connect to remote host

Solutions:

• Verify hostname/IP is correct
• Check SSH port is accessible (firewall rules)
• Confirm SSH credentials are correct
• Test SSH connection manually: ssh user@host

Docker Not Found

Problem: Docker not available on remote host

Solutions:

• Verify Docker is installed: ssh user@host "docker --version"
• Check Docker service is running: ssh user@host "systemctl status docker"
• Ensure user has Docker permissions: ssh user@host "docker ps"

Volume Backup Failures

Problem: Volume backup fails or is incomplete

Solutions:

• Ensure sufficient disk space on remote host (/tmp)
• Check volume permissions
• For large volumes, increase timeout in connection settings
• Verify Docker can access the volume

Invalid Master Password

Problem: Cannot unlock credential store

Solutions:

• Ensure you're using the correct master password
• If password is forgotten, delete ~/.dockerbak/ and start fresh (you'll lose saved credentials)

Advanced Usage

Custom Backup Location

When prompted for backup directory, you can specify any path:

Backup directory: /path/to/custom/backups

Selective Container Backup

Use the checkbox menu to select multiple containers:

• Use arrow keys to navigate
• Press Space to select/deselect
• Press Enter to confirm

Managing Saved Connections

To remove saved connections, delete the specific host from:

rm ~/.dockerbak/credentials.enc
rm ~/.dockerbak/salt

Then recreate with new credentials on next run.

System Requirements

Local Machine (where Dockerbak runs)

• Python 3.8+
• 100MB free disk space (plus space for backups)
• Network connectivity to Docker host

Remote Docker Host

• SSH server running
• Docker installed and running
• Sufficient disk space in /tmp for temporary files
• User with Docker permissions

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

License

This project is provided as-is for personal and commercial use.

Author

Created with Claude Code

Version

1.0.0

Support

For issues, questions, or suggestions, please create an issue in the repository.