> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ipmideck.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Backup & restore

> Back up ipmideck's data directory (config, database, and encryption key) and restore it after a move or a rebuild.

Everything ipmideck remembers lives in one data directory: your `config.yaml`, the SQLite
database (`ipmideck.db`) with your servers and sensor history, and the `encryption.key`
file that decrypts your stored BMC credentials. Back up those and you can rebuild ipmideck
anywhere.

<Warning>
  `encryption.key` is part of the backup for a reason: without it, the restored BMC
  usernames and passwords cannot be decrypted. A backup of the database alone leaves your
  saved credentials unreadable, so keep the key file as safe as the database.
</Warning>

## What is in a backup

| File             | What it holds                                              |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `ipmideck.db`    | Servers, users, sensor history, command log, and settings. |
| `config.yaml`    | Server bind, auth, IPMI, logging, and module settings.     |
| `encryption.key` | The 32-byte key that decrypts your stored BMC credentials. |

These all sit in the [data directory](/en/configuration#where-config-lives): `/data` on Docker
and Linux, `./data` on Windows, or wherever `IPMIDECK_DATA_DIR` points.

## Option A: in-app backup

ipmideck can hand you a ready-made backup. From the web UI, open **Settings** and use the
backup action: it downloads `ipmideck-backup-<timestamp>.zip` containing the three files
above. The database is checkpointed first, so the snapshot includes your most recent
readings.

To restore, upload that zip from the same **Settings** screen. ipmideck validates it,
stages the files, and applies them on the next start, so **restart ipmideck to finish the
restore**.

## Option B: copy the data directory

Because the whole state is just files, you can also back up by copying the data directory
while ipmideck is stopped:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash bash theme={null}
  # stop ipmideck first, then:
  cp -r /data /data-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)
  ```

  ```powershell PowerShell theme={null}
  # stop ipmideck first, then:
  Copy-Item -Recurse .\data ".\data-backup-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
  ```
</CodeGroup>

In Docker the data lives in the volume you mounted on `/data`, so back up that volume.
Restoring is the reverse: stop ipmideck, put the files back in the data directory, and
start it again.

<Note>
  Stop ipmideck before a file-level copy. The database runs in WAL mode, so copying it
  while the app is writing can capture an inconsistent snapshot. The in-app backup avoids
  this by checkpointing first.
</Note>

## Next steps

* [Configuration](/en/configuration): where the data directory lives and what `config.yaml` holds.
* [Updating ipmideck](/en/updating): your data survives an upgrade.
* [Security](/en/security): how credentials are encrypted at rest.