How to Backup Linux to Remote WebDAV using Deja Dup

Deja Dup is a GUI backup tool for Linux. You can find Deja Dup as the default backup tool on several Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, OpenSUSE and many others. Deja Dup supports various backup destinations including some cloud storage. You can store your backup on Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage and also remote WebDAV. Today, I will show you how to Backup Linux to remote WebDAV using Deja Dup.

What you need?

In order to backup to remote WebDAV, you will need a remote WebDAV enabled services such as Owncloud, Nextcloud, Box.com and many others. On this example, I use Nextcloud installed on my server on my local network.

Deja Dup has become the default backup utility on many Linux distribution including Ubuntu. Even its not complete, Deja Dup should be suitable for most users who needs a reliable backup for their data. Deja Dup lacks full system backup. You cannot restore your Linux system with this backup.

Install Deja Dup

In case you don’t have it installed on your distribution, you may follow these steps to install Deja Dup on various Linux distributions.

Ubuntu 18.04

sudo apt install dejadup

OpenSUSE

sudo zypper in deja-dup

Steps to Backup Linux to Remote WebDAV Using DejaDup

On this example, I use my remote WebDAV Server (Nextcloud) to store my backup. You can read the tutorial to install Nextcloud on Linux if you like.

Open DejaDup and click Overview tab. We are going to specify the storage location. Select WebDAV from Storage Location. Type the server IP address, port, and folder.

You will also need username and password to login to your remote WebDAV server. Then, turn on using the top right button. You will be asked to enter username and password.

Tips:

If you are trying to connect Deja Dup to Owncloud or Nextcloud WebDav, use the following settings:

Storage Location: WebDav
Server: 192.168.100.14 #your server IP address
Port : 80 #standard port. Change it if your server use a different port
folder: /nextcloud/remote.php/webdav/Music #Change this to your own WebDav folder
username: dhani #your Nextcloud login

Next, specify which folder to backup. You can include more than one folders to backup. You may also add exceptions to some files or folders you don’t want to back up.