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 software that
   8 backups :term:`virtual machine`\ s, :term:`container`\ s, and physical hosts.
   9 It is specially optimized for the `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_ platform and
  10 allows you to backup your data securely, even between remote sites, providing
  11 easy management with a web-based user interface.
  12
  13 Proxmox Backup Server supports deduplication, compression, and authenticated
  14 encryption (AE_). Using :term:`Rust` as implementation language guarantees high
  15 performance, low resource usage, and a safe, high quality code base.
  16
  17 It features strong encryption done on the client side. Thus, it's possible to
  18 backup data to not fully trusted targets.
  19
  20
  21 Architecture
  22 ------------
  23
  24 Proxmox Backup Server uses a `client-server model`_. The server stores the
  25 backup data and provides an API to create backups and restore data. With the
  26 API it's also possible to manage disks and other server side resources.
  27
  28 The backup client uses this API to access the backed up data. With the command
  29 line tool ``proxmox-backup-client`` you can create backups and restore data.
  30 For QEMU_ with `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_ we deliver an integrated client.
  31
  32 A single backup is allowed to contain several archives. For example, when you
  33 backup a :term:`virtual machine`, each disk is stored as a separate archive
  34 inside that backup. The VM configuration itself is stored as an extra file.
  35 This way, it is easy to access and restore only important parts of the backup
  36 without the need to scan the whole backup.
  37
  38
  39 Main Features
  40 -------------
  41
  42 :Support for Proxmox VE: The `Proxmox Virtual Environment`_ is fully
  43    supported and you can easily backup :term:`virtual machine`\ s and
  44    :term:`container`\ s.
  45
  46 :Performance: The whole software stack is written in :term:`Rust`,
  47    to provide high speed and memory efficiency.
  48
  49 :Deduplication: Periodic backups produce large amounts of duplicate
  50    data. The deduplication layer avoids redundancy and minimizes the used
  51    storage space.
  52
  53 :Incremental backups: Changes between backups are typically low. Reading and
  54    sending only the delta reduces storage and network impact of backups.
  55
  56 :Data Integrity: The built in `SHA-256`_ checksum algorithm assures the
  57    accuracy and consistency of your backups.
  58
  59 :Remote Sync: It is possible to efficiently synchronize data to remote
  60    sites. Only deltas containing new data are transferred.
  61
  62 :Compression: The ultra fast Zstandard_ compression is able to compress
  63    several gigabytes of data per second.
  64
  65 :Encryption: Backups can be encrypted on the client-side using AES-256 in
  66    GCM_ mode. This authenticated encryption mode (AE_) provides very
  67    high performance on modern hardware.
  68
  69 :Web interface: Manage Proxmox backups with the integrated web-based user
  70    interface.
  71
  72 :Open Source: No secrets. Proxmox Backup Server is free and open-source
  73  software. The source code is licensed under AGPL, v3.
  74
  75 :Support: Enterprise support is available from `Proxmox`_.
  76
  77
  78 Reasons for Data Backup?
  79 ------------------------
  80
  81 The main purpose of a backup is to protect against data loss. Data loss can be
  82 caused by faulty hardware but also by human error.
  83
  84 A common mistake is to accidentally delete a file or folder which is still
  85 required. Virtualization can even amplify this problem; it easily happens that
  86 a whole virtual machine is deleted by just pressing a single button.
  87
  88 For administrators, backups can serve as a useful toolkit for temporarily
  89 storing data. For example, it is common practice to perform full backups before
  90 installing major software updates. If something goes wrong, you can easily
  91 restore the previous state.
  92
  93 Another reason for backups are legal requirements. Some data, especially
  94 business records, must be kept in a safe place for several years by law, so
  95 that they can be accessed if required.
  96
  97 In general, data loss is very costly as it can severely damage your business.
  98 Therefore, ensure that you perform regular backups and run restore tests.
  99
 100
 101 Software Stack
 102 --------------
 103
 104 .. todo:: Eplain why we use Rust (and Flutter)
 105
 106
 107 License
 108 -------
 109
 110 Copyright (C) 2019-2020 Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH
 111
 112 This software is written by Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH <support@proxmox.com>
 113
 114 Proxmox Backup Server is free and open source software: you can use it,
 115 redistribute it, and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Affero General
 116 Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3
 117 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
 118
 119 This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
 120 ``WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY``; without even the implied warranty of
 121 ``MERCHANTABILITY`` or ``FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE``.  See the GNU
 122 Affero General Public License for more details.
 123
 124 You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
 125 along with this program.  If not, see AGPL3_.
 126
 127
 128 History
 129 -------
 130
 131 .. todo:: Add development History of the product
 132