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Repository Guide

Repository Types & Performance Guide

Understand the differences between repository types and choose the best option for your needs

About Repositories in Borgmatic Director UI

A repository is where your backups are stored. Borgmatic Director UI supports multiple repository types, each with different performance characteristics. The choice of repository type significantly impacts backup speed, resource usage, and reliability. Understanding these differences helps you make informed decisions for your backup strategy.

Direct Mode

Borg writes directly to the remote storage. This is the fastest method as there's no intermediate step.

Sync Mode

Borg writes locally first, then a sync tool (like Rclone) copies to cloud. This adds overhead and delay.

Performance Comparison

Repository Type Speed Rating Storage Mode Best Use Case
Local Filesystem

Direct filesystem access on the same machine or fast local network

 Fastest

100%		 Direct Same machine backups, fast local network storage

⚠️ Not recommended due to potential data loss in case of disk crash or malicious attacks
SSH (Native Borg)

Borg's native SSH protocol with optimized deduplication and compression

 Very Fast

90%		 Direct Remote servers with Borg installed, production backups
S3 Direct (Native)

Borg's native S3 support using boto3, optimized for cloud object storage

 Fast

75%		 Direct Cloud storage (AWS, Hetzner, Wasabi, Backblaze B2, MinIO)
SFTP

SSH-based file transfer protocol, works without Borg on remote

 Moderate

60%		 Direct Remote servers without Borg installed
Rclone Direct (Mounted)

Rclone FUSE mount for 100+ cloud providers

 Moderate-Slow

50%		 Direct (FUSE) Cloud providers not natively supported (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
Network Mounts (NFS/SMB)

Network filesystems like NFS, SMB/CIFS

 Slow

45%		 Direct (mount) Existing network storage infrastructure
S3 Sync Mode

Write locally first, then sync to S3 using Rclone

 Slow

40%		 Sync When S3 direct mode is not available
Rclone Sync Mode

Write locally first, then sync to cloud

 Slowest

35%		 Sync When direct mounting is not possible

Detailed Explanations


Local Filesystem

Direct filesystem access on the same machine or fast local network

✓ Advantages
  • Fastest performance
  • No network overhead
  • Lowest latency
  • Simple setup

✗ Limitations
  • Requires local storage
  • No off-site backup
  • Vulnerable to local disasters

SSH (Native Borg)

Borg's native SSH protocol with optimized deduplication and compression

✓ Advantages
  • Highly optimized
  • Native Borg protocol
  • Efficient deduplication
  • Secure

✗ Limitations
  • Requires Borg on remote server
  • Needs SSH access

S3 Direct (Native)

Borg's native S3 support using boto3, optimized for cloud object storage

✓ Advantages
  • Native S3 support
  • Optimized for cloud
  • Scalable
  • Works with many providers

✗ Limitations
  • Network latency
  • S3 API overhead
  • Costs per request

SFTP

SSH-based file transfer protocol, slower than native SSH but works without Borg on remote

✓ Advantages
  • Works without Borg on remote
  • Secure
  • Standard protocol

✗ Limitations
  • Protocol overhead
  • Slower than native SSH
  • Less optimized

Quick Decision Guide

Choose SSH (Native) if:

  • You have a remote server with Borg installed
  • You want the fastest remote backup performance
  • You need production-grade reliability
  • You have SSH access to the remote server

Choose S3 Direct if:

  • You're using cloud object storage (AWS, Hetzner, Wasabi, etc.)
  • You want native cloud integration
  • You need scalable storage

Choose Rclone Direct (Mounted) if:

  • You need providers not natively supported (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
  • You can accept moderate performance
  • You need unified access to multiple providers

Avoid Sync Mode if possible:

  • It's the slowest option due to double write overhead
  • Requires local storage space
  • Adds complexity and potential failure points

Performance Tips

  • SSH is fastest: If you have a remote server, SSH (native Borg) is almost always the fastest option
  • Direct beats Sync: Always prefer direct mode over sync mode when possible
  • Avoid double writes: Sync mode writes data twice (locally + cloud), significantly slowing backups
  • Compression helps: Enable compression (LZ4) to reduce data transfer over network
  • Deduplication is key: Borg's deduplication works best with direct protocols like SSH
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