docs/introduction.rst

   1 Introduction
   2 ============
   3
   4 What is Proxmox Backup Server?
   5 ------------------------------
   6
   7 Proxmox Backup Server is an enterprise-class, client-server backup solution that
   8 is capable of backing up :term:`virtual machine<Virtual machine>`\ s,
   9 :term:`container<Container>`\ s, and physical hosts. It is specially optimized
  10 for the `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_ platform and allows you to back up your
  11 data securely, even between remote sites, providing easy management through a
  12 web-based user interface.
  13
  14 It supports deduplication, compression, and authenticated
  15 encryption (AE_). Using :term:`Rust` as the implementation language guarantees
  16 high performance, low resource usage, and a safe, high-quality codebase.
  17
  18 Proxmox Backup uses state of the art cryptography for both client-server
  19 communication and backup content :ref:`encryption <client_encryption>`. All
  20 client-server communication uses `TLS
  21 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security>`_, and backup data can
  22 be encrypted on the client-side before sending, making it safer to back up data
  23 to targets that are not fully trusted.
  24
  25 Architecture
  26 ------------
  27
  28 Proxmox Backup Server uses a `client-server model`_. The server stores the
  29 backup data and provides an API to create and manage datastores. With the
  30 API, it's also possible to manage disks and other server-side resources.
  31
  32 The backup client uses this API to access the backed up data. You can use the
  33 ``proxmox-backup-client`` command line tool to create and restore file backups.
  34 For QEMU_ and LXC_ within `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_, we deliver an
  35 integrated client.
  36
  37 A single backup is allowed to contain several archives. For example, when you
  38 backup a :term:`virtual machine<Virtual machine>`, each disk is stored as a
  39 separate archive inside that backup. The VM configuration itself is stored as
  40 an extra file. This way, it's easy to access and restore only the important
  41 parts of the backup, without the need to scan the whole backup.
  42
  43
  44 Main Features
  45 -------------
  46
  47 :Support for Proxmox VE: The `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_ is fully supported,
  48    and you can easily backup :term:`virtual machine<Virtual machine>`\ s and
  49    :term:`container<Container>`\ s.
  50
  51 :Performance: The whole software stack is written in :term:`Rust`,
  52    in order to provide high speed and memory efficiency.
  53
  54 :Deduplication: Periodic backups produce large amounts of duplicate
  55    data. The deduplication layer avoids redundancy and minimizes the storage
  56    space used.
  57
  58 :Incremental backups: Changes between backups are typically low. Reading and
  59    sending only the delta reduces the storage and network impact of backups.
  60
  61 :Data Integrity: The built-in `SHA-256`_ checksum algorithm ensures accuracy
  62    and consistency in your backups.
  63
  64 :Remote Sync: It is possible to efficiently synchronize data to remote
  65    sites. Only deltas containing new data are transferred.
  66
  67 :Compression: The ultra-fast Zstandard_ compression is able to compress
  68    several gigabytes of data per second.
  69
  70 :Encryption: Backups can be encrypted on the client-side, using AES-256 GCM_.
  71    This authenticated encryption (AE_) mode provides very high performance on
  72    modern hardware. In addition to client-side encryption, all data is
  73    transferred via a secure TLS connection.
  74
  75 :Tape backup: For long-term archiving of data, Proxmox Backup Server also
  76    provides extensive support for backing up to tape and managing tape
  77    libraries.
  78
  79 :Web interface: Manage the Proxmox Backup Server with the integrated, web-based
  80    user interface.
  81
  82 :Open Source: No secrets. Proxmox Backup Server is free and open-source
  83    software. The source code is licensed under AGPL, v3.
  84
  85 :No Limits: Proxmox Backup Server has no artificial limits for backup storage or
  86    backup-clients.
  87
  88 :Enterprise Support: Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH offers enterprise support in
  89    the form of `Proxmox Backup Server Subscription Plans
  90    <https://www.proxmox.com/en/proxmox-backup-server/pricing>`_. Users at every
  91    subscription level get access to the Proxmox Backup :ref:`Enterprise
  92    Repository <sysadmin_package_repos_enterprise>`. In addition, with a Basic,
  93    Standard or Premium subscription, users have access to the :ref:`Proxmox
  94    Customer Portal <get_help_enterprise_support>`.
  95
  96
  97 Reasons for Data Backup?
  98 ------------------------
  99
 100 The main purpose of a backup is to protect against data loss. Data loss can be
 101 caused by both faulty hardware and human error.
 102
 103 A common mistake is to accidentally delete a file or folder which is still
 104 required. Virtualization can even amplify this problem, as deleting a whole
 105 virtual machine can be as easy as pressing a single button.
 106
 107 For administrators, backups can serve as a useful toolkit for temporarily
 108 storing data. For example, it is common practice to perform full backups before
 109 installing major software updates. If something goes wrong, you can easily
 110 restore the previous state.
 111
 112 Another reason for backups are legal requirements. Some data, especially
 113 business records, must be kept in a safe place for several years by law, so
 114 that they can be accessed if required.
 115
 116 In general, data loss is very costly as it can severely damage your business.
 117 Therefore, ensure that you perform regular backups and run restore tests.
 118
 119
 120 Software Stack
 121 --------------
 122
 123 Proxmox Backup Server consists of multiple components:
 124
 125 * A server-daemon providing, among other things, a RESTful API, super-fast
 126   asynchronous tasks, lightweight usage statistic collection, scheduling
 127   events, strict separation of privileged and unprivileged execution
 128   environments
 129 * A JavaScript management web interface
 130 * A management CLI tool for the server (`proxmox-backup-manager`)
 131 * A client CLI tool (`proxmox-backup-client`) to access the server easily from
 132   any `Linux amd64` environment
 133
 134 Aside from the web interface, most parts of Proxmox Backup Server are written in
 135 the Rust programming language.
 136
 137  "The Rust programming language helps you write faster, more reliable software.
 138  High-level ergonomics and low-level control are often at odds in programming
 139  language design; Rust challenges that conflict. Through balancing powerful
 140  technical capacity and a great developer experience, Rust gives you the option
 141  to control low-level details (such as memory usage) without all the hassle
 142  traditionally associated with such control."
 143
 144  -- `The Rust Programming Language <https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch00-00-introduction.html>`_
 145
 146 .. _get_help:
 147
 148 Getting Help
 149 ------------
 150
 151 .. _get_help_enterprise_support:
 152
 153 Enterprise Support
 154 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 155
 156 Users with a `Proxmox Backup Server Basic, Standard or Premium Subscription Plan
 157 <https://www.proxmox.com/en/proxmox-backup-server/pricing>`_ have access to the
 158 `Proxmox Customer Portal <https://my.proxmox.com>`_. The customer portal
 159 provides support with guaranteed response times from the Proxmox developers.
 160 For more information or for volume discounts, please contact sales@proxmox.com.
 161
 162 Community Support Forum
 163 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 164
 165 We always encourage our users to discuss and share their knowledge using the
 166 `Proxmox Community Forum`_. The forum is moderated by the Proxmox support team.
 167 The large user base is spread out all over the world. Needless to say that such
 168 a large forum is a great place to get information.
 169
 170 Mailing Lists
 171 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 172
 173 Proxmox Backup Server is fully open-source and contributions are welcome! Here
 174 is the primary communication channel for developers:
 175
 176 :Mailing list for developers: `PBS Development List`_
 177
 178 Bug Tracker
 179 ~~~~~~~~~~~
 180
 181 Proxmox runs a public bug tracker at `<https://bugzilla.proxmox.com>`_. If an
 182 issue appears, file your report there. An issue can be a bug, as well as a
 183 request for a new feature or enhancement. The bug tracker helps to keep track
 184 of the issue and will send a notification once it has been solved.
 185
 186 License
 187 -------
 188
 189 |pbs-copyright|
 190
 191 This software is written by Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH <support@proxmox.com>
 192
 193 Proxmox Backup Server is free and open source software: you can use it,
 194 redistribute it, and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Affero General
 195 Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3
 196 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
 197
 198 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
 199 ``WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY``; without even the implied warranty of
 200 ``MERCHANTABILITY`` or ``FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE``.  See the GNU
 201 Affero General Public License for more details.
 202
 203 You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
 204 along with this program.  If not, see AGPL3_.
 205
 206
 207 History
 208 -------
 209
 210 Backup is, and always has been, a central aspect of IT administration.
 211 The need to recover from data loss is fundamental and only increases with
 212 virtualization.
 213
 214 For this reason, we've been shipping a backup tool with Proxmox VE, from the
 215 beginning. This tool is called ``vzdump`` and is able to make
 216 consistent snapshots of running LXC containers and KVM virtual
 217 machines.
 218
 219 However, ``vzdump`` only allows for full backups. While this is fine
 220 for small backups, it becomes a burden for users with large VMs. Both
 221 backup duration and storage usage are too high for this case, especially
 222 for users who want to keep many backups of the same VMs. To solve these
 223 problems, we needed to offer deduplication and incremental backups.
 224
 225 Back in October 2018, development started. We investigated
 226 several technologies and frameworks and finally decided to use
 227 :term:`Rust` as the implementation language, in order to provide high speed and
 228 memory efficiency. The 2018-edition of Rust seemed promising for our
 229 requirements.
 230
 231 In July 2020, we released the first beta version of Proxmox Backup
 232 Server, followed by the first stable version in November 2020. With support for
 233 encryption and incremental, fully deduplicated backups, Proxmox Backup offers a
 234 secure environment, which significantly reduces network load and saves valuable
 235 storage space.