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Backup & Maintenance

BitBonsai uses PostgreSQL. Backup methods:1. PostgreSQL Dump (Recommended)
# Full backup
docker exec bitbonsai-postgres pg_dump -U bitbonsai > backup.sql

# Restore
docker exec -i bitbonsai-postgres psql -U bitbonsai < backup.sql
2. Volume Backup (Docker)
# Stop containers
docker compose down

# Backup data volume
tar -czf bitbonsai-data.tar.gz /var/lib/docker/volumes/bitbonsai_postgres_data

# Restore
tar -xzf bitbonsai-data.tar.gz -C /
docker compose up -d
3. Automated Backups (Cron)
# Add to crontab (daily at 2 AM)
0 2 * * * docker exec bitbonsai-postgres pg_dump -U bitbonsai | gzip > /backups/bitbonsai-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).sql.gz
What Gets Backed Up:
  • Libraries and scan history
  • Job queue and encoding history
  • Settings and node configuration
  • User preferences
What Doesn’t Get Backed Up:
  • Media files (backup separately via rsync/Duplicati)
  • Temp files (*.bbtmp) - safe to delete
  • Logs (ephemeral, rotate after 30 days)
Restore Testing: Test your backups monthly to ensure they’re valid.
Yes, but WSL2 is required for optimal performance.Option 1: WSL2 + Docker (Recommended)
# Install WSL2
wsl --install

# Install Docker Desktop (with WSL2 backend)
# Download from: https://docker.com/desktop

# Run BitBonsai
docker compose up -d
Option 2: Native Windows (Not Recommended)
  • NestJS backend runs on Windows
  • FFmpeg works but slower (no native POSIX)
  • NFS shares not supported (use SMB)
  • Path handling issues (backslashes vs. forward slashes)
Why WSL2?
  • Native Linux performance
  • Better FFmpeg efficiency
  • NFS support for multi-node
  • Easier troubleshooting (Docker Compose)
Configuration:
  • Mount media via WSL2: \\wsl$\Ubuntu\mnt\media
  • Database in WSL2 volume (better I/O)
  • Frontend accessible via localhost:4210
Known Limitations:
  • GPU passthrough (NVENC) requires WSL2 + CUDA drivers
  • Network performance slightly lower than bare metal
  • File watchers may lag on large libraries (10K+ files)
See Installation Requirements for system specs.