---
title: "Zerobyte Restic GUI: Self-Hosted Backup Automation"
description: "Deploy Zerobyte, a Restic-powered backup dashboard, with Dokploy or Docker Compose. Create repositories, schedule jobs, and restore data safely."
date: 2026-05-04
categories: ["vps"]
tags: ["self-hosted","backup","restic"]
---
import Button from "@components/widgets/Button.astro";
import Notice from "@components/widgets/Notice.astro";
import ListCheck from "@components/widgets/ListCheck.astro";
import Accordion from "@components/widgets/Accordion.astro";
If you run a VPS, homelab, or any Linux server, backups are the only insurance that matters. Disks fail, updates break, and mistakes happen. Zerobyte gives you the reliability of [Restic](https://restic.net/) with a clean web UI, so you can automate backups without living in the terminal.
## What is Zerobyte?
[Zerobyte](https://github.com/nicotsx/zerobyte) is an open-source backup automation platform that wraps the Restic engine with a modern dashboard. It lets you create repositories, schedule jobs, and monitor snapshots from a web interface instead of managing everything by hand.
### Why Restic plus Zerobyte works
| Layer | Responsibility | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Restic | Encryption, deduplication, compression, repo format | Secure and efficient backups |
| Zerobyte | Web UI, scheduling, retention, logs | A usable control plane |
Together they deliver fast, encrypted backups with a workflow you can revisit months later and still understand.
### Key features
- Automated backups with retention policies powered by Restic
- End-to-end encryption by default
- Flexible schedules for daily, weekly, or custom jobs
- Multi-backend repositories: local, S3, GCS, Azure, rclone remotes
- Source volumes from local directories, NFS, SMB, or WebDAV
- Clear job logs and snapshot visibility in the UI
Zerobyte is still in the 0.x series. Expect breaking changes between versions and keep a close eye on release notes.
## Zerobyte UI tour
The UI is straightforward and task-focused. Here's what the main sections look like and how to use them.
### Volumes: connect data sources
Volumes define the data you want to back up. Add local directories, NFS, SMB, or WebDAV sources, then reference them when creating backup jobs.
### Repositories: choose storage backends
Repositories are the encrypted destinations for your snapshots. Configure local paths, S3-compatible storage, or rclone remotes depending on where you want backups to live.
### Backups: monitor jobs and snapshots
This is your operational view. Track job status, verify recent runs, and confirm snapshots are being created on schedule.
### Notifications: avoid silent failures
Notifications let you control how Zerobyte reports job events. Set them up early so failed backups never go unnoticed.
## Prerequisites
- Linux server or VPS with Docker and Docker Compose installed
- At least 2 GB RAM recommended for smooth UI and backup jobs
- Local disk space for `/var/lib/zerobyte` (avoid network shares)
- Optional: rclone if you want cloud storage backends
## Option 1: Deploy with Dokploy
Dokploy is a straightforward way to deploy Docker apps with managed domains and SSL. If you don't have it yet, start here: [Dokploy install guide](https://www.bitdoze.com/dokploy-install/).
### Step 1: Create the service
1. Open your Dokploy project
2. Click Add Service and choose Compose
3. Name it `zerobyte`
### Step 2: Paste the compose file
```yaml
services:
zerobyte:
image: ghcr.io/nicotsx/zerobyte:v0.19
networks:
- dokploy-network
restart: unless-stopped
cap_add:
- SYS_ADMIN
devices:
- /dev/fuse:/dev/fuse
environment:
- TZ=UTC
volumes:
- /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
- zerobyte-data:/var/lib/zerobyte
- /srv/backups:/backups
- /srv/data:/data:ro
- /etc/rclone:/root/.config/rclone:ro
networks:
dokploy-network:
external: true
volumes:
zerobyte-data:
```
### Step 3: Domain and port
Create a domain in Dokploy and map it to port 4096. After deploy, open `https://your-domain.com` to access the UI.
**Notes about the compose file**
- `/srv/backups` is a sample local repository path. Change it to your storage location.
- `/srv/data` is the source data to back up. Mount it read-only when possible.
- `/etc/rclone` is optional. Remove it if you don't use rclone remotes.
- The UI listens on port `4096` by default.
Keep `/var/lib/zerobyte` on local disk. Pointing it to a network share often causes permission issues and poor performance.
## Option 2: Docker Compose (standalone)
### Full setup (remote mounts enabled)
Use this if you need Zerobyte to mount NFS, SMB, or WebDAV shares inside the container.
```yaml
services:
zerobyte:
image: ghcr.io/nicotsx/zerobyte:v0.19
container_name: zerobyte
restart: unless-stopped
cap_add:
- SYS_ADMIN
ports:
- "4096:4096"
devices:
- /dev/fuse:/dev/fuse
environment:
- TZ=UTC
volumes:
- /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
- /var/lib/zerobyte:/var/lib/zerobyte
```
Start it:
```bash
docker compose up -d
```
### Simplified setup (local folders only)
If you only back up local directories, drop the FUSE device and extra capabilities:
```yaml
services:
zerobyte:
image: ghcr.io/nicotsx/zerobyte:v0.19
container_name: zerobyte
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "4096:4096"
environment:
- TZ=UTC
volumes:
- /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
- /var/lib/zerobyte:/var/lib/zerobyte
- /srv/data:/data:ro
```
**Trade-offs**
- Better security with fewer privileges
- Works for local directories
- No direct NFS, SMB, or WebDAV mounts
## Add your first volume
Zerobyte backs up data from volumes (source locations). To back up a local directory, mount it into the container and then pick it from the UI.
Example host path:
```diff
services:
zerobyte:
volumes:
- /var/lib/zerobyte:/var/lib/zerobyte
+ - /srv/projects:/projects:ro
```
Then go to Volumes in Zerobyte and create a new "Directory" volume that points to `/projects`.
## Create a repository
Repositories are where your encrypted backups live. Zerobyte supports multiple backends:
| Repository type | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Local directory | `/var/lib/zerobyte/repositories/myrepo` |
| S3 compatible | AWS S3, MinIO, Wasabi, Backblaze |
| Google Cloud Storage | GCS buckets |
| Azure Blob Storage | Azure containers |
| rclone remotes | Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc |
### Using rclone for cloud storage
1. Install rclone on your host: `curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash`
2. Configure a remote: `rclone config`
3. Mount the config into the container:
```diff
services:
zerobyte:
volumes:
- /var/lib/zerobyte:/var/lib/zerobyte
+ - ~/.config/rclone:/root/.config/rclone
```
After restarting the container, choose rclone as the repository type and select your remote.
## Create your first backup job
1. Pick a source volume and a repository
2. Set a schedule (daily, weekly, or custom)
3. Add include and exclude paths
4. Configure retention (keep daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
5. Run the job once manually to verify credentials and performance
## Restore data
Open Backups, select a snapshot, and restore files back to their original paths. For partial restores, pick only the files you need and Zerobyte will pull them from Restic.
## Post-deploy checklist
- Create at least one repository and test a manual backup
- Validate restores with a small file set
- Schedule jobs during low-usage windows for the first run
- Keep Zerobyte updated and review logs for failures
## Restic CLI commands you should know
```bash
# initialize a local repo
export RESTIC_REPOSITORY=/srv/backups/restic-repo
export RESTIC_PASSWORD="strong-password"
restic init
# create a backup
restic -r $RESTIC_REPOSITORY backup /home /etc
# list snapshots
restic -r $RESTIC_REPOSITORY snapshots
# forget and prune with a retention policy
restic -r $RESTIC_REPOSITORY forget --prune \
--keep-daily 7 --keep-weekly 4 --keep-monthly 12 --keep-yearly 3
```
## Practical retention tips
- Test restores regularly. A backup you cannot restore is useless.
- Keep Zerobyte metadata on local disk for performance and permissions.
- Expect the first backup to be heavy on I/O and bandwidth.
- Keep at least one independent offline copy for critical data.
- Use `restic check` and inspect logs when a job fails.
## FAQ
Only if you want Zerobyte to mount NFS, SMB, or WebDAV shares inside the container. For local folders, remove the capability and device for a safer setup.
Local repositories live under `/var/lib/zerobyte/repositories` by default. Cloud repositories are stored in the backend you configure.
## Final thoughts
Restic gives you trustworthy, encrypted backups. Zerobyte adds the convenience of a modern dashboard and scheduling layer. If you want a low-maintenance, self-hosted backup system, this combo is hard to beat.