Backups

Your server makes a backup before every update, and whenever you ask in Settings → Backups (Backups). Backups go in /var/lib/nifty-backups, beside the data in /var/lib/nifty. Copy them to another computer too, because a backup on the same disk won't survive if the disk fails.

Back up from the command line

Run these commands as the server's user, while Nifty is running.

sudo -u nifty /usr/local/bin/nifty backup
sudo -u nifty /usr/local/bin/nifty backup list

nifty backup finds the service's data and backup folders by itself. For other installs, pass --data, and pass --backup-dir if you chose another folder. If it can't read the service's settings, it says so and names the data directory it's using.

Restore

1. Find the backup's ID with sudo -u nifty /usr/local/bin/nifty backup list.
2. Stop Nifty with sudo systemctl stop nifty.
3. Restore the backup with sudo -u nifty /usr/local/bin/nifty backup restore 20261013-142233-before_update.
4. Start Nifty with sudo systemctl start nifty.

Nifty first backs up the data it replaces, as Before restore. If that can't be done, such as when the database is too damaged to copy, --force restores anyway and moves the old database aside as nifty.db.replaced-<time>.

A backup made by a newer version won't restore, so update first. On a new computer, install Nifty and stop it. Copy the backup folder to /var/lib/nifty-backups, give it to the nifty user with sudo chown -R nifty:nifty /var/lib/nifty-backups, and then restore.

Use another folder

Choose Change… in Settings → Backups and type a full path, or set NIFTY_BACKUP_DIR in /etc/nifty.env. The service can only write to its own folders, so let it write to the new folder too.

sudo systemctl edit nifty

[Service]
ReadWritePaths=/srv/nifty-backups

Then run sudo systemctl restart nifty. The folder must be outside /var/lib/nifty and belong to the nifty user.

Copy them to another computer

Each backup is a folder with the database and a manifest. Uploaded files are kept once, in files/, for every backup. Copy the whole folder.

sudo rsync -a /var/lib/nifty-backups/ backup-host:/backups/nifty/

Backups aren't encrypted. Encrypt them with a tool you trust before they leave the computer. See Encrypt your data.

Keep the secret key apart

secret.key, or NIFTY_SECRET_KEY if you set it, unlocks the AI providers' API keys, and it isn't in backups. Keep it somewhere safe, such as a password manager. Without it, a restored Nifty works, but you need to enter those API keys again in Settings → Providers and models.

Older copies

Before backups existed, Nifty copied the database to /var/lib/nifty/nifty.db.v<N>-<time>.bak before each update. Rolling back still finds these copies. You can delete them once you're happy.