DBack — DB Sync Manager

Desktop GUI for MySQL/MariaDB backup and restore over SSH, Jump Host, or Docker.

DBack connects to remote Linux servers, streams database dumps to local files with compression, and restores backups to any saved host. Hosts, templates, history, and logs live in an encrypted local vault. Built with Go and Gio.

Repository: github.com/devlifeX/dback

Highlights

• Streaming backups — large dumps (5GB+) with on-the-fly zstd/gzip compression
• Smart fallback — retries with a remote tmp-file when SSH streams fail; supports resume and checksum validation
• Unified hosts — one connection, backup folder, and import queries per host
• Encrypted vault — profiles, templates, history, and logs stored in app_data.vault.json
• Remote sync — push/pull encrypted app settings to S3-compatible storage (AWS S3, MinIO, etc.)
• SQL templates — reusable snippets with placeholders for pre/post import queries
• Connection testing — step-by-step SSH and database checks from the host editor
• Modern UI — dark GitHub-style desktop interface with sidebar navigation and host overflow menus

Screenshots

Hosts

Manage remote servers, filter by group, search, and run backup actions from host cards.

SQL Templates

Create reusable SQL snippets with placeholders for pre/post import queries.

Host profile — import queries

Configure pre-import SQL, append templates, and test queries before restore.

Features

Connectivity

• SSH / Jump Host — password or private key authentication
• Docker — MySQL/MariaDB inside containers (docker exec)
• Databases — MySQL and MariaDB only
• Connection test — run a guided SSH + database check from the host editor with a live progress timeline

Backup & Restore

• Preflight checks — Linux OS, dump/client tools, compression, disk space, writable tmp paths, Docker container status
• Restore flow — select a backup, pick a destination host, run import with that host's pre/post queries
• Job center — progress and cancel controls on the Backups screen

Host Management

• Host cards — green Backup action plus a ⋮ overflow menu for Edit, Duplicate, and Delete
• Duplicate — clone a host with one click (Production 1, Production 2, …)
• Groups & search — filter by group, search by name
• Legacy migration — old export/import profiles are flattened on load

App Data Transfer

Settings has two tabs: Export and Sync.

Export / Import (local file)

• Export/import hosts, templates, backup history metadata, and activity logs
• Backup .sql.gz files are not included in the bundle
• Encrypted export with an export password (Argon2id + AES-256-GCM)
• Non-destructive merge — conflicts prompt before overwrite

Remote Sync (S3-compatible)

• Push or pull the same encrypted app-data bundle to {bucket}/dback/app-data.json
• Works with AWS S3, MinIO, and other S3-compatible endpoints
• Configure endpoint, region, bucket, access key, secret key, and SSL
• Test Connection verifies bucket access and read/write permissions under dback/
• Push / Pull appear after a successful connection test
• Encrypted with your vault master key (the same key used to unlock DBack), not the export password
• Sync settings (S3 credentials) are included in the remote bundle
• Pull downloads the bundle, asks for confirmation, then merges like a local import
• Sync log (local only, not uploaded): last push and last pull timestamps

SQL Templates

• Create, edit, and delete reusable SQL snippets
• Append template text to pre/post import queries
• Placeholders: {databasename}, {host}, {profile}, {dbuser}

Diagnostics & Logging

• Test SSH and database connectivity from the host editor
• Structured activity logs (operation ID, phase, strategy, attempt, masked commands)
• Debug mode mirrors logs to stderr (--debug or DBACK_DEBUG=1)

Quick Start

Run from source

./run.sh

With debug logging:

./run.sh --debug
# or
DBACK_DEBUG=1 ./run.sh

Build (Linux)

./build.sh
# or
./build.sh linux

Output:

• dist/dback-linux
• dist/dback launcher wrapper (handles common EGL/GPU driver issues)

Set the app version at build time:

APP_VERSION=3.2.0 ./build.sh linux

Version appears in About inside the app.

Build (Windows)

Requirements: Go 1.21+ and a Windows development environment.

go build -ldflags "-X main.appVersion=3.2.0" -o dist/dback-windows.exe .

Build manually (Linux)

Requirements: Go 1.21+ and Gio development libraries.

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y \
  build-essential pkg-config libvulkan-dev xorg-dev libwayland-dev \
  libxkbcommon-dev libxkbcommon-x11-dev libx11-xcb-dev libxcursor-dev \
  libxfixes-dev libegl-dev

Then:

go build -ldflags "-X main.appVersion=3.2.0" -o dist/dback-linux .

Docker alternative

If system dependencies are problematic:

./docker-run.sh

GitHub Releases

Tagged releases (v*) are built automatically by GitHub Actions:

Platform	Artifact
Linux	dback-linux
Windows	dback-windows.exe

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases.

Default Paths

Purpose	Path
App config & data	~/.config/dback
Default backups	~/dback/backups
Encrypted vault	~/.config/dback/app_data.vault.json
Remote sync object	{bucket}/dback/app-data.json
SSH known hosts	~/.config/dback/ssh_known_hosts

Hosts, templates, backup history, and activity logs are stored inside the encrypted vault. Each host can override the backup destination folder.

Security

• On first launch, DBack prompts for a master key (minimum 8 characters; confirmation required when creating a new vault).
• Legacy plaintext files are removed after successful migration into the vault.
• App Data Transfer exports require an export password. Remote Sync uses the vault master key instead. Metadata in history and logs may still contain host names and paths.
• S3 credentials are stored in the encrypted vault and included in sync bundles — use bucket policies and least-privilege IAM where possible.
• SSH uses TOFU host key verification — unknown keys are saved on first connect; mismatches are rejected.
• Remote database commands validate and shell-escape profile fields to reduce injection risk.
• Password fields are masked in the UI. Error messages are sanitized unless debug mode is enabled.

Usage

Hosts

1. Open Hosts → + Host
2. Configure connection (SSH, Jump Host, or Docker)
3. Set database credentials and backup destination
4. Optional: configure pre/post import queries on the Queries tab
5. Use Test Connection in the host editor to verify SSH and database access
6. On a host card, click Backup or open the ⋮ menu for Edit, Duplicate, or Delete

Restore

1. Open Backups → filter by host if needed
2. Select a backup file
3. Choose a destination host
4. Click Import to Selected Host

App data export/import

1. Open Settings → Export tab
2. Export App Data — enter an export password
3. Import App Data — enter the export password for encrypted bundles

Remote sync (S3)

1. Open Settings → Sync tab
2. Enter S3 endpoint, bucket, and credentials → Save
3. Click Test Connection — on success, Push and Pull appear
4. Push — uploads encrypted app data to dback/app-data.json
5. Pull — downloads the remote bundle, confirms, then merges into this device
6. Scroll to Sync log at the bottom to see last push/pull times (stored locally only)

Why is it fast?

• Direct streaming — data flows from database to file without intermediate storage
• Native tools — uses mysqldump / mariadb-dump on the server
• Smart compression — prefers Zstandard (zstd) when available
• No temp files by default — tmp-file fallback only when streaming fails

About

Created by dariush vesal.

• Email: dariush.vesal@gmail.com
• GitHub: github.com/devlifeX/dback

FAQ

Why does DBack require Vulkan/X11 libraries on Linux?

DBack uses Gio, a GPU-accelerated GUI toolkit. On Linux, Gio renders through Vulkan and creates windows via X11/Wayland, which requires development headers at build time.

Which platforms are supported?

• Linux desktop — primary platform; use ./run.sh, ./build.sh, or download dback-linux from GitHub Releases
• Windows — dback-windows.exe is built on tagged releases via GitHub Actions; build locally with go build on Windows
• macOS / Android — not supported in this release

Remote servers targeted for backup/restore must run Linux (SSH, Docker, or Jump Host workflows).

What happened to PostgreSQL and CouchDB?

Removed. DBack now supports MySQL and MariaDB only.

What happened to separate Export/Import settings per profile?

Profiles are now independent hosts with a single connection. Legacy dual settings are migrated automatically on first load.

What is included in remote sync?

The same data as Export App Data: hosts, templates, backup history metadata, activity logs, and sync settings. Backup .sql.gz files and local sync timestamps (last push/pull) are not uploaded.

Can I use MinIO or a self-hosted S3 endpoint?

Yes. Enter the host (with or without https://) and port, set Use SSL as needed, and provide bucket credentials. The remote object path is always dback/app-data.json inside your bucket.