Building a Reliable Backup and Disaster Recovery SaaS: The Roadmap

Daud FarzandDaud Farzand
4 min read

This solution includes a directory structure and automated Bash scripts for backups using rsync and tar. It integrates MinIO for S3-like storage and uses AWS CLI for easy recovery. It also features multi-server deployment with Ansible, an API, and a Vue.js frontend, all tested and deployable in cloud or on-premises setups.


Phase 1: Backup Solution Setup

[ ] Step 1: Set Up Backup Directories and Scripts

  • [ ] Identify critical directories for backup (e.g., application data, databases, config files).

  • [ ] Create a root directory for backups with subdirectories for daily, weekly, and monthly backups.

      mkdir -p /opt/backup/{daily,weekly,monthly}
    
  • [ ] Verify directory structure creation.

[ ] Step 2: Create Automated Backup Script

  • [ ] Write a Bash script to automate file backups using rsync or tar.

      # Example backup script
      #!/bin/bash
      SRC_DIR="/var/www"
      BACKUP_DIR="/opt/backup/daily"
      DATE=$(date +'%Y-%m-%d')
      rsync -a --delete $SRC_DIR $BACKUP_DIR/$DATE
      tar -czvf $BACKUP_DIR/backup-$DATE.tar.gz $SRC_DIR
      echo "Backup completed for $DATE."
    
  • [ ] Schedule script execution using cron for daily, weekly, or monthly backups.

      crontab -e
      0 2 * * * /bin/bash /opt/backup/backup.sh
    

Phase 2: MinIO Setup and Integration

[ ] Step 3: Install and Configure MinIO as an S3 Alternative

  • [ ] Install MinIO on Manjaro.

      sudo pacman -S minio
    
  • [ ] Start MinIO on localhost (port 9000).

      minio server /data/minio
    
  • [ ] Configure AWS CLI for MinIO and set endpoint.

      aws configure --profile minio
      aws configure set profile.minio.s3.endpoint_url http://localhost:9000
    
  • [ ] Create a backup bucket in MinIO.

      aws --profile minio s3 mb s3://my-smb-backups
    

[ ] Step 4: Update Backup Script to Sync with MinIO

  • [ ] Modify the backup script to upload backups to MinIO after creation.

      aws s3 cp "$BACKUP_DIR/backup-$DATE.tar.gz" "s3://$BUCKET_NAME/daily/" \
          --endpoint-url "$MINIO_ENDPOINT" \
          --profile minio
    
  • [ ] Test syncing to MinIO and verify backup files.


Phase 3: Database Backup Integration (Optional)

[ ] Step 5: Add Database Backup Support

  • [ ] Modify the backup script to support database backups (MySQL, PostgreSQL).

    • MySQL:

        mysqldump -u root -p'my_password' mydatabase > $BACKUP_DIR/daily/mydatabase-$DATE.sql
      
    • PostgreSQL:

        pg_dump mydatabase > $BACKUP_DIR/daily/mydatabase-$DATE.sql
      
  • [ ] Automate sync of database backups to MinIO.

      aws s3 cp $BACKUP_DIR/daily/mydatabase-$DATE.sql s3://$BUCKET_NAME/daily/ --profile minio
    

Phase 4: Disaster Recovery

[ ] Step 6: Create Disaster Recovery Script

  • [ ] Write a restore script to retrieve and extract backups from MinIO.

      aws s3 cp "s3://$BUCKET_NAME/daily/backup-$DATE.tar.gz" "$DOWNLOAD_DIR" \
          --endpoint-url "$MINIO_ENDPOINT" \
          --profile minio
      tar -xzvf "$DOWNLOAD_DIR/backup-$DATE.tar.gz" -C "$RESTORE_DIR"
    
  • [ ] Verify functionality by performing a test restore.


Phase 5: Multi-Server Deployment with Ansible

[ ] Step 7: Automate Solution Deployment with Ansible

  • [ ] Create an Ansible playbook for deploying the backup solution to multiple servers.

      - hosts: all
        become: yes
        tasks:
          - name: Install AWS CLI
            package:
              name: aws-cli
              state: present
    
  • [ ] Test playbook to verify it deploys backup scripts and schedules cron jobs on target servers.


Phase 6: Backend Development

[ ] Step 1: Set Up Python Environment with VirtualFish

  • [ ] Create and activate a virtual environment with VirtualFish.

      vf new backup-api
      vf activate backup-api
    

[ ] Step 2: Install Flask and Dependencies

  • [ ] Install Flask and other dependencies within the virtual environment.

      pip install Flask Flask-RESTful flask-cors
    

[ ] Step 3: Configure Project Structure and Implement API

  • [ ] Set up project structure.

      mkdir -p project/app
      touch project/main.py project/app/__init__.py project/app/routes.py project/app/backup_utils.py
    

[ ] Step 4: Define Routes and Backup Logic

  • [ ] Implement backup, restore, and list-backups endpoints in app/routes.py.

    • Example route:

        @backup_blueprint.route('/backup', methods=['POST'])
        def backup():
            result = create_backup()
            return jsonify(result), 200
      
  • [ ] Implement backup and restore logic in app/backup_utils.py.


Phase 7: Frontend Development

[ ] Step 1: Set Up Vue.js Project

  • [ ] Create a Vue.js project for the frontend.

      npm install -g @vue/cli
      vue create backup-ui
      cd backup-ui
    

[ ] Step 2: Implement Frontend Interface

  • [ ] Design App.vue and BackupDashboard.vue for backup, restore, and listing backups.

      <button @click="createBackup">Create Backup</button>
    

[ ] Step 3: Connect Frontend to Backend API

  • [ ] Set up Axios or Fetch to interact with the Flask API.

  • [ ] Verify communication between frontend and backend.


Final Phase: Testing and Deployment

[ ] Step 1: Testing

  • [ ] Test backup and restore functionality thoroughly, including database and MinIO sync.

  • [ ] Test deployment across multiple servers.

[ ] Step 2: Deployment

  • [ ] Deploy the solution on a cloud platform or on-premises for production use.

  • [ ] Monitor and optimize for performance and reliability.


Note: Each phase may require additional testing and modifications. Document any changes to scripts and configurations.

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Written by

Daud Farzand
Daud Farzand