First Steps

This guide walks you through your first login and setting up your first automated backup job.

First Login

After installation, open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

On the first start, the login page asks how you want to start. Start fresh creates the first account, which becomes the SuperAdmin. Its password needs 12 characters, an upper and a lower case letter and a number, the level Standard of Settings → Passwords. Restore a backup brings back another DBackup from its configuration backup instead, see System Backup. Both are there only while nobody has an account, and a third way, using the instance as a runner of another DBackup, is marked as coming soon.

Later the login page shows the name set under Settings → General and signs you in with your email and password, a passkey or a sign-in provider.

Once logged in, open Quick Setup in the sidebar to set up your first backup step by step. This is the recommended approach for new users.

Quick Setup

The setup is one page. Its parts sit one under the other, the open one in full and the others in a line with what they made. Beside them, the backup they add up to fills in as you go: the database, when it runs, where the backups go, the key and the channel.

1. Database - pick a database you already have, or pick a type to add a new one in the same dialog as on the Connections page. Saving it opens the next part.
2. Destination - the same for the place the backups go.
3. Encryption (optional) - take a key from the Vault or create one, or skip the part.
4. Notifications (optional) - take or add a channel that reports the runs, or skip the part.
5. Backup job - name the job, pick when it runs (every hour, every night, every week or a cron expression) and whether it backs up all databases of the server or only some.

Change opens a part that is done again, and what you typed into the job stays while you do. The times on the schedule cards are shown in your own time zone. Once the job is created, a card on top says when the first run starts and can start it right away with Run it now.

The job keeps the last 10 backups, which you can change later on the job. Encryption and notifications only appear for users who may create them.

The sidebar shows Quick Setup while no database is set up. To keep it there afterwards, switch on Always Show Quick Setup in the settings.

If you prefer to configure everything manually, follow the steps below.

Manual Setup Overview

A backup job in DBackup connects three things:

1. Source - The database to backup
2. Destination - Where to store the backup
3. Schedule - When to run the backup (optional)

Let's set up all three.

Step 1: Add a Storage Destination

First, create a place to store your backups.

Using Local Filesystem

1. Go to Connections in the sidebar, then the Destinations tab
2. Click New destination
3. Select Local Filesystem
4. Configure:
   • Name: Local Backups
   • Folder: /backups
5. Click Test connection
6. Click Create destination

Docker Volume

When using Docker, /backups maps to your host's ./backups folder via volume mount.

Step 2: Add a Database Source

Now add the database you want to backup.

Example: MySQL Database

1. Create a USERNAME_PASSWORD credential profile in Vault → Credentials with your database user and password (see Credential Profiles)
2. Go to Connections in the sidebar, then the Databases tab
3. Click New database
4. Select MySQL
5. Configure:
   • Name: Production MySQL
   • How DBackup connects: Direct
   • Host: mysql.example.com (or host.docker.internal for host machine)
   • Port: 3306
   • Login: select the profile you created
6. Click Test connection
7. Click Create database

Permissions

Ensure your database user has SELECT and LOCK TABLES permissions for backup, and CREATE permission for restore operations.

Step 3: Create a Backup Job

Now connect source and destination in a job.

1. Go to Jobs in the sidebar
2. Click Create Job
3. In the General tab, configure:
   • Name: Daily MySQL Backup
   • Source: Select "Production MySQL"
   • Databases: Click Load to fetch available databases, then select which ones to back up - leave empty to back up all databases
4. In the Destinations tab, click Add Destination and select "Local Backups"
   • Each destination can have its own independent retention policy
   • You can add multiple destinations (e.g., local + S3) for redundancy

Optional: Add Compression

In the Advanced tab: select a compression algorithm (Gzip or Brotli) from the Compression dropdown.

Optional: Add Encryption

In the Advanced tab: select an Encryption Profile from the Encryption dropdown. Profiles are managed in the Vault (sidebar).

Optional: Set Schedule

In the General tab, use the Schedule picker:

• Simple mode: Choose Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly and set the time
• Cron mode: Enter a raw cron expression (e.g., 0 2 * * * for daily at 2:00 AM)

Optional: Configure Retention

In the Destinations tab, expand a destination row and configure its retention policy:

• Simple: Keep last N backups
• Smart (GFS): Grandfather-Father-Son rotation

Step 4: Run Your First Backup

Time to test!

1. On the Jobs page, find your new job
2. Click the ▶ Run Now button
3. Watch the live progress

Monitor Progress

The execution view shows:

• Current step (Initialize → Dump → Upload → Complete)
• Progress bar with file size
• Live logs of the operation

View Results

After completion:

1. Check History for execution details
2. Browse Backups to see your backup file
3. Verify the .meta.json sidecar file was created

Step 5: Set Up Notifications (Optional)

Get alerted when backups complete or fail.

Discord Webhook

1. Go to Connections in the sidebar, then the Channels tab
2. Click New channel
3. Select Discord Webhook
4. Paste your webhook URL
5. Click Test to verify
6. Save

Assign to Job

1. Edit your backup job
2. Go to the Notify tab
3. Select your notification channel from the dropdown
4. Set the Notification Trigger (Always, Success only, Failure only)
5. Save

Finding Your Way

The sidebar lists the pages, headed by the name set under Settings → General. The search in the middle of the header, or Ctrl+K (⌘K on macOS) on any page, finds jobs, connections, databases, backups, runs, people, groups, API keys, templates, Vault entries, settings and pages by name, and opens the one you pick on its page. It shows only what you may open, the entries you opened last included, and keeps those for you alone. It can also start a job it found, and Tab narrows it to one kind.

The buttons on the right of the header lead to the guides and to DBackup on GitHub. A blue dot there marks a new version, and its card says how to update.

Next Steps

Congratulations! You've created your first automated backup. Now explore:

• Encryption Vault - Secure your backups
• Retention Policies - Automatic cleanup
• Backups - Browse and manage backups
• Restore - Restore from backups