GitHub Actions hands-on backup checklist covering jobs, reports and test restores | BackupInfra

GitHub Actions: Pro Setup for Backup Automation

Backup chores can be a daunting task, especially when dealing with multiple repositories and offsite backups. GitHub Actions brings structure and simplicity to this process with its repeatable jobs, retention rules, and encrypted repositories. In this article, we will walk through the process of setting up GitHub Actions for backup automation, covering jobs, reports, and test restores.

Understanding the Basics of GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is a powerful tool for automating workflows and tasks. It allows you to create custom workflows that can be triggered by specific events, such as push, pull, or schedule. For backup automation, we will focus on creating a workflow that runs on a schedule, ensuring that our backups are up-to-date and consistent.

Creating a New Workflow

To create a new workflow, navigate to your repository’s Actions tab and click on the “New workflow” button. This will take you to the workflow editor, where you can define your workflow’s triggers, jobs, and steps.

Setting Up Backup Jobs

A backup job is the core of our workflow. It defines the tasks that need to be executed to create a backup. For this example, we will create a job that uses the `github-actions-backup` action to create a backup of our repository.

Configuring Retention Rules

Retention rules define how long our backups are kept. We can set up retention rules to keep our backups for a certain number of days, weeks, or months. For this example, we will set up a retention rule to keep our backups for 30 days.

Retention Rule: Keep backups for 30 days

Testing and Restoring Backups

Testing and restoring backups is an essential part of our backup strategy. We need to ensure that our backups are complete and can be restored in case of a disaster. For this example, we will test our backup by restoring it to a new repository.

Comparing GitHub Actions to Other Backup Solutions

GitHub Actions offers a unique set of features that make it an attractive solution for backup automation. Here’s a comparison of GitHub Actions to other popular backup solutions: