VyOS Configuration Backup & Restore

VyOS Configuration Backup & Restore

Backup Configuration

Method 1: Save to file on router

# Save current config to file
save /config/backup-2025-10-25.config

# Or use a dated backup automatically
save /config/backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).config

Method 2: Copy to remote location via SCP

# From the router
scp /config/config.boot user@backup-server:/path/to/backups/

# Or save and copy
save /config/backup.config
scp /config/backup.config user@backup-server:/path/to/backups/

Method 3: Display and copy manually

# Show entire configuration (copy/paste to text file)
show configuration
# or
show configuration commands

# You can also save it to a file and download
save /config/backup.config
# Then use SFTP/SCP client to download from router

Method 4: Via USB (if you have USB drive mounted)

# Mount USB drive
sudo mkdir /mnt/usb
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb

# Copy config
sudo cp /config/config.boot /mnt/usb/vyos-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).config

# Unmount
sudo umount /mnt/usb

Restore Configuration

Method 1: Load from file on router

configure
load /config/backup-2025-10-25.config
commit
save
exit

Method 2: Copy from remote location first

# Copy backup to router
scp user@backup-server:/path/to/backups/backup.config vyos@router-ip:/config/restore.config

# Then load it
configure
load /config/restore.config
commit
save
exit

Method 3: During boot (rescue/recovery)

# At boot, select older config version from boot menu
# VyOS keeps several boot configs automatically

# Or copy manually
sudo cp /config/config.boot.old /config/config.boot
reboot

Method 4: Fresh install restore

# After fresh VyOS install, copy your backup
scp backup.config vyos@new-router:/config/restore.config

# Login and load
configure
load /config/restore.config
commit
save
exit

View Available Backups

# List saved configurations
ls -lh /config/*.config

# VyOS automatic boot configs
ls -lh /config/config.boot*

Compare Configurations

configure
# Compare current config with saved file
compare /config/backup.config

# Compare current with previous boot config
compare /config/config.boot.old

Automated Backup Script

Create a simple backup script:

# Create script
sudo vi /config/scripts/backup.sh

Add this content:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/config/backups"
BACKUP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/config-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).boot"

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR
cp /config/config.boot $BACKUP_FILE

# Keep only last 10 backups
ls -t $BACKUP_DIR/config-*.boot | tail -n +11 | xargs -r rm

# Optional: Send to remote server
# scp $BACKUP_FILE user@backup-server:/backups/vyos/

Make it executable:

sudo chmod +x /config/scripts/backup.sh

Schedule it with cron:

configure
set system task-scheduler task backup-config executable path /config/scripts/backup.sh
set system task-scheduler task backup-config interval 1d
commit
save

Quick Reference

# Quick backup
save /config/backup-now.config

# Quick restore
configure
load /config/backup-now.config
commit
save

# Emergency rollback (if commit broke something)
configure
rollback 1
commit

# Copy config to external
scp /config/config.boot user@server:/backups/

Best Practices

1. Before major changes: Always save /config/pre-change-backup.config
2. Keep multiple versions: VyOS automatically keeps boot configs
3. Off-site backup: Copy to external server regularly
4. Test restores: Periodically verify backups work
5. Document: Keep notes about what each backup contains

The config file is human-readable text, so you can also edit it manually if needed!