Restore a backup
Restoring in Dockstash is deliberately safe: pick a snapshot on the Snapshots screen, type the project name to confirm, and restore to a new location by default — overwriting the live project is a separate, explicit opt-in. Restic output streams live while the restore runs.
How to do it
Open the Snapshots screen
Pick your project on the Snapshots screen. You get a timeline of restore points — every successful backup run is one snapshot holding the project files, database dumps, and configs captured together.
Choose the restore point
Click Restore on the snapshot row you want. Usually that is the latest one; after a bad deploy or data corruption, pick the last snapshot from before the incident.
Type the project name to confirm
A confirmation dialog requires you to type the exact project name. This is intentional friction — restores are consequential, and a typed confirm eliminates wrong-project accidents.
Choose the restore mode
Keep the default "Restore to new location" and enter a target path: the snapshot is materialized there and the live project is untouched. "Overwrite existing" replaces the live project and is an explicit opt-in — use it only after you have validated the restored data once.
Watch the restore stream
Restic output streams into the log panel below the table while files and dumps are materialized. When it completes, the target path holds the project files plus the database dump from that snapshot.
Validate before switching over
Load the restored dump into a scratch database container and spot-check the tables your app depends on. Only then repoint your app or repeat the restore in overwrite mode. If you want this proof continuously, schedule a restore drill.
Do it in one click with Dockstash
Dockstash runs the exact dump above, restics it off-site, and drill-tests the restore automatically — no script to maintain.
Last updated: July 2026
Related guides
Run restore drills
Automatically restore the latest snapshot into a scratch workspace, byte- and row-diff it against the source, and get a pass/fail badge.
Configure storage destinations
Point Dockstash at your own storage VPS over SSH, save the one-time encryption password, and plan for total-loss recovery.
PostgreSQL
Back up PostgreSQL in Docker
SQLite
Back up SQLite in Docker
Frequently asked questions
Will restoring overwrite my running project?
Not unless you explicitly choose "Overwrite existing". The default mode restores into a new location you specify, leaving the live project untouched.
Can I restore a single file or just the database?
The snapshot contains files, dumps, and configs together. Restore to a new location and take what you need from the restored tree — that is the safest way to cherry-pick.
How do I restore onto a brand-new server?
Stand up a fresh Dockstash, point it at the same storage VPS, and import your configuration export envelope with the same master encryption key. Repositories then decrypt and every snapshot is restorable. See the bootstrap recovery runbook in the docs.
How fast is a restore?
Restic restores stream at roughly your network and disk speed; the dashboard shows live progress line by line. Restore-to-new-location also means the app stays up while the restore runs.