Setup guide

2.1.1 (current): for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS because policykit-1 no longer exists there. Depends on polkitd + pkexec. Also runs on Ubuntu 24.04.

Version 1.8.3 runs only on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, not on Ubuntu 26.04. Download: nc-backup_1.8.3-1_all.deb · source 1.8.3.

sudo dpkg -i nc-backup_2.1.1-1_all.deb
sudo apt -f install
systemctl status nc-backup-web
# http://SERVER-IP:42173

From source: sudo ./scripts/install-ubuntu.sh

Default: 42173, bind 0.0.0.0. Change with sudo systemctl edit nc-backup-web → Environment=NC_BACKUP_WEB_PORT=…, then sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl restart nc-backup-web.

If UFW is installed, the installer adds allow 42173/tcp. It does not enable UFW automatically.

sudo ufw allow 42173/tcp comment "nc-backup-web"

Service nc-backup-web starts at boot: ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 -m nc_backup_web. No nginx – Python standard library HTTP. Logs: journalctl -u nc-backup-web -f

Scheduled backups: nc-backup.timer (enabled when you set a schedule). The service nc-backup.service is oneshot and often disabled: ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 -m nc_backup run.

• Access key required (strong: upper/lower case, digit, special character) – /etc/nc-backup/web-token
• restic password with the same strength – /etc/nc-backup/restic-password
• Native / Docker / AIO detection, extra DB container, datadirectory from config.php
• restic backs up dump + config.php + data directory (mysqldump --single-transaction, native or docker exec)
• Web UI and GUI show an update notice from GitHub Releases – no auto-install

This app is optional – the web UI is enough for backup and restore. It is not listed in the Nextcloud App Store. Nextcloud only loads it if the folder sits in the real apps/ directory, belongs to www-data, and is enabled with occ. It starts backups only – restore stays in the web UI (port 42173).

• Settings → Administration → NC Backup: URL + access key only (token from /etc/nc-backup/web-token or the web UI)
• NC Backup icon in the header (like Calendar): pick a target and start

From nc-backup 2.1.1 / app 1.3.3: empty backup-start body as {} or accepted [] (no 400 “JSON object expected”). API unchanged: /api/backup, /api/status, /api/targets with Authorization: Bearer ….

The folder name must be exactly ncbackup. Wrong apps/ path is the usual failure.

cd /tmp
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/MarkusFroendhoff/nc-backup.git
sudo find /var/www /opt /srv -name occ 2>/dev/null | head

NC=/var/www/nextcloud
SRC=/tmp/nc-backup/nextcloud-app/ncbackup
# or after the .deb: SRC=/usr/share/nc-backup/nextcloud-app/ncbackup
sudo rm -rf "$NC/apps/ncbackup"
sudo cp -a "$SRC" "$NC/apps/ncbackup"
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data "$NC/apps/ncbackup"
sudo -u www-data php "$NC/occ" app:enable ncbackup
# if Nextcloud says incompatible:
sudo -u www-data php "$NC/occ" app:enable --force ncbackup
sudo -u www-data php "$NC/occ" app:list | grep ncbackup

Docker: copy into the mounted apps volume, then docker exec -u www-data CONTAINER php occ app:enable --force ncbackup. Do not use http://127.0.0.1:42173 from inside the container – use the host LAN IP or http://172.17.0.1:42173.

1. Read the access key from the web UI or sudo cat /etc/nc-backup/web-token.
2. Nextcloud → Settings → Administration → NC Backup (not Personal).
3. Native, same host: URL http://127.0.0.1:42173, paste token, save.
4. Click the NC Backup icon → choose target → start.

sudo -u www-data php /var/www/nextcloud/occ config:system:set allow_local_remote_servers --value=true --type=boolean

Needed if Nextcloud blocks local URLs. Then hard-reload the browser (Ctrl+F5).

Version 1.8.3 runs only on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, not on Ubuntu 26.04.

Package: nc-backup_1.8.3-1_all.deb · source: nc-backup-1.8.3-source.tar.gz

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