Running a backup

Trigger an immediate backup and follow its progress in real time.

Last updated: May 18, 2026

Once the target and the sources are configured, a backup can be started at any time, without waiting for the next scheduled run.

Triggering the backup

From the Home screen, the b key starts an immediate backup. Cloud-PBS TUI gathers the current configuration (target, sources, encryption) and invokes proxmox-backup-client.

An execution panel then opens over the interface.

Following the progress

The execution panel shows the output of proxmox-backup-client in real time, line by line, while the client processes the sources. You see the progress, the archives being processed and the final result.

  • ↑ ↓ scroll the log.
  • Esc interrupts the backup while it is running, or closes the panel once the backup is finished.

At the end, the panel reports whether the backup succeeded or failed.

Prerequisites

A real backup requires:

  • proxmox-backup-client installed on the host. If it is missing, a banner says so and the backup cannot be started.
  • a reachable target and a valid token, holding the Datastore.Backup privilege on the datastore.
  • at least one source defined.

What a backup produces

Each source becomes an archive in a new datastore snapshot. Proxmox Backup Server deduplicates the data: only blocks that are new or changed since the previous backup are actually transferred, which keeps successive backups fast and compact.

The snapshots produced can be browsed from the Backups screen.