The Reality of Typical Homelab Backups

Most homelab backups start the same way:

You schedule nightly backups… and everything looks fine — until you actually need to restore.

Then you discover the painful truth:

• Backups are huge
• They take forever to transfer
• Storage fills up quickly
• Restores are slow and stressful

This happens because traditional VM backups are full-image copies every time.

They don’t understand what actually changed.

They just copy everything again and again.

That’s exactly the problem PBS was designed to solve.

Why PBS Backups Are Different (And Better)

Instead of storing entire VM images repeatedly, PBS uses a completely different approach:

Chunk-Based Storage

When a VM is backed up:

1. Its disk is split into small chunks
2. Each chunk is fingerprinted
3. Only new or changed chunks are stored

This means:

👉 If only 2% of a VM changes, only 2% gets backed up.

Global Deduplication

This is where PBS becomes incredibly powerful.

Deduplication happens:

• Across all VMs
• Across all backup snapshots
• Across all time

Example:

If 10 VMs contain the same OS files, PBS stores them once.

This can reduce storage usage by 80–95% in real environments.

Incremental Forever Backups

PBS does not create traditional “full + incremental” chains.

Instead, every backup is:

• Incremental
• Independent
• Fully restorable

This design eliminates chain corruption problems.

Connecting Proxmox VE to PBS

Let’s configure the integration.

Step 1 — Add PBS Storage

In your Proxmox web interface:

Datacenter → Storage → Add → Proxmox Backup Server

Fill in:

• Server: PBS IP address (I use pi.hole for local dns so I typed pbs.l)
• Datastore: your PBS datastore name
• Username: usually root@pam
• Password
• Finger print

From pbs, get the finger print

Datastore→ pbs-vms→ Show Connection Information

Copy the finger print:

Although you can use username + password, it is better to create an API token, it is more secure and better for scripts. Take a look at this article for how to create one: How to Create an API Token in Proxmox Backup Server (PBS).

Step 2 — Enable Encryption (Strongly Recommended)

Check:

Encrypt backups

This generates an encryption key.

IMPORTANT:

Download and securely store the key file.

Without it:

Your backups cannot be restored — ever.

Many homelab users learn this the hard way.

Designing an Efficient Backup Strategy

This is where most people either succeed… or create future problems.

Best Practice: Stagger Backup Jobs

Avoid running all VM backups simultaneously.

Instead:

• Critical VMs → early backup window
• Less critical → later windows

This prevents:

• Network congestion
• Storage I/O bottlenecks
• Backup failures

Recommended Schedule Example

Daily Incrementals

• Run nightly during low usage hours

Retention Policy Example

A proven strategy:

• Keep last 7 daily backups
• Keep 4 weekly backups
• Keep 6 monthly backups

PBS handles pruning automatically.

No manual cleanup required.

Performance Optimization Tips

PBS is fast — but only if configured properly.

Use Fast Storage for PBS

Best performance order:

1. NVMe SSD (ideal)
2. SATA SSD (good)
3. HDD (acceptable but slower)

Deduplication and verification are I/O intensive.

Slow disks dramatically reduce performance.

Network Speed Matters

For large environments:

• 1GbE → fine for small labs
• 2.5GbE → excellent upgrade
• 10GbE → ideal for heavy workloads

Backups can saturate network links quickly.

Parallel Backup Tuning

In backup job settings:

Adjust:

Max Workers

Typical recommendations:

• Small lab → 2–3
• Medium lab → 4–6

More workers = faster backups, but higher I/O load.

Verifying Backup Integrity (Critical but Often Ignored)

Backups are useless if corrupted.

PBS includes built-in integrity tools.

Verification Jobs

These scan stored chunks to ensure:

• No silent corruption
• Data is readable
• Checksums match

Best practice:

Run verification weekly.

Garbage Collection

Over time, unused chunks accumulate.

Garbage collection removes:

• Orphaned chunks
• Unreferenced data

This frees storage safely.

Restoring VMs from PBS

This is where PBS truly shines.

Full VM Restore

The standard method.

Process: At PVE, select VM you want to restore

1. Select backup snapshot
2. Choose target node/storage (pbs-vms)
3. Start restore

Result:

Fast, reliable, predictable.

File-Level Restore

One of PBS’s most powerful features.

From PVE, Select backup, You can:

• Mount a backup snapshot
• Browse files
• Restore individual files

No full VM restore required.

This saves massive time during emergencies.

Instant Restore

For critical outages:

PBS supports starting VMs directly from backup storage.

Benefits:

• Near-instant recovery
• Minimal downtime
• Restore in background

This feature is a lifesaver in production scenarios.

Real-World Lessons Learned

These are the insights most tutorials don’t tell you.

Always Backup Encryption Keys

If you lose the key:

Backups become permanently unreadable.

Store copies:

• Offline
• On another server
• In password manager

Never Run PBS on the Same Host

This defeats the entire purpose of backups.

Hardware failure would destroy:

• Production VMs
• Backups simultaneously

Always separate hosts.

Plan Storage Capacity Generously

Deduplication helps — but growth is inevitable.

Rule of thumb:

Plan for 3–5 years of retention growth.

Schedule Backup Windows Carefully

Poor scheduling causes:

• VM performance drops
• Backup failures
• User complaints

Always test backup timing.

Why PBS Is Superior to Traditional Backups

Traditional backups are:

• Slow
• Wasteful
• Hard to manage

PBS offers:

• Incremental forever backups
• Global deduplication
• Fast restores
• Built-in integrity verification

It transforms backups from a chore into a reliable safety net.

What’s Next in the Series

In the next part, we’ll move beyond passive backups and build:

👉 Real-Time Backup Notifications

You’ll learn how to:

• Create a Telegram bot
• Send automated alerts
• Monitor backup success and failures
• Build a proactive backup monitoring system

This is where your architecture becomes truly production-grade.

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Mohammad Dahamshi

Mohammad Dahamshi is a skilled Embedded Software Engineer and web developer. With experience in C/C++, Linux, WordPress, and DevOps tools, he helps businesses solve technical challenges and build reliable digital solutions. Fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, he also runs Saratec, offering web design and digital marketing services.