I'm looking for a solution for email backup. Ideally, it would not run on my desktop, it would be server-based solution that connects to my IMAP-based email provider, and saves backup snapshots to cloud-based storage (e.g. Backblaze, S3, etc.) using de-duplication to save space.
> <i>... server-based solution that connects to my IMAP-based email provider, and saves backup snapshots to cloud-based storage (e.g. Backblaze, S3, etc.) using de-duplication to save space.</i><p>You could rather quickly and easily write a shell script to:<p>- use <i>offlineimap</i> [0] or <i>imapsync</i> [1] to perform a local sync of your mailbox to local mbox files or maildir directories,<p>- (optionally) use tar or similar to create a single file out of your entire mailbox, and<p>- use <i>tarsnap</i> [1] to back it up (to AWS) or <i>s3cmd</i> [2] or similar to back it up to wherever you want it.<p>I used to do exactly that with an additional step to encrypt the tarball (with GPG) before uploading it. It worked out quite well.<p>---<p>[0]: <a href="http://www.offlineimap.org" rel="nofollow">http://www.offlineimap.org</a><p>[1]: <a href="https://imapsync.lamiral.info" rel="nofollow">https://imapsync.lamiral.info</a><p>[2]: <a href="https://www.tarsnap.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.tarsnap.com</a><p>[3]: <a href="https://s3tools.org/s3cmd" rel="nofollow">https://s3tools.org/s3cmd</a>
Some email gets printed out, stuck in various binders, and kept for awhile. Then usually set on fire in a ritualised celebration of the impermanence of reality. This is also known as scheduled secure destruction.<p>The majority of serious email get copied (IMAP or for the email server we run, just sftp) to a pair of DVDs on periodic basis as an encrypted filesystem archive. We then stick it in a dvd swapper drive for offline access. The other copy gets put off site.
I just did a write-up on using imapgrab.py :)<p><a href="https://smalldata.tech/blog/2020/04/07/imap-email-backup" rel="nofollow">https://smalldata.tech/blog/2020/04/07/imap-email-backup</a>
I use getmail[0] on my rpi. Download everything from gmail and fastmail using IMAP (sync) overnight into a truecrypt container, and then offsite backup to rsync.net. It's also storing everything into an mbox so you can easily import that file anywhere.<p>[0] <a href="http://pyropus.ca/software/getmail/" rel="nofollow">http://pyropus.ca/software/getmail/</a>
I use gmvault to replicate my personal gmail to my local NAS server on a nightly basis. I also have offsite encrypted backups using restic, also done nightly.
check out <a href="http://metallic.io/" rel="nofollow">http://metallic.io/</a> ASAP !!<p>they have an awesome free trial running right now..