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Getting started

This page walks you from a fresh Unraid box to your first backup.

Requirements

Requirement Notes
Unraid 6.12+ Earlier versions are not tested.
Restic repo location A local path (recommended: your array or cache), SMB, NFS, or any rclone backend.
Docker socket Mounted by the template automatically (/var/run/docker.sock).
Unraid flash (/boot) Mounted whole by the template automatically (/boot to /host/boot). Powers flash backup and lets a restored container reappear as a normal, editable Unraid app.
KVM VMs (opt-in) VM backup talks to libvirt over SSH, no libvirt mount. Set it up in Settings (see Configuration).

Install on Unraid

The easiest path is Community Applications.

  1. Open the Apps tab in Unraid.
  2. Search for BombVault.
  3. Click Install, set the required variables (below), and apply.

Manual template install

If you prefer to add the template by hand:

  1. Go to Docker, Add Container, Template repositories and add: 
    https://github.com/junkerderprovinz/unraid-apps
  2. Search for BombVault in Templates.
  3. Set the required variables and click Apply.

The one required setting

The only variable you must set is APP_KEY, a 32-byte hex secret (64 hex characters) used to derive the restic repository password.

Generate one on any machine:

openssl rand -hex 32

Paste the result into the APP_KEY field of the template.

Do not lose your APP_KEY

Losing APP_KEY makes your encrypted backups unrecoverable. Store it somewhere safe and separate from the server. Once BombVault is running, use its one-click encryption-key recovery kit (see Off-site & recovery) to save the full recovery bundle.

The template also mounts the Docker socket, the flash (/boot) and the Host Data root (/mnt) for you. Backup sources and destinations both live under Host Data. For the full variable reference and the off-site setup, see Configuration.

First run

  1. Open the web UI at https://<your-unraid-ip>:3443 (self-signed certificate out of the box).
  2. In Settings, enable the backup domains you want (Containers, VMs, Flash, Config, Files) and pick an accent colour.
  3. On the Containers tab, pick a container and click Back up to make your first restore point. Repository paths default to /mnt/user/bombvault/{container,vms,flash,config,files} and are created on the first backup.
  4. Set up scheduling from Settings, Schedules. There is a one-click include all in schedule for containers and VMs.

Optional: pick a backup order

If some containers should always be backed up before others (for example a database before the app that uses it), open the backup-order panel on the Containers page and drag them into the sequence you want. Scheduled and multi-select runs then follow it; anything you leave unordered is backed up most-overdue-first, as before.

Host integration check

Open /spike in the web UI after the container starts. It probes every mount and CLI (Docker socket, libvirt, restic, qemu-img, rclone) and reports any missing pieces, so you can confirm the container is wired up correctly before you rely on it.

Simple vs Advanced

By default the interface shows only the essentials (back up, restore, schedule). Use the Simple / Advanced switch in the sidebar to reveal the expert controls: retention, off-site copy, pre/post hooks, file-level restore, notifications, Prometheus metrics and the integrity/maintenance tools. It is a per-browser preference and off by default, so newcomers get a clean UI and power users get everything.

Next steps

  • Browse the full Features.
  • Add one or more Off-site & recovery replicas (each domain can ship to several destinations at once) and save your recovery kit.
  • Cloning a setup or moving to a new box? Carry your whole configuration over with the Export and import settings card. See Configuration.
  • Hit a snag? See Troubleshooting.