sencho/docs/operations/backup.mdx

---
title: Backup & Restore
description: What to back up, how to restore it, and how to migrate Sencho to a new host.
---

Sencho stores all its state in two places: the **data directory** (SQLite database) and your **compose directory** (your actual stack files). Both need to be backed up for a complete recovery.

---

## What to back up

### 1. Data directory (`DATA_DIR`)

Default path: `/app/data` inside the container, mapped to wherever you mounted it on the host (e.g. `./sencho-data`).

Contains:
- `sencho.db` — SQLite database with all settings, nodes, alerts, metrics history, and notification history

This single file is everything Sencho knows about itself. Back it up and you can fully restore any Sencho installation.

### 2. Compose directory (`COMPOSE_DIR`)

The directory containing your stack subdirectories — your `compose.yaml` files, `.env` files, and any bind-mounted config files stored there.

This is your actual application data. It lives entirely outside Sencho and you almost certainly already have it on a schedule, but include it in any Sencho backup plan.

---

## Backing up

### Simple file copy

```bash
# Stop Sencho to ensure the SQLite WAL is flushed (recommended but not strictly required)
docker stop sencho

# Copy the data directory
cp -r /path/to/sencho-data /path/to/backup/sencho-data-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Copy compose stacks
cp -r /opt/compose /path/to/backup/compose-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Restart
docker start sencho
```

### SQLite online backup (without stopping)

SQLite supports hot backups via its `.backup` command. This is safe to run while Sencho is running:

```bash
sqlite3 /path/to/sencho-data/sencho.db ".backup '/path/to/backup/sencho.db'"
```

### Automated daily backup (cron example)

```cron
0 3 * * * sqlite3 /path/to/sencho-data/sencho.db ".backup '/backups/sencho-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).db'" && find /backups -name "sencho-*.db" -mtime +30 -delete
```

This backs up the database at 3 AM daily and deletes backups older than 30 days.

---

## Restoring

### Restore from backup

1. Stop Sencho:
   ```bash
   docker stop sencho
   ```

2. Replace the data directory with your backup:
   ```bash
   rm -rf /path/to/sencho-data/*
   cp /path/to/backup/sencho.db /path/to/sencho-data/sencho.db
   ```

3. Restore your compose directory if needed:
   ```bash
   cp -r /path/to/backup/compose /opt/compose
   ```

4. Start Sencho:
   ```bash
   docker start sencho
   ```

Sencho will read the restored database and resume with all your previous settings, nodes, and alert rules intact.

---

## Migrating to a new host

### Step 1: Prepare the new host

Install Docker and Docker Compose on the new machine. Create the same directory structure you use for your compose files, following the [1:1 path rule](/getting-started/configuration#compose-directory-the-11-path-rule).

### Step 2: Copy data

Transfer your backup files to the new host:

```bash
scp -r /path/to/sencho-data newhost:/path/to/sencho-data
scp -r /opt/compose newhost:/opt/compose
```

### Step 3: Deploy Sencho on the new host

Use the same `docker-compose.yml` you used on the old host (with the same `COMPOSE_DIR` and `DATA_DIR` paths):

```bash
docker compose up -d
```

### Step 4: Update remote node references

If other Sencho instances were pointing to your old host as a remote node, update their node config to use the new host's IP or hostname. Generate a new API token on the restored instance and distribute it.

### Step 5: Verify

- Log in and confirm your stacks, nodes, and alerts are all present
- Check that at least one stack deploys correctly
- Verify the node switcher shows the expected nodes with green status

---

## What is NOT backed up by this process

| Item | Location | Notes |
|------|----------|-------|
| Container data volumes | Wherever each stack's volumes are mounted on the host | Back these up separately per-application |
| Actual container images | Docker image cache | These are re-pulled on next deploy — no backup needed |
| Sencho logs (docker logs) | Container stdout | Not persisted beyond container lifetime |

<Note>
  Sencho does not currently have a built-in backup scheduler or export function. The approaches above use standard OS tools and SQLite's own backup mechanism.
</Note>