- \n
- A system running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Rocky Linux 10, or Windows 10\/11<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Root or sudo access on Linux, Administrator access on Windows<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- At least 1 GB free RAM and storage space for the backup repository<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Internet access to download Kopia packages<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- For remote repositories: S3 bucket credentials, Backblaze B2 keys, or SFTP server access<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Install Kopia on Linux and Windows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Kopia ships as two packages:
kopia<\/code> (CLI only) andkopia-ui<\/code> (GUI application). Install whichever fits your workflow. The CLI is better for servers and automation; KopiaUI works well on desktops.<\/p>\n\n\n\nInstall Kopia on Ubuntu 24.04 (apt)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Import the Kopia GPG signing key and add the apt repository.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y curl gnupg\ncurl -s https:\/\/kopia.io\/signing-key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o \/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/kopia-keyring.gpg<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAdd the repository source list entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
echo \"deb [signed-by=\/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/kopia-keyring.gpg] http:\/\/packages.kopia.io\/apt\/ stable main\" | sudo tee \/etc\/apt\/sources.list.d\/kopia.list<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nUpdate package lists and install Kopia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt update\nsudo apt install -y kopia<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nVerify the installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia --version\nkopia - Build version: v0.18.x ...<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIf you want the GUI, install the desktop package as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt install -y kopia-ui<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nInstall Kopia on Rocky Linux 10 (dnf)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Import the RPM signing key first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo rpm --import https:\/\/kopia.io\/signing-key<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCreate the repository file. We use
echo<\/code> withtee<\/code> to avoid heredoc issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\necho \"[Kopia]\nname=Kopia\nbaseurl=http:\/\/packages.kopia.io\/rpm\/stable\/\\$basearch\/\ngpgcheck=1\nenabled=1\ngpgkey=https:\/\/kopia.io\/signing-key\" | sudo tee \/etc\/yum.repos.d\/kopia.repo<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nInstall Kopia with dnf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo dnf install -y kopia<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nConfirm the binary is available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia --version\nkopia - Build version: v0.18.x ...<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nInstall Kopia on Windows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are two ways to install Kopia on Windows: the KopiaUI installer (GUI) or Scoop (CLI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Option A – KopiaUI Installer:<\/strong> Download the latest
KopiaUI-Setup-X.Y.Z.exe<\/code> from the Kopia GitHub releases page<\/a>. Run the installer and follow the prompts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Kopia](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOnce the installation completes, KopiaUI launches automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Kopia](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-1.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOption B – Scoop (CLI):<\/strong> Open PowerShell and run these commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
scoop bucket add kopia https:\/\/github.com\/kopia\/scoop-bucket.git\nscoop install kopia<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nVerify with
kopia --version<\/code> in PowerShell.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 2: Create a Kopia Repository<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A repository is where Kopia stores all snapshot data, metadata, and encryption keys. You must create one before taking any backups. Kopia supports several repository backends – here are the most common ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local Filesystem Repository<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Best for external drives, NAS mounts, or local testing. Create a directory for the repository first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo mkdir -p \/backup\/kopia-repo<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nInitialize the repository. Kopia prompts for a password that encrypts the repository.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia repository create filesystem --path \/backup\/kopia-repo\nEnter password to create new repository:\nRe-enter password for verification:\nConnected to repository.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOn the KopiaUI desktop app, select Local Directory or NAS<\/strong> and browse to your directory path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"KopiaUI](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-4.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSet a strong password to secure the repository.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"KopiaUI](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-5.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAmazon S3 Repository<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Store backups in an S3 bucket (or any S3-compatible storage like MinIO). If you already manage backup infrastructure with S3 and Restic<\/a>, Kopia works as a drop-in alternative with similar S3 support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia repository create s3 \\\n --bucket=my-kopia-backups \\\n --access-key=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE \\\n --secret-access-key=wJalrXUtnFEMI\/K7MDENG\/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY \\\n --region=us-east-1 \\\n --prefix=linux-server\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe
--prefix<\/code> flag lets you share a single bucket across multiple machines by giving each one a unique prefix path.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBackblaze B2 Repository<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Backblaze B2 is a low-cost object storage option. Create a B2 bucket and application key in the Backblaze dashboard first, then run the following command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia repository create b2 \\\n --bucket=my-kopia-b2-bucket \\\n --key-id=001a2b3c4d5e6f7 \\\n --key=K001AbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQrStUvWxYz<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSFTP Repository<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Back up to any remote server accessible via SSH\/SFTP. This is a solid choice when you have a dedicated backup server on your network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia repository create sftp \\\n --path=\/backups\/kopia \\\n --host=192.168.1.50 \\\n --username=backupuser \\\n --keyfile=\/home\/admin\/.ssh\/id_ed25519 \\\n --known-hosts=\/home\/admin\/.ssh\/known_hosts<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe remote directory
\/backups\/kopia<\/code> must exist on the SFTP server before running this command.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 3: Connect to an Existing Repository<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If a repository already exists (created on another machine or in a previous session), connect to it instead of creating a new one. Using
connect<\/code> avoids overwriting existing backup data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n$ kopia repository connect filesystem --path \/backup\/kopia-repo\nEnter password to open repository:\nConnected to repository.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nFor S3, replace
filesystem<\/code> withs3<\/code> and pass the same bucket parameters. The same applies tob2<\/code> andsftp<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Kopia](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-7.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn KopiaUI, use the Repositories<\/strong> tab to disconnect from the current repo and connect to a different one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"KopiaUI](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-10.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCheck the repository status at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia repository status\nConfig file: \/home\/admin\/.config\/kopia\/repository.config\nDescription: My Repository\nStorage type: filesystem\nStorage capacity: unlimited\nUnique ID: a1b2c3d4e5f6...<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 4: Create Snapshots (Backups)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A snapshot in Kopia is a point-in-time copy of a directory tree. Each subsequent snapshot is incremental – only changed blocks are stored, saving both time and space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Create a Snapshot from CLI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Back up any directory by passing its path to
kopia snapshot create<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n$ kopia snapshot create \/home\/admin\/documents\nSnapshotting admin@server:\/home\/admin\/documents ...\n * 0 hashing, 1245 hashed (45.2 MB), 0 cached (0 B), uploaded 45.2 MB, estimating...\nCreated snapshot with root k7d9a8420bf6b8ea280d6637ad1adbd4c5 ...<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOn Windows, the same command works in PowerShell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia snapshot create C:\\Users\\admin\\Documents<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCreate a Snapshot from KopiaUI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Click New Snapshot<\/strong>, then browse to or type the directory path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"KopiaUI](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-11.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nClick Snapshot Now<\/strong> to trigger an immediate backup. The progress bar shows files being hashed, deduplicated, and uploaded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"KopiaUI](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-12.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAfter completion, the snapshot appears in the snapshot list with size, file count, and timestamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"KopiaUI](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-9.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nList All Snapshots<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
View all snapshots for a given source directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia snapshot list \/home\/admin\/documents\nadmin@server:\/home\/admin\/documents\n 2026-03-19 10:15:00 UTC k7d9a8420bf6b 45.2 MB drwxr-xr-x files:1245 dirs:89\n 2026-03-19 14:30:00 UTC ke2e07d38a8a90 45.3 MB drwxr-xr-x files:1248 dirs:89<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nTo see snapshots from all sources across all connected machines, run the following command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia snapshot list --all<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCompare Two Snapshots<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Use
kopia diff<\/code> to see what changed between two snapshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\nkopia diff k7d9a8420bf6b ke2e07d38a8a90<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis prints added, modified, and deleted files – useful for auditing changes before a restore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 5: Schedule Automatic Snapshots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Kopia can schedule snapshots through its built-in policy system. When you define a snapshot source, Kopia automatically creates a scheduling policy. The KopiaUI runs as a background service and triggers snapshots on schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set the snapshot frequency using the policy command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia policy set \/home\/admin\/documents --snapshot-interval=6h<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis creates a snapshot every 6 hours. For fine-grained control, set specific times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia policy set \/home\/admin\/documents --snapshot-time=09:00,18:00<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOn Linux servers without KopiaUI, use a cron job or systemd timer to run Kopia periodically. Create a cron entry for daily backups at 2 AM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
echo \"0 2 * * * \/usr\/bin\/kopia snapshot create \/home\/admin\/documents 2>&1 | logger -t kopia\" | sudo tee \/etc\/cron.d\/kopia-backup<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAlternatively, create a systemd timer for better logging integration. Create the service unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
echo \"[Unit]\nDescription=Kopia Backup Snapshot\nAfter=network-online.target\n\n[Service]\nType=oneshot\nUser=root\nExecStart=\/usr\/bin\/kopia snapshot create \/home\/admin\/documents\nExecStart=\/usr\/bin\/kopia snapshot create \/etc\" | sudo tee \/etc\/systemd\/system\/kopia-backup.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCreate the timer unit that triggers daily at 3 AM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
echo \"[Unit]\nDescription=Kopia Backup Timer\n\n[Timer]\nOnCalendar=*-*-* 03:00:00\nPersistent=true\n\n[Install]\nWantedBy=timers.target\" | sudo tee \/etc\/systemd\/system\/kopia-backup.timer<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEnable and start the timer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo systemctl daemon-reload\nsudo systemctl enable --now kopia-backup.timer<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nVerify the timer is active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ systemctl list-timers kopia-backup.timer\nNEXT LEFT LAST PASSED UNIT ACTIVATES\nThu 2026-03-20 03:00:00 UTC 12h left - - kopia-backup.timer kopia-backup.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 6: Configure Retention Policies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Retention policies control how many snapshots Kopia keeps before pruning old ones. The default global policy retains 3 annual, 24 monthly, 4 weekly, 7 daily, 48 hourly, and 10 latest snapshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
View the current global retention policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia policy show --global<\/mark>\nPolicy for (global):\n\nRetention:\n Annual snapshots: 3 (defined for this target)\n Monthly snapshots: 24 (defined for this target)\n Weekly snapshots: 4 (defined for this target)\n Daily snapshots: 7 (defined for this target)\n Hourly snapshots: 48 (defined for this target)\n Latest snapshots: 10 (defined for this target)\n Ignore identical snapshots: false (defined for this target)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCustomize retention for a specific directory. For example, keep 30 daily and 12 monthly snapshots for critical data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia policy set \/home\/admin\/documents \\\n --keep-daily=30 \\\n --keep-monthly=12 \\\n --keep-annual=5<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSet a minimal retention policy for less important data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia policy set \/var\/log \\\n --keep-daily=3 \\\n --keep-weekly=2 \\\n --keep-monthly=1 \\\n --keep-annual=0<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nVerify the updated policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia policy show<\/mark> \/home\/admin\/documents<\/mark>\nPolicy for admin@server:\/home\/admin\/documents:\n\nRetention:\n Annual snapshots: 5 (defined for this target)\n Monthly snapshots: 12 (defined for this target)\n Weekly snapshots: 4 inherited from (global)\n Daily snapshots: 30 (defined for this target)\n Hourly snapshots: 48 inherited from (global)\n Latest snapshots: 10 inherited from (global)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 7: Exclude Files and Directories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Skip unnecessary files to reduce backup size and speed up snapshots. Use the
--add-ignore<\/code> flag to add exclusion rules to a policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n$ kopia policy set --add-ignore \"*.log\" --add-ignore \"*.tmp\" --add-ignore \".cache\/\" \/home\/admin<\/mark>\nSetting policy for admin@server:\/home\/admin\n - adding \"*.log\" to \"ignore rules\"\n - adding \"*.tmp\" to \"ignore rules\"\n - adding \".cache\/\" to \"ignore rules\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nYou can also create a
.kopiaignore<\/code> file in any directory. Kopia reads it automatically (similar to.gitignore<\/code>).<\/p>\n\n\n\necho \"node_modules\/\n*.iso\n.thumbnails\/\n*.sock\" | tee \/home\/admin\/.kopiaignore<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nLimit snapshots to a single filesystem (avoid crossing mount points).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia policy set \/home\/admin --one-file-system<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nVerify exclusions are set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Kopia](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-18.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 8: Encryption and Compression Options<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Kopia encrypts all repository data by default using AES-256-GCM. The encryption key derives from the repository password you set during creation. There is no way to access backup data without this password – store it securely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When creating a repository, you can choose the encryption algorithm and hash function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia repository create filesystem \\\n --path \/backup\/kopia-repo \\\n --block-hash=BLAKE2B-256-128 \\\n --encryption=AES256-GCM-HMAC-SHA256<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSupported encryption algorithms include
AES256-GCM-HMAC-SHA256<\/code> (default),CHACHA20-POLY1305-HMAC-SHA256<\/code>, andNONE<\/code> (not recommended). Supported hash algorithms includeBLAKE2B-256-128<\/code>,BLAKE2S-256<\/code>,HMAC-SHA256<\/code>, andHMAC-SHA256-128<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSet compression per policy. Kopia supports several compression algorithms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia policy set \/home\/admin\/documents --compression=zstd<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAvailable compression options:
gzip<\/code>,zstd<\/code> (recommended – best ratio\/speed),zstd-fastest<\/code>,zstd-better-compression<\/code>,s2-default<\/code>,s2-better<\/code>,s2-parallel-8<\/code>,pgzip<\/code>,pgzip-best-speed<\/code>, andnone<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor servers with limited CPU, use
s2-default<\/code> for faster compression with less CPU usage. For archival storage where size matters more than speed, usezstd-better-compression<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 9: Restore Files from Kopia Snapshots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Restoring data is the whole point of backups. Kopia provides two methods: mounting a snapshot as a filesystem and using the
restore<\/code> command.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMethod 1 – Mount and Browse a Snapshot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mounting lets you browse the snapshot contents as a regular directory – useful when you need to restore specific files rather than the entire backup. Create a mount point first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
mkdir -p \/tmp\/kopia-mount<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nGet the snapshot ID from the list command, then mount it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia mount k7d9a8420bf6b \/tmp\/kopia-mount &<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nBrowse and copy the files you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ls -la \/tmp\/kopia-mount\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n![\"Kopia](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-19.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRestore specific files or the whole tree with rsync or cp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo rsync -av \/tmp\/kopia-mount\/projects\/ \/home\/admin\/documents\/projects\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWhen done, unmount the snapshot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
fusermount -u \/tmp\/kopia-mount<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nMethod 2 – Direct Restore Command<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
For full directory restores, the
snapshot restore<\/code> command writes all files directly to disk without FUSE mounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\nkopia snapshot restore k7d9a8420bf6b \/home\/admin\/documents-restored\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIf you omit the target directory, Kopia creates a new directory named after the snapshot ID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Kopia](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Backup-Your-Linux-and-Windows-Systems-using-Kopia-20.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOn Windows, the restore command works the same way in PowerShell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia snapshot restore k7d9a8420bf6b C:\\Users\\admin\\Documents-Restored\\<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 10: Run Kopia Server (Web UI)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Kopia includes a built-in web server that exposes the full UI over HTTP. This is useful for managing backups on headless servers or centralizing backup management across multiple machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start the server with TLS disabled for local testing (bind to localhost only).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia server start --insecure --address=127.0.0.1:51515<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAccess the web UI at
http:\/\/127.0.0.1:51515<\/code> in your browser. The interface is identical to KopiaUI and lets you create snapshots, manage policies, and browse repositories.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor production use with TLS, generate a certificate and start the server with authentication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia server start \\\n --tls-cert-file=\/etc\/kopia\/server.crt \\\n --tls-key-file=\/etc\/kopia\/server.key \\\n --address=0.0.0.0:51515 \\\n --server-username=admin \\\n --server-password=SecurePass123<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCreate a systemd service for persistent operation on Linux servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
echo \"[Unit]\nDescription=Kopia Server\nAfter=network-online.target\nWants=network-online.target\n\n[Service]\nType=simple\nUser=root\nExecStart=\/usr\/bin\/kopia server start --insecure --address=127.0.0.1:51515\nRestart=on-failure\nRestartSec=10\n\n[Install]\nWantedBy=multi-user.target\" | sudo tee \/etc\/systemd\/system\/kopia-server.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEnable and start the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo systemctl daemon-reload\nsudo systemctl enable --now kopia-server.service\nsudo systemctl status kopia-server.service<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIf the server needs to accept connections from other hosts, allow port 51515 through the firewall. On Ubuntu, use the following command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo ufw allow 51515\/tcp<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOn Rocky Linux with firewalld, run the following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=51515\/tcp\nsudo firewall-cmd --reload<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 11: Monitor Backup Status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Regular monitoring ensures backups are running as expected. Check the status of all snapshot sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ kopia snapshot list --all\nadmin@server:\/home\/admin\/documents\n 2026-03-19 03:00:00 UTC k7d9a842... 45.2 MB files:1245 dirs:89\n 2026-03-18 03:00:00 UTC k6c8b731... 44.9 MB files:1240 dirs:89\n\nadmin@server:\/etc\n 2026-03-19 03:00:01 UTC k9f1e320... 12.1 MB files:892 dirs:145<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nView detailed repository content statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia content stats<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCheck repository integrity by running a full verification. This validates all stored data blocks against their checksums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia snapshot verify --all<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nRun a repository maintenance cycle to clean up unreferenced data and optimize storage. This is similar to garbage collection in tools like Restic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kopia maintenance run --full<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nKopia runs quick maintenance automatically after each snapshot, but a full maintenance cycle should be run periodically (weekly or monthly) to reclaim storage from expired snapshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kopia vs Restic vs BorgBackup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
All three tools are open-source, encrypted, deduplicated backup solutions. Here is how they compare on the features that matter most in production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n