ZFS Snapshot Manager

A distributed ZFS snapshot management system with S3-compatible storage support. This project provides client, server, and restore tools for managing ZFS snapshots across multiple machines.

Features

• S3 Storage Support: Store snapshots in any S3-compatible storage using AWS SDK v2 (AWS S3, MinIO, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces)
• Local ZFS Storage: Option to use local ZFS datasets for maximum performance
• Multi-client Architecture: Support for multiple clients with isolated storage and per-client quotas
• Automatic Compression: LZ4 compression for reduced storage costs and faster transfers
• Snapshot Rotation: Automatic cleanup of old snapshots based on quota
• Server-Managed Rotation Policies: Centralized control of client rotation policies - clients must use server-configured retention settings
• API Key Authentication: Secure client-server communication
• Simple CLI: Just use zfs-client snap to backup - automatically handles full/incremental

Project Structure

zfs/
├── cmd/
│   ├── zfs-server/     # Server executable
│   ├── zfs-client/     # Client executable
│   └── zfs-restore/    # Restore tool executable
├── internal/
│   ├── server/         # Server package (config, storage, HTTP handlers)
│   ├── client/         # Client package (snapshot creation, upload)
│   └── restore/        # Restore package (download, restore operations)
├── go.mod
├── go.sum
├── .env                # Configuration file
└── readme.md

Installation

Using Go Install

# Install server
go install git.ma-al.com/goc_marek/zfs/cmd/zfs-server@latest

# Install client
go install git.ma-al.com/goc_marek/zfs/cmd/zfs-client@latest

# Install restore tool
go install git.ma-al.com/goc_marek/zfs/cmd/zfs-restore@latest

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://git.ma-al.com/goc_marek/zfs.git
cd zfs

# Build all binaries
go build -o bin/zfs-server ./cmd/zfs-server
go build -o bin/zfs-client ./cmd/zfs-client
go build -o bin/zfs-restore ./cmd/zfs-restore

Configuration

Server Configuration

Create a .env file in the working directory:

# S3 Configuration
S3_ENABLED=true
S3_ENDPOINT=s3.amazonaws.com
S3_ACCESS_KEY=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY
S3_SECRET_KEY=YOUR_SECRET_KEY
S3_BUCKET=zfs-snapshots
S3_USE_SSL=true

# Local ZFS fallback
ZFS_BASE_DATASET=backup

# Database Configuration (SQLite)
DATABASE_PATH=zfs-backup.db

# Server settings
PORT=8080

Note

: All client configuration and snapshot metadata is stored in a SQLite database (zfs-backup.db by default). The server automatically creates a default client (client1 with API key secret123) if no clients exist.

Client Configuration

CLIENT_ID=client1
API_KEY=secret123
SERVER_URL=http://backup-server:8080
LOCAL_DATASET=tank/data
COMPRESS=true

# Optional: Direct S3 upload (bypasses server storage)
S3_ENDPOINT=https://s3.amazonaws.com
S3_REGION=us-east-1
S3_BUCKET=zfs-backups
S3_ACCESS_KEY=your_access_key
S3_SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

Important

:

• The API_KEY in the client .env file must be the raw (unhashed) key. The server stores the SHA-256 hash in the database.
• Storage type is determined by the server, not the client. The server decides whether to use S3 or local ZFS storage based on its configuration.
• The client automatically handles full vs incremental backups based on whether a bookmark exists.

Restore Tool Configuration

CLIENT_ID=client1
API_KEY=secret123
SERVER_URL=http://backup-server:8080

Usage

Server

# Start the backup server
zfs-server

# The server listens on port 8080 by default
# Endpoints:
#   POST /upload           - Request upload authorization
#   POST /upload-stream/   - Stream snapshot data
#   GET  /status           - Check client status
#   POST /rotate           - Rotate old snapshots
#   GET  /download         - Download a snapshot
#   GET  /rotation-policy  - Get client rotation policy
#   GET  /health           - Health check

Client Commands

The zfs-client tool provides simple commands for creating and sending ZFS snapshots:

snap

Creates a snapshot and sends it to the server. Automatically detects if this is the first backup (full) or subsequent backup (incremental).

zfs-client snap

On first run, it will print: → No previous backup found, doing FULL backup...

On subsequent runs, it automatically does incremental backups from the last bookmark.

status

Displays the current backup status including storage usage, quota, and snapshot count from the server.

zfs-client status

help

Shows the help message with all available commands and options.

zfs-client help

Client Configuration

CLIENT_ID=client1
API_KEY=secret123
SERVER_URL=http://backup-server:8080
LOCAL_DATASET=tank/data
COMPRESS=true

# Optional: S3 direct upload (bypasses server)
S3_ENDPOINT=https://s3.amazonaws.com
S3_REGION=us-east-1
S3_BUCKET=zfs-backups
S3_ACCESS_KEY=your_access_key
S3_SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key

Restore Tool Commands

The zfs-restore tool provides commands for listing and restoring snapshots from the backup server:

list

Lists all available snapshots for the configured client from the server.

zfs-restore list

Output example:

#  Snapshot ID                    Timestamp           Size
1  client1/tank_data_2024-02-13   2024-02-13 14:30    1.2 GB
2  client1/tank_data_2024-02-12   2024-02-12 14:30    1.1 GB

restore <number> <dataset>

Restores a snapshot by its list number to a specified ZFS dataset.

zfs-restore restore 1 tank/restored

Options:

• --force or -f - Overwrite existing dataset if it exists

zfs-restore restore 1 tank/restored --force

latest <dataset>

Restores the most recent snapshot to a specified dataset.

zfs-restore latest tank/restored

save <number> <filename>

Downloads a snapshot and saves it to a local file without restoring.

zfs-restore save 1 backup.zfs.gz

mount <dataset> <mountpoint>

Mounts a restored ZFS dataset to a specified directory for file access.

zfs-restore mount tank/restored /mnt/restore

S3 Provider Configuration

AWS S3

S3_ENDPOINT=s3.amazonaws.com
S3_ACCESS_KEY=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
S3_SECRET_KEY=wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY
S3_BUCKET=my-zfs-backups
S3_USE_SSL=true

MinIO (Self-Hosted)

S3_ENDPOINT=minio.example.com:9000
S3_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
S3_SECRET_KEY=minioadmin
S3_BUCKET=zfs-snapshots
S3_USE_SSL=false

Setting Up MinIO Locally

Option A: Using Docker (Recommended)

# Create a directory for MinIO data
mkdir -p ~/minio-data

# Run MinIO container
docker run -d \
  --name minio \
  -p 9000:9000 \
  -p 9001:9001 \
  -v ~/minio-data:/data \
  -e MINIO_ROOT_USER=minioadmin \
  -e MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD=minioadmin \
  minio/minio server /data --console-address ":9001"

Option B: Using Binary

# Download MinIO
wget https://dl.min.io/server/minio/release/linux-amd64/minio
chmod +x minio
sudo mv minio /usr/local/bin/

# Create data directory
mkdir -p ~/minio-data

# Start MinIO
MINIO_ROOT_USER=minioadmin MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD=minioadmin \
  minio server ~/minio-data --console-address ":9001"

Create the Bucket

After starting MinIO, create the bucket using the MinIO Client (mc) or web console:

# Install MinIO Client (mc)
wget https://dl.min.io/client/mc/release/linux-amd64/mc
chmod +x mc
sudo mv mc /usr/local/bin/

# Configure alias to local MinIO
mc alias set local http://localhost:9000 minioadmin minioadmin

# Create bucket
mc mb local/zfs

# Verify bucket was created
mc ls local

Alternatively, access the MinIO Web Console at http://localhost:9001 and create the bucket through the UI (login: minioadmin / minioadmin).

Backblaze B2

S3_ENDPOINT=s3.us-west-000.backblazeb2.com
S3_ACCESS_KEY=your_key_id
S3_SECRET_KEY=your_application_key
S3_BUCKET=zfs-backups
S3_USE_SSL=true

Wasabi

S3_ENDPOINT=s3.wasabisys.com
S3_ACCESS_KEY=your_access_key
S3_SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key
S3_BUCKET=zfs-backups
S3_USE_SSL=true

Database Storage

The server uses SQLite to store all configuration and metadata in a single database file (zfs-backup.db by default). This includes:

• Admin users: Authentication credentials for the admin panel
• Client configurations: Authentication, quotas, storage type, rotation policies
• Snapshot metadata: Timestamps, sizes, storage keys, incremental relationships

Database Schema

The database contains four main tables:

admins table:

• id - Unique identifier
• username - Admin username (unique)
• password_hash - SHA-256 hashed password
• role - Admin role (default: "admin")
• created_at, updated_at - Timestamps

admin_sessions table:

• id - Unique identifier
• admin_id - Foreign key to admins table
• token - Session token
• expires_at - Session expiration time

clients table:

• client_id - Unique identifier
• api_key - SHA-256 hashed API key
• max_size_bytes - Storage quota
• dataset - Target dataset for local ZFS storage
• enabled - Client status
• storage_type - "s3" or "local"
• keep_hourly, keep_daily, keep_weekly, keep_monthly - Rotation policy

snapshots table:

• client_id - Owner of the snapshot
• snapshot_id - Unique identifier
• timestamp - When the snapshot was taken
• size_bytes - Snapshot size
• storage_key - Location in storage
• storage_type - Where it's stored
• compressed, incremental, base_snapshot - Snapshot properties

Server-Managed Rotation Policy

When a rotation policy is configured for a client in the database, the client must use this policy and cannot override it. This enables centralized control of snapshot retention policies:

• Server-Managed: If rotation policy is set, the client fetches the policy from the server and applies it
• Client-Autonomous: If no rotation policy is set, the client uses its default policy

The rotation policy fields are:

• keep_hourly: Number of hourly snapshots to keep (default: 24)
• keep_daily: Number of daily snapshots to keep (default: 7)
• keep_weekly: Number of weekly snapshots to keep (default: 4)
• keep_monthly: Number of monthly snapshots to keep (default: 12)

API Endpoint

The server exposes a /rotation-policy endpoint for clients to fetch their configured policy:

GET /rotation-policy?client_id=client1&api_key=secret123

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Server-managed rotation policy",
  "rotation_policy": {
    "keep_hourly": 24,
    "keep_daily": 7,
    "keep_weekly": 4,
    "keep_monthly": 12
  },
  "server_managed": true
}

Admin Panel

The server includes a web-based admin panel for managing clients, snapshots, and admin users. Access it at http://localhost:8080/admin/.

Default Admin Credentials

When the server starts for the first time, it creates a default admin user:

• Username: admin
• Password: admin123

Important

: Change the default password immediately after first login!

Admin Panel Features

• Dashboard: View statistics (client count, total snapshots, storage usage)
• Client Management:
  • Create, view, and delete clients
  • Configure storage type (S3 or local ZFS)
  • Set quotas and rotation policies
  • Enable/disable clients
• Snapshot Management:
  • View all snapshots across all clients
  • Filter by client
  • Delete individual snapshots
• Admin User Management:
  • Create additional admin users
  • Delete admin accounts

Admin API Endpoints

All admin endpoints require authentication via session cookie.

Endpoint	Method	Description
/admin/login	POST	Login with username/password
/admin/logout	POST	Logout current session
/admin/check	GET	Check authentication status
/admin/clients	GET	List all clients with usage stats
/admin/client	GET	Get specific client details
/admin/client/create	POST	Create new client
/admin/client/update	PUT	Update client configuration
/admin/client/delete	POST	Delete client and all snapshots
/admin/snapshots	GET	List all snapshots
/admin/snapshot/delete	POST	Delete specific snapshot
/admin/stats	GET	Get server statistics
/admin/admins	GET	List all admin users
/admin/admin/create	POST	Create new admin user
/admin/admin/delete	POST	Delete admin user

Creating a Client via API

# Login first (saves session cookie)
curl -c cookies.txt -X POST http://localhost:8080/admin/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username":"admin","password":"admin123"}'

# Create a new client
curl -b cookies.txt -X POST http://localhost:8080/admin/client/create \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "client_id": "myclient",
    "api_key": "secretkey123",
    "storage_type": "s3",
    "dataset": "backup/myclient",
    "max_size_bytes": 107374182400,
    "enabled": true,
    "rotation_policy": {
      "keep_hourly": 24,
      "keep_daily": 7,
      "keep_weekly": 4,
      "keep_monthly": 12
    }
  }'

Architecture

┌─────────────┐    ZFS send      ┌──────────────────┐
│  Client 1   │───────┬─────────▶│  Backup Server   │
│ (S3 mode)   │       │          │                  │
└─────────────┘       │          │  ┌────────────┐  │
                      │          │  │ S3 Backend │  │
┌─────────────┐       │  HTTP    │  └─────┬──────┘  │
│  Client 2   │───────┤  Stream  │        │         │
│ (S3 mode)   │       │          │        ▼         │
└─────────────┘       │          │  ┌────────────┐  │
                      │          │  │   MinIO    │  │
┌─────────────┐       │          │  │     or     │  │
│  Client 3   │───────┘          │  │   AWS S3   │  │
│ (Local ZFS) │─────────────────▶│  └────────────┘  │
└─────────────┘   ZFS recv       │                  │
                                 │  ┌────────────┐  │
                                 │  │  Local ZFS │  │
                                 │  │   Backend  │  │
                                 │  └────────────┘  │
                                 └──────────────────┘

Storage Format

Snapshots are stored in S3 with the following naming convention:

s3://bucket/client1/tank_data_2024-02-13_14:30:00.zfs.gz
                ^         ^           ^
              client   dataset    timestamp

Security

• API keys are hashed using SHA-256
• S3 bucket policies can restrict access to backup server only
• Server-side encryption available in S3
• Client-side encryption possible via custom compression pipeline

Monitoring

Health Check

curl http://localhost:8080/health

Server Logs

# SystemD
journalctl -u zfs-server -f

# Docker
docker logs -f zfs-server

Development

Project Layout

• cmd/ - Main applications (entry points)
• internal/ - Private application code
  • server/ - Server logic, HTTP handlers, storage backends
  • client/ - Client logic for creating and uploading snapshots
  • restore/ - Restore logic for downloading and restoring snapshots

Building

# Build all
go build ./...

# Run tests
go test ./...

# Lint
go vet ./...

License

MIT License