restore data in background or via cron job on a different server to create another copy of the data

[buildplan]

No description provided.

[buildplan]

Date: 2025-10-04
CHANGELOG: Restic Backup Script v0.37.2 → v0.38

NEW FEATURES

1. BACKGROUND RESTORE MODE (--background-restore)

   • NEW: Non-interactive restore that runs as a background process

   • Usage: sudo restic-backup.sh --background-restore <snapshot_id> <dest_path>

   • Features:

     • Accepts 'latest' as snapshot ID (auto-resolves to most recent snapshot)
     • Creates dedicated timestamped log files for each restore job
     • Runs in detached background process with output redirection
     • Sends notifications on completion/failure via configured channels
     • Automatically handles file ownership for /home/* paths
     • No terminal interaction required after launch

   • Implementation Details:

     • Uses subshell backgrounding: ( ... ) > "$restore_log" 2>&1 &
     • Log files: /tmp/restic-restore-${snapshot_id:0:8}-$(date +%s).log
     • Integrates with notification system (ntfy, Discord, Slack, Teams)
     • Runs pre-flight checks before starting background job

   • Use Cases:

     • Large dataset restoration without blocking terminal
     • Remote server restores over SSH
     • Long-running operations that should survive terminal disconnection

2. SYNC RESTORE MODE (--sync-restore)

   • NEW: Non-interactive foreground restore for automation/cron

   • Usage: sudo restic-backup.sh --sync-restore <snapshot_id> <dest_path> [paths...]

   • Features:

     • Runs synchronously (blocks until completion)
     • Returns proper exit codes for scheduler/cron monitoring
     • Accepts optional specific file/directory paths to restore
     • Integrates with Healthchecks.io for success/failure pinging
     • Supports 'latest' snapshot ID resolution
     • Automatic ownership handling for user directories

   • Implementation Details:

     • Exit code 0 on success, 1 on failure
     • Healthchecks.io ping on completion: $HEALTHCHECKS_URL or $HEALTHCHECKS_URL/fail
     • Full logging to main log file
     • Notification support for all configured channels

   • Use Cases:

     • Automated backup pull for 3-2-1 backup strategy
     • Cron-scheduled regular restores to secondary servers
     • DR (Disaster Recovery) automation workflows
     • CI/CD backup restoration pipelines

[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

This PR adds non-interactive restore functionality to support background operations and automated restore processes via cron jobs. The changes enable restoring data without user interaction, which supports implementing a 3-2-1 backup strategy by creating copies of backup data on different servers.

Key changes:

• Added --background-restore command for non-blocking restore operations that run in the background
• Added --sync-restore command for synchronous restore operations suitable for cron jobs
• Refactored existing restore code to support both interactive and non-interactive modes

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

File	Description
restic-backup.sh	Added background and synchronous restore functions, refactored ownership handling, updated help text and version
README.md	Added Quick Start section, comprehensive restore documentation, and corrected a typo

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[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

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[Copilot]

Pull Request Overview

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

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