How to backup any Linux system to Cloud-PBS

The Proxmox Backup Client (proxmox-backup-client) can back up any amd64 Linux system to a Proxmox Backup Server: a physical server, a virtual machine or a container. It is not limited to Proxmox VE hosts. Any x86-64 Linux host can therefore be backed up to your Cloud-PBS instance.

Before you start, the client must be installed on the host: see Installing the Proxmox Backup Client.

Two ways to back up

On the command line

proxmox-backup-client runs directly in a terminal. It is the reference tool, thorough and reliable, but entirely command-line driven: you need to know the target repository, the datastore, the API token, assemble the paths to back up, and handle encryption and scheduling. The official Proxmox documentation describes the full syntax.

With Cloud-PBS TUI (recommended)

Cloud-PBS TUI is a text-mode client that makes backing up a Linux host much simpler. It guides every step (connecting to the server, choosing directories, scheduling, encryption, running and restoring) and invokes proxmox-backup-client for you, without hiding anything it does.

It is the most direct way to back up a Linux host to Cloud-PBS. Its dedicated documentation covers the tool in detail:

• Cloud-PBS TUI overview: what it is and how it works;
• Installation: a script sets up Cloud-PBS TUI and proxmox-backup-client;
• Connecting to the PBS server, then Choosing the sources;
• Running a backup and Scheduling backups.

Restoring

A backup is only worth as much as its restore. Restoring the contents of a Linux host is covered on the Restore any Linux system page, and restoring from Cloud-PBS TUI (in full or file by file) on Browsing and restoring.