Pug - The Cloud File Archiver

Pug is automated backup software designed for use on Linux that allows one to backup files on a server to cloud storage, compressing and encrypting each file individually before uploading. It was designed with the needs of IT professionals in mind, where one may have one or more servers or NAS devices that need to be continually backed up.

Unlike other backup solutions that require use of external physical storage and backing up the same data over and over again, Pug works incrementally. As new files are created or as files change, Pug pushes them into the cloud. Only new or changed files are backed up and every version (or as many versions as you specify) is maintained in the cloud, any one of which may be immediately accessed. Further, Pug is smart enough to recognize that two files are identical and only archives a single copy of a file in cloud storage, thus reducing storage costs.

Pug uses Amazon S3 for cloud storage, though the software is designed so that changes can easily be made to support other cloud storage services.

You tell Pug what locations to archive, which could be local filesystem files or file systems mounted using NFS or CIFS. Pug will scan those locations periodically (on an interval you specify) looking for any new and modified files. Once Pug finds a new or modified file, it will:

Compress the file using gzip to conserve space
Encrypt the file using AES Crypt to provide powerful, 256-bit AES encryption for each file
Upload the file to Amazon S3 for extremely reliable data storage

On an ongoing basis, Pug will:

Maintain copies of uploaded files for whatever period of time your specify, including a specified maximum number of versions
Allow you to retrieve one or as many files as you wish, including a complete recovery of any file location in the event of a disaster
Expunge files from cloud storage that have been deleted from the local system and which have passed your defined expiration time (which could be "never")

You can download the software using the link at the top of the page. The Pug System Overview (PDF) provides more details about Pug, how it works, and how to configure it on your server(s).

Your feedback will help us to improve the software. Feel free to drop by the Pug discussion forum.