Backrest is a web UI and orchestrator for restic backup.
Backrest solves the problem of managing restic backups through a command-line interface by providing a web-accessible interface that simplifies repository creation, snapshot browsing, and file restoration. It runs as a lightweight standalone binary with restic as its only dependency, automatically downloading restic on first run. The tool takes an opinionated approach to backup scheduling and repository maintenance, running in the background to orchestrate operations like pruning, checking, and forgetting snapshots according to cron schedules.
Backrest suits users who want restic's mature encryption and reliability without wrestling with CLI commands, particularly those deploying to network-attached storage or remote systems. It works across Linux, macOS, Windows, and FreeBSD, and is available as a Docker image. The tool supports all restic storage backends including S3, B2, Azure, Google Cloud Storage, local storage, and SFTP, as well as rclone remotes. Users can import existing restic repositories or create new ones through the interface, configure notifications via Discord, Slack, Shoutrrr, Gotify, or Healthchecks, and execute pre- and post-backup shell scripts. Direct restic CLI access remains available for advanced operations when the web interface is insufficient.
The project maintains active test coverage with passing continuous integration checks. Docker image availability indicates ongoing distribution and deployment support. The tool has accumulated substantial download activity across both direct binary and container image channels, suggesting established adoption in production environments.
