For GNOME (and Ubuntu specifically), you have two fantastic options that are designed to look and feel like native parts of the operating system. One is the "classic" choice that comes pre-installed, and the other is a modern, high-performance powerhouse.
1. The Modern Choice: Pika Backup
Pika Backup is the current favorite in the GNOME community. It is built with the latest design standards (GTK4/Libadwaita) and uses BorgBackup under the hood, which is world-class for speed and data deduplication.
- Best for: Speed and efficiency. It only saves the parts of files that changed, making backups very fast.
- Protocols: Supports SFTP and SSH natively.
- Installation: ```bash
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.World.PikaBackup
How to use Pika Backup with SFTP:
- Open Pika Backup and click "Configure Backup".
- Select Location: Choose "Remote Location".
- Enter URL:
- For standard SFTP:
sftp://user@your-server-ip/path/to/backup - Note: If you use a non-standard port, use
sftp://user@ip:port/path.
- For standard SFTP:
- Encryption: It will ask you to set a password. Pika enforces encryption for remote backups to keep your data private.
- Files to Backup: Add your Home folder or specific directories.
- Schedule: Go to the "Scheduled Backups" tab to set it to run daily or weekly in the background.
2. The Simple Choice: Déjà Dup (Backups)
This is the default "Backups" app in Ubuntu settings. It’s a frontend for Duplicity, a long-standing and very reliable tool.
- Best for: Simplicity and "set-and-forget" users who want zero complexity.
- Protocols: Supports SFTP and SSH.
- Installation: Usually pre-installed, but if not:
sudo apt install deja-dup
How to use Déjà Dup with SFTP:
- Open the "Backups" app from your app grid.
- Go to Storage Location.
- Choose Network Server from the dropdown menu.
- Network Location: Enter
ssh://your-server-ip. - Folder: Enter the folder name on the server.
- Click the back arrow and hit "Back Up Now". It will prompt you for your SSH password (or key) and then your encryption password.
3. The "Pure Rsync" Choice: Grsync
If you don't want a "backup archive" (where files are compressed into chunks) and instead just want a 1:1 mirror of your folders on another server, Grsync is the classic GUI for the rsync command.
- Best for: Creating an exact, readable copy of your files on a remote server.
- Installation: ```bash
sudo apt install grsync
- How to use: In the "Destination" field, you would use the format
user@remote-ip:/path/to/destination/. You will likely need to have SSH keys set up for this to run smoothly without constantly asking for a password.
Comparison Summary
| Tool | Engine | UI Style | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pika Backup | Borg | Modern GNOME | Extremely fast; deduplication saves tons of space. |
| Déjà Dup | Duplicity | Classic GNOME | Easiest to use; integrates with the Ubuntu file manager. |
| Grsync | Rsync | Traditional | 1:1 Mirroring; files stay readable on the server. |
My Recommendation for Ubuntu: Use Pika Backup. It is much faster than Déjà Dup when handling large amounts of data, and the interface is beautiful. It handles "snapshots" better, meaning you can easily browse through exactly what your files looked like three days ago versus three weeks ago.
Do you have SSH keys set up on your Ubuntu machine already, or would you like to know how to set those up to make these backups "password-less"?