Kopia — backups without the drama
There’s a certain kind of backup tool that tries to be everything at once, and usually ends up being a headache. Kopia isn’t like that. It’s small, open source, runs on Linux, Windows, macOS — and doesn’t care if the storage is a USB drive on your desk or a bucket in S3.
It works with a repository model: snapshots go into a single structured store, no matter where it’s hosted. Files are split into chunks, duplicates removed, compressed with zstd, then encrypted before leaving the client. That encryption isn’t just for show — every piece is verified, so corruption gets spotted early.
For small setups, it’s a one-line CLI backup. For bigger ones, server mode adds a web UI for browsing snapshots, setting schedules, and managing retention. It’s not fancy, but it’s reliable.
Capabilities
Feature | Description |
Cross-Platform | Runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS with identical core features |
Storage Flexibility | Local disks, NAS, SMB shares, S3-compatible services, Google Cloud, Azure Blob, Backblaze B2 |
Deduplication | Content-defined chunking eliminates duplicate data storage |
Compression | High-speed zstd compression for reduced footprint |
End-to-End Encryption | Client-side encryption with integrity verification |
Policy Control | Per-path scheduling, retention, and compression rules |
Server Mode | Web UI for multi-client management and monitoring |
Open Repository Format | Can be reconnected from any authorized client without lock-in |
Deployment Notes
– First large backups are best seeded locally before syncing to remote storage.
– Repository format is portable and not tied to one machine.
– Works equally well in offline and cloud scenarios.
– In low-bandwidth environments, deduplication drastically shortens backup windows.
– Authentication and access rules apply in server mode.
Quick Start (Linux)
curl -LO https://github.com/kopia/kopia/releases/latest/download/kopia-linux-x64.tar.gz
tar -xzf kopia-linux-x64.tar.gz
sudo mv kopia /usr/local/bin/
kopia repository create filesystem –path /srv/kopia-repo
kopia snapshot create /home/user
kopia snapshot restore /restore/path
Usage Scenarios
– Nightly workstation backups to NAS without agents.
– Cloud archiving of project data with encryption and deduplication.
– Rolling snapshots for application servers with quick restore needs.
– Mixed-OS fleet backups under one unified system.
– Low-bandwidth site backups with minimal data transfer.