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Go gophers racing — 3, 2, 1, Go! 3to1go is a simple, self-hosted backup system. It is one ecosystem made of two separate apps that you deploy independently:

Edge

Runs on each machine that has files you care about. Finds the folders you marked, packs and encrypts them, and uploads them to Central on a schedule.

Central

The always-on receiver. Stores encrypted snapshots on disk, keeps the most recent ones per job, and lets you browse and download them in a web UI.
Run one Central, and one Edge on every machine you want to back up. Each app has its own container, web UI, sign-in, and settings.
Three Edges with separate IP addresses on port 6556 upload to Central on port 6555, with an optional external sync to cloud storage for a third copy.

Three example machines sending backups to one Central. You can add more Edges.

Each Edge keeps the original files on its machine; Central stores the second copy. An external sync tool can copy Central’s encrypted snapshots to cloud storage for a third copy. You configure that extra copy separately. See Storage and the 3-2-1 rule.

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The short version

1

Pick a machine to run Central

A home server, NAS, or VPS that stays on.
2

Run Edge on each machine you want to back up

Give each Edge a unique EDGE_ID and a credential minted by Central.
3

Mark folders with a .upload_dir file

Any folder containing .upload_dir becomes a backup job.
4

Edge packs and encrypts those folders

Snapshots are encrypted on Edge before they leave the machine.
5

Central stores the snapshots

Browse, download, and verify them from Central’s web UI, or restore them from Edge.

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Why the name?

The name works on three levels: it references the 3-2-1 backup rule (keep 3 copies, on 2 different media, with 1 offsite), it reads as a countdown (3, 2, 1, Go!), and the “Go” is the Go language both apps are written in.

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Why use 3to1go

  • Simple Central/Edge model. Central receives and organizes backups. Each Edge owns scanning, encryption, scheduling, and upload retries.
  • Encrypted snapshots by default. Edge encrypts archives before upload, so Central never needs access to your plaintext files.
  • Instance-aware storage. Central tracks both edge_id and edge_instance_id, so related machines can be grouped without mixing their snapshots or pruning each other.
  • Operator-friendly credentials. Central mints Edge credentials from its UI, and can revoke one without deleting any snapshots.
  • No giant config file. You mark folders with a small file instead of writing a central backup manifest.

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Next steps

Quickstart

Run Central and Edge with Docker and take your first backup.

How it works

Follow a folder from marker to stored snapshot.
3to1go is open source under the MIT License. Source, issues, and example deployments are on GitHub.