Back Up Your Entire
Docker Project
One click detects your volumes, databases, and config — and proves the backup restores. No backup config required.
# Dockstash scans your compose project:
services:
db: # postgres:16 → PostgreSQL :5432
cache: # redis:7 → Redis (RDB + AOF)
app: # your service → volumes + config
# It runs the consistent dump for each engine:
$ pg_dumpall -U "$POSTGRES_USER" \
| restic backup --stdin
# …then proves it with a restore drill. ✓Dockstash makes backing up any Docker project one click. It auto-detects your volumes, databases, and config, dumps each database consistently from its running container, and stores encrypted Restic snapshots off-site — with automated restore drills that prove the backup works.
Most homemade Docker backups are broken
The failure is invisible until the day you need the restore.
Live-file database copies
Backing up a running Postgres/MySQL data directory captures torn writes. It looks fine until the restore fails.
Silent failures
Cron jobs stop and nobody notices — until recovery day. No alert, no heartbeat, no proof.
Fragile scripts
Hand-rolled restic + cron + pg_dump breaks on a version bump and has no restore verification.
- 13
- database engines, dumped natively
- AES-256
- GCM secret encryption at rest
- 100%
- standard Restic — restore without us
- 1
- click from scan to verified backup
Powerful Tools
For Total Confidence
Everything you need to back up a Docker project correctly, keep the data on storage you control, and know the restore works.
Compose-aware detection
Reads your Docker Compose stack and detects databases, volumes, and reverse-proxy config — no backup config to write.
Consistent database dumps
Runs each engine’s native dump inside the running container. Never a torn live-file copy that fails on restore day.
Verified restore drills
Restores the latest snapshot to a scratch location and diffs it against the source. Proof, not hope.
Your storage, no lock-in
Standard encrypted Restic repositories on your own VPS over SSH. You can restore without Dockstash.
Encrypted end to end
AES-256-GCM secrets at rest, SSH host-key pinning on the backup channel, Restic encryption in the repo.
Heartbeats & alerts
Silent cron death is the classic backup failure. Dockstash alerts you when a backup stops happening.
Continuous backup
A snapshot every five minutes with the continuous preset — then restore to any point in time.
Mirror mode
One-way directory replication through the encrypted repo: versioned, verified, on your schedule.
Verified Snapshots in Seconds
Dockstash reads your Compose stack, runs the correct consistent dump for each engine, stores an encrypted off-site Restic snapshot — then proves it restores with an automated drill.
Three Steps to Confidence
We’ve simplified backups so you can focus on shipping your app.
Scan
Point Dockstash at a Compose project. It detects databases, volumes, and reverse-proxy config and proposes a plan you confirm.
Back up
Each database is dumped consistently from its container, then Restic snapshots the dump and files off-site, encrypted.
Verify
Automated restore drills restore to a scratch location and diff against the source, so you know it works before you need it.
Docker-aware, or just file copies?
| Capability | Dockstash | Backrest | DIY scripts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consistent DB dumps | Yes | No — file-level only | DIY per engine |
| Restore-drill verification | Yes, automated | No | No |
| Docker Compose awareness | Yes, native | No — manual paths | Manual |
Open Source & Self-Hosted
Dockstash is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Read the code, audit the security model, and run the entire stack on your own server with Docker Compose. Backups are standard encrypted Restic repositories — you can restore them with the restic CLI alone, no Dockstash required.
- Apache-2.0 licensedSelf-host with Docker ComposeStandard Restic — no lock-in
Frequently asked questions
How does Dockstash back up a Docker database?
Dockstash runs the database’s native dump inside the running container (pg_dumpall, mysqldump --single-transaction, or mongodump --oplog), then stores the dump as an encrypted Restic snapshot. It never copies live database files off disk, because a half-written data file cannot be restored.
Where are my backups stored?
On your own storage VPS over SSH, as standard encrypted Restic repositories. Dockstash never holds your data. The Free tier runs entirely self-hosted with no paid provider.
How do I know a backup will actually restore?
Dockstash runs automated restore drills: it restores the latest snapshot to a scratch location and diffs it against the source, then surfaces per-project drill status. An untested backup is treated as no backup.
Do I need to write a backup config?
No. Dockstash scans your Docker Compose project, detects databases, volumes, and reverse-proxy config, and proposes a plan you confirm with checkboxes. One click backs everything up.
Is Dockstash open source?
Yes. Dockstash is open source under the Apache-2.0 license — the full source code is on GitHub at github.com/SelmiAbderrahim/dockstash. You can self-host the entire stack on your own server, and backups are standard encrypted Restic repositories you can restore with the restic CLI alone.
Ready to Trust Your Backups?
Back up your first Docker project in minutes. Free and fully self-hosted to start — no card, your storage, your keys.