Fork me on GitHub

Introduction to LBackup

LBackupは「信頼性の高い」バックアップソリューションを求められるシステムアドミニストレーター向けのオープンソースソフトウェアです。リモートバックアップもローカルバックアップもシンプルに操作可能。

Each time LBackup is executed a snapshot of the backup source directory is generated. Backups are incremental and take advantage of hard-links to reduce the disk usage requirements of your backup set(s).

To see LBackup in action you may be interested in viewing the screencasts.

LBackup is configured via configuration files. Backup and reporting is initiated via the command line. Simple automated backups may be configured within 10 minutes (excluding the time required for testing). With regards restoring files from a backup set, LBackup offers great flexibility. This is because the backup snapshots are presented like any other files on your operating system.

A majority of the code base has been tested for over 5 years. Although LBackup is pre-release beta software, it is considered to be stable for deployment and is currently deployed across the globe by various prominent institutions. This rapid adoption is primarily due to advanced error reporting, readily available support and configuration flexibility.

LBackup is disk-to-disk backup front end to rsync. This means that LBackup is easily able to handle the backup of data sets well in excess of 1TB. However, if rsync is not preserving meta data required by your backup policy, then LBackup will not resolve this issue. Instead, you will need to install or compile a copy of rsync for your system(s) which preserves the meta data required by your backup policy. This is particularly important if your backup policy requires the preservation of ACL's.

The primary aim of the LBackup project is to be make reliable backups easier for system administrators. In addition, the LBackup project also aims to be a flexible and scalable backup solution.

LBackup is ideal backup tool in the following situations (just to name a few) :

  • Network backup of running virtual machines, with auto-snapshots enabled.
  • Network backup of file servers, including Mac OS X Server.
  • Network backup of your home folder, even if it is encrypted with file vault.


The LBackup project is completely open. As such this documentation is editable by you. LBackup it's self is editable and you are able to see and contribute to the direction of the project. Visit the contribute page if you would like to make LBackup even better.