New post about Resticara

content/post/2023-09-11-Resticara/index.md

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+---
+title: "Resticara - a wrapper of Restic"
+author: "Blagovest Petrov"
+date: 2023-09-1100:54:19+02:00
+tags:
+  - "Backup"
+  - "Projects"
+categories:
+  - "DevOps"
+draft: false
+---
+
+![Resticara](https://repository-images.githubusercontent.com/683147638/770302ee-0cd8-4394-a039-7250d003a0a0)
+
+Hey folks, hope you're all doing well! If you've ever had to deal with backups, you know it can be a chore. Enter Restic — an excellent command-line tool for backups. But wouldn't it be nice to skip the bash scripting for simple projects? That's exactly why I decided to build Resticara over a weekend. I was working with a client and realized that both of us needed a more streamlined way to use Restic.
+
+# [[>>GitHub page<<](https://github.com/VuteTech/Resticara)
+
+
+## What is Resticara?
+
+Simply put, Resticara is a wrappera around [Restic](https://restic.readthedocs.io/en/stable/020_installation.html) .  If you're not yet acquainted with Restic, I highly recommend checking it out. But even though Restic is powerful, it can be cumbersome to use at times. That's where Resticara steps in. It provides an easy-to-use interface for Restic, aiming to make your backup process more straightforward.
+
+Currently, it supports backup of directories and MySQL/MariaDB databases. PostgreSQL support is on the TODO and pull requests with more functionality will be highly appreciated!
+
+## Simplicity
+
+The configuration is made in a single INI file, no complex scripting involved. This is an example config:
+
+```ini
+[general]
+; if hostID=hostname, the actual hostname of the machine will be shown
+hostID=hostname
+
+[smtp]
+enabled = false
+;from = "user@example.com"
+;username = "user@example.com"
+;pass = "#################3"
+;to = "admin@example.com"
+;server = "mail.example.com"
+;port = "587"
+
+[dir:website]
+bucket = s3:s3.amazonaws.com/mysitebackup204:wpsites/
+directory = /var/www
+retention_daily = 4
+retention_weekly = 7
+retention_monthly = 3
+
+[mysql:maindb]
+bucket = b2:bucket:mariadb/
+database = --all-databases
+retention_daily = 4
+retention_weekly = 7
+retention_monthly = 3
+```
+As the saying goes, a good system administrator should be lazy—in a smart way, of course! The idea is to reduce repetitive tasks to a minimum for maximum effectiveness. And what could be lazier, in the best sense of the word, than putting all your backup configurations in a single, straightforward INI file? No intricate scripts, no lengthy commands—just pure, unadulterated simplicity. It's also easier for automating with tools like Ansible!
+
+## Reporting
+As you see, Resticara already supports integrated reports through SMTP and it's pushing the logs to Syslog.
+
+# Example usage with SystemD timers
+
+First, install [Restic](https://restic.readthedocs.io) independently. Here is the official documentation: https://restic.readthedocs.io/en/stable/020_installation.html
+<br/>
+Then, install Resticara from an RPM or a DEB package or extract it from a ZIP.  It can be downloaded from the [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/VuteTech/Resticara/releases)
+
+<br/>
+Once the two packages are both installed. initialize the repositories with `restic init`. This functionality is not included inside Resticara. You might need some secrets given as ENV variables, depending on the cloud provider. For MySQL/MariaDB backups, the user which is running Resticara will also need credentials to the database. They must be set in the ~/.my.cnf file.
+
+<br/>
+When the repositories are initialized, configure them in `/etc/resticara/config.ini`, as it is described in the file.
+
+<br/>
+
+## SystemD setup
+
+Create a service file config but don't enable it, it's not a daemon. The service will be triggered by the SystemD timer: 
+`/etc/systemd/system/resticara.service`:
+
+```
+[Unit]
+Description=Run Resticara
+
+[Service]
+Environment="B2_ACCOUNT_ID=MyB2Account"
+Environment="B2_ACCOUNT_KEY=010101"
+Environment="RESTIC_PASSWORD=u4U0ECIjqJxD56g9Ra63XuYgHnwjYvVMbw7nEAR4zWX5dvZHnUvkeXXbVbcC"
+ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/resticara run
+```
+
+The required secrets will be stored in the service (RESTOC_PASSWORD is the key for encrypting the Restic repositoies). This might be not the best practice but it works for me for now.
+<br />
+
+Create the timer configuration `/etc/systemd/system/resticara.timer`:
+
+```
+[Unit]
+Description=Run Resticara twice daily
+
+[Timer]
+OnCalendar=*-*-* 12,18:00:00
+Persistent=true
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=timers.target
+```
+
+The current config will run the backup twice a day - at 12:00PM and 6:00PM. Also, you will need to enable the timer (Only the timer, not the service!):
+
+```bash
+systemctl enable resticara.timer
+```
+
+This is everyting for now. Any contributions welcome!