Deucalion

Back up your Ubuntu computer to an external drive. Get files back when you need them, and set up a new computer, or a new version of Ubuntu, from that backup.

Deucalion is a free backup tool for Ubuntu. You can use it as an app with buttons and windows, or by typing commands in a terminal. Both do the same things.

What it protects you from

• A lost, stolen or broken computer. Your files, and a description of how your computer was set up, are on your backup drive. Deucalion can set up a new computer from it.
• Upgrading to a new Ubuntu version. Install the new version fresh, then let Deucalion put your files, apps and settings back, one step at a time.
• Deleting or overwriting something by mistake. Restore one file or a whole folder. Older versions of changed files are kept on the drive too.
• Someone else reading your backup. You can encrypt the backup drive with a password.

Who it is for

Anyone with an Ubuntu computer (Ubuntu 24.04 or newer; on 22.04, from the command line) and an external drive, such as a USB hard disk or SSD. You don't need to know how to use a terminal: every task can be done in the app, and every tutorial shows the app first.

How it works, in 30 seconds

flowchart LR
    PC["Your computer<br/>(home folder, apps, settings)"] -- "Back Up<br/>(copies what changed)" --> D[("Backup drive<br/>(plain files, optionally encrypted)")]
    D -- "Restore<br/>(a file or a folder)" --> PC
    D -- "Rebuild<br/>(step by step)" --> NEW["A new computer<br/>or a new Ubuntu version"]

1. You back up. Deucalion copies your home folder to the drive, plus a system recipe: a list of your apps, software sources, desktop settings and other system settings. The next backup only copies what changed.
2. The backup is normal files. You can open it on Linux, Windows or macOS, even without Deucalion.
3. Nothing on the drive is thrown away by a backup. If you change or delete a file on your computer, the old copy is moved to Removed Files on the drive. Only you can empty it.
4. You restore or rebuild when you need to. Deucalion always shows what it will change before it changes anything, and keeps a copy of anything it replaces on your computer.

Start here

• Install Deucalion

  A few minutes. You need an internet connection.

• Your first backup

  Prepare a drive and back up, in the app or in a terminal.

• Rebuild your computer

  New Ubuntu version or new computer? Start here.

• Something went wrong?

  Messages you might see, and what to do.

What Deucalion does not do (in version 0.2)

Deucalion runs only when you start it: there are no scheduled or automatic backups yet. It keeps one up-to-date copy of your files (plus the old versions in Removed Files), not a history of daily snapshots. It does not copy Docker images or virtual machine disks; it only lists them. See the roadmap for what is planned next: other Linux distributions, automatic backups, macOS and Windows.