Cloud-PBS TUI overview

Cloud-PBS TUI is a text-mode application that guides the configuration and execution of backups from a Linux host to a Proxmox Backup Server (PBS). It is aimed at administrators who want to back up a server without working directly on the command line.

How it works

Cloud-PBS TUI does not embed the code of the official proxmox-backup-client. It invokes it as a subprocess: it builds the commands, runs them and surfaces their output. The backup logic stays Proxmox’s own.

A direct consequence: proxmox-backup-client must be installed separately on the host. The Installation page handles this automatically.

What the tool does

• connect the host to a PBS server (address, datastore, API token);
• pick the directories to back up by browsing the filesystem;
• schedule recurring backups through systemd timers;
• run a backup and follow its progress in real time;
• encrypt backups on the client side;
• browse the backups present in the datastore and restore them, in full or file by file.

The screens

The interface is organised into five screens, reached with keys 1 to 5:

1. Home: a summary of the current configuration.
2. Target: connection to the PBS server.
3. Sources: selection of the paths to back up.
4. Schedule: backup scheduling.
5. Backups: datastore browsing and restore.

The interface is bilingual, English and French: English by default, French depending on the system language, and the choice can be switched from the Home screen. See Navigation and shortcuts.

Requirements

• Linux amd64 (x86-64): the only architecture for which Proxmox ships proxmox-backup-client.
• proxmox-backup-client 3.x or later, installed on the host.
• FUSE (the fuse3 package), required to browse a backup’s contents and restore part of it.
• systemd, recommended for backup scheduling.

The Cloud-PBS TUI binary is statically compiled, with no external dependency; it therefore runs on every recent Linux distribution.

Getting started

Head to the Installation page, then follow the PBS server connection.