Linux Development Environment Backup & Restore

Automated backup and restore solution for Linux development environments. Backs up packages, development environments, IDE (VS Code) settings, and configurations.

Features

• ✅ APT & SNAP packages - Complete system package backup
• ✅ Conda environments - Full Python/R data science environments
• ✅ VS Code - Extensions and user settings
• ✅ Configuration files - .bashrc, .gitconfig, etc.
• ✅ Smart scheduling - Backup only when needed (25+ days old)
• ✅ Secure - Minimal sudo permissions, encrypted SSH key handling
• ✅ Cross-distro - Works on Ubuntu, Debian, and derivatives

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/esosetrov/linux-env-backup
cd linux-env-backup

# Make scripts executable
chmod +x scripts/*.sh

# Run initial backup
./scripts/backup_system.sh

Configuration

1. Edit BACKUP_DIR in all script files to point to your backup location
2. Set up sudo permissions (see Security section)
3. Configure cron for automatic backups

Usage

Manual Backup

./scripts/backup_system.sh

Restore on New Machine

./scripts/restore_system.sh

Automatic Backups

Add to crontab:

0 12 * * * /path/to/linux-env-backup/scripts/check_backup.sh

Security

Sudo Configuration

Add to /etc/sudoers via sudo visudo:

# Allow passwordless apt-mark for automated backups
username ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/apt-mark showmanual

SSH Keys

SSH keys are NOT backed up by default. To backup SSH keys manually, store encrypted in secure location and methods.

File Structure

backup_location/
├── apt_packages.txt
├── snap_packages.txt
├── vscode_extensions.txt
├── vscode_user/
│   ├── settings.json
│   └── keybindings.json
├── conda_env_*.yml
├── .bashrc
├── .gitconfig
└── backup_summary.txt

Requirements

• bash 4.0+
• conda/miniconda (optional)
• VS Code (optional)
• sudo permissions for package listing

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Pull requests welcome! Please ensure scripts work on Ubuntu and Debian derivatives.

Note

This notebook is designed for educational and research purposes. Real-world applications may require additional considerations and validation.