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+---
+publish: true
+title: Backups
+created: 2026-01-20T13:21:41.646-07:00
+modified: 2026-01-20T13:30:33.530-07:00
+cssclasses: ""
+---
+
+## Local
+For me local backups happen in two main ways
+1. Backups to a VPS using [[Syncthing]]
+2. Backups to a USB stick that lives in my emergency kit
+### USB Backups
+For USB backups I had a few key requirements
+1. They must be encrypted
+2. Decryption should be able to take place on any Windows, Mac, or Linux device
+3. Decryption must be simple enough that an intermediate user should be able to manage it given instructions (this is in case someone needs this data if I am no longer around to impart my wisdom)
+
+Given these requirements I settled on using [[VeraCrypt]] to create an encrypted container formatted with exFat on a USB drive. This way someone can install the software and, given my key, decrypt the data.
+
+I created the following helper functions to make this processes a little less cumbersome for myself on a monthly basis.
+#### Mount/Unmount Container
+```bash
+vault() {
+    local mount_base="/run/media/$USER"
+    local mount_point="$mount_base/vault"
+
+    _vault_find() {
+        local container
+        container=$(command find "$mount_base" -maxdepth 2 -name "DataVault" -type f 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+
+        if [[ -z "$container" ]]; then
+            echo "Error: DataVault not found under $mount_base" >&2
+            return 1
+        fi
+        echo "$container"
+    }
+
+    case "${1:-}" in
+        m|mount)
+            local container
+            container=$(_vault_find) || return 1
+
+            if mountpoint -q "$mount_point" 2>/dev/null; then
+                echo "Already mounted at $mount_point"
+                return 0
+            fi
+
+            echo "Found: $container"
+            sudo mkdir -p "$mount_point"
+            sudo veracrypt -t --fs-options="uid=$(id -u),gid=$(id -g)" "$container" "$mount_point"
+            echo "Mounted at $mount_point"
+            ;;
+        u|unmount)
+            if ! mountpoint -q "$mount_point" 2>/dev/null; then
+                echo "Not mounted"
+                return 0
+            fi
+            sudo veracrypt -t -d "$mount_point"
+            sudo rmdir "$mount_point" 2>/dev/null || true
+            echo "Unmounted"
+            ;;
+        *)
+            echo "Usage: vault {mount|m|unmount|u}"
+            return 1
+            ;;
+    esac
+}
+```
+#### Sync Data
+```bash
+vault-sync() {
+    local mount_point="/run/media/$USER/vault"
+    local source="$HOME/DataStore"
+
+    if ! mountpoint -q "$mount_point" 2>/dev/null; then
+        echo "Error: Vault not mounted at $mount_point" >&2
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if [[ ! -d "$source" ]]; then
+        echo "Error: Source directory $source does not exist" >&2
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    rsync -av --delete "$source/" "$mount_point/"
+    echo "Sync complete"
+}
+```
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