backup-containers Script

This script provides a robust solution for automating Docker container backups, offering flexibility through a YAML configuration file. It ensures that only relevant data is backed up based on user preferences, making it efficient and customizable for various backup scenarios.

Overview

This Bash script is designed to automate the backup process for Docker containers, including their images, volumes, and inspection data. It leverages several tools such as jq, yq, pv, and docker to perform its operations.

Main Logic

• Parses command-line arguments and reads configuration from a YAML file.
• After backing up, it compresses the backup directory if enabled and prints the execution summary.
• Iterates through each container specified in the YAML file, performing backups based on the provided options (inspection data, images, volumes).

Features

• Backup Images: Saves the Docker images of specified containers.
• Backup Volumes: Archives the volumes attached to the containers.
• Inspect Data: Collects metadata and network information of the containers.
• Compression: Options to compress backup files for efficient storage.
• Customizable via YAML: Configuration file allows customization of backup paths, deletion of old backups, and other parameters.

Requirements

• jq: A lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor.
• yq: A lightweight command-line YAML File processor.
• pv: To monitor progress during backup operations.

Installation

Ensure all dependencies (jq, yq, pv) are installed on your system. Install them using the following commands:

$ sudo apt install jq
$ sudo apt install yq
$ sudo apt install pv

Save the script in a directory of your choice. Create a YAML configuration file (e.g., config.yml) following the format provided in the script comments or documentation.

Usage

Set executable permissions for the .sh script files by running the following command in the directory containing your .sh scripts:

$ chmod +x *.sh

The script expects a YAML file as input, which contains configurations for the backup process, including paths, whether to compress backups, and specific steps for each container (such as whether to inspect data, backup images, or volumes). Run the script with the path to your YAML configuration file as an argument:

$ ./backup-containers.sh config.yml

Configuration

Edit the config.yml file to specify backup options, such as backup paths, whether to compress backups, and which containers to back up. Refer to the script for detailed instructions on configuring each option.

Configuration YAML File

• BACKUP_PATH_MAIN: Specifies the main directory where backup files should be stored. If left empty, the script defaults to creating a backups directory within the current working directory.
• DELETE: Determines whether old backup files should be deleted after a successful backup operation. Setting this to true helps manage disk space by removing outdated backups.
• BACKUP_COMPRESS: Indicates whether backup files should be compressed. Setting this to false means backup files will not be compressed, potentially saving space but resulting in larger backup files.
• FORCE: When set to true, the script proceeds without asking for confirmation, allowing for automated execution without manual intervention.

Each entry under steps defines the actions to be taken for a specific Docker container. You can specify the container's name, its state at the time of the backup, and whether to inspect data, save the Docker image, or archive volumes for that container.

Steps Section

• container_name: The name of the Docker container to be backed up.
• container_state: Determines the state of the container at the time of the backup. If stopped, it stops the container before the backup operation and starts the container after it is finished. Ditto for pause.
• INSPECT: Collects and saves inspection data and network information of a specified container.
• IMAGE: Saves the Docker image of a specified container.
• VOLUME: Collects and saves volume details of a specified container.

Example YAML Configuration

backups:
  BACKUP_PATH_MAIN: /mnt/drive
  BACKUP_COMPRESS: true
  DELETE: false
  FORCE: true
  steps:
    - step:
        container_name: mysql-server
        container_state: pause
        environment:
          INSPECT: yes
          IMAGE: no
          VOLUME: yes
    - step:
        container_name: zabbix-server-mysql
        container_state: pause
        environment:
          INSPECT: yes
          IMAGE: no
          VOLUME: yes
    - step:
        container_name: mynginx
        container_state: stop
        environment:
          INSPECT: yes
          IMAGE: yes
          VOLUME: yes

Developer

This script was developed by Mojtabco. For assistance or suggestions, please contact him or create an issue in the GitHub repository.

For access to the source code and reporting issues, visit the GitHub Repository: https://github.com/mojtabco/backup-containers