Help center

Getting started

What does NeverWiped back up?

By default: /etc, /var/spool/cron, /root and /home if not empty, web files (/var/www, /srv, web roots declared in nginx, Apache or Caddy), apps in /opt, PostgreSQL and MySQL/MariaDB databases (local or in Docker, as consistent dumps) and Docker volumes. Caches such as **/node_modules and /var/cache are left out. The install shows this plan and waits for your OK before anything is sent. More: what lands on your server.

Which systems does it run on?

Linux only, on amd64 (x86_64) or arm64 (aarch64): Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL and derivatives (Rocky, AlmaLinux, Fedora) and Alpine, with Linux kernel 3.2 or newer and systemd or a running cron daemon. 32-bit systems and other operating systems are not supported. More: before you start.

How do I install it?

Create an account (the trial needs no card), make an API key in your dashboard › API keys, then on the server, as root:

curl -fsSL https://neverwiped.com/install.sh | sh

The script checks the agent’s SHA-256 fingerprint, shows what it will back up, waits for your OK, shows your recovery key once and runs the first backup. More: install in one command.

How do I choose what is backed up, and how much space I need?

Add or leave out paths at install with --include, --exclude and the presets (logs, build, trash, disk-images, archives), or skip databases and Docker with --no-databases and --no-docker. To measure before you subscribe, run the same options through neverwiped estimate: it reads file sizes only and sends nothing. The figure is before compression and deduplication, so the first backup sends at most that much. More: size and exclusions.

Can an AI agent install it for me?

Yes. Give it the For AI agents page: non-interactive commands, the expected output and the checks. It asks you for one thing, an API key, and hands you one thing, your recovery key, which it must not keep. For a restore, it shows you a plan first, then runs only the command you approved. More: plan, then approve.

Backups day to day

When do backups run, and can I start one now?

Every night on Pro and Business, once a week on Essentiel, at a fixed time between about 1 and 6 a.m. server time. Only changes are sent. Start one whenever you like, for example before a risky change:

neverwiped backup now

More: the first backup and check the schedule.

How do I know my backups work?

neverwiped status on the server, or the server’s page in your dashboard: look for active backups and a recent last backup. You also get an e-mail when a backup fails, and when none has succeeded for 2 days (daily plans) or 8 days (weekly). A weekly check reads the stored backups and tells you if it finds errors. More: status and alerts.

A backup failed. What do I do?

Run neverwiped status, read the end of the log, then try again:

tail -n 50 /var/log/neverwiped.log
neverwiped backup now

Every message the agent can print is listed with its cause and fix. A failed backup never replaces the last good one. More: error messages.

What happens when my storage is full?

We e-mail you at 90 %. Once it is full, new backups fail, but every backup already stored stays intact and restorable. Exclude bulky files you don’t need, delete the backups of a server you no longer use, or move up a plan. The space counted is what your backups take after compression and deduplication. More: retention.

Will backups slow down my site?

Backups run at low priority (nice 10 and the idle disk class), so your site comes first. To keep more for it, cap the upload rate or the cores:

neverwiped limits --limit-upload 20mbit --limit-cpus 1

Restores are never limited. More: bandwidth, CPU and priority.

Restore

How do I get one file or folder back?

Pick a backup in neverwiped list, then restore into a separate folder: nothing on the server is overwritten.

neverwiped restore latest --include /var/www/site/wp-config.php --target /root/restore

The file comes back under /root/restore/var/www/site/wp-config.php. Compare, copy back what you need with cp -a, then delete the folder. More: one file and a folder.

How do I get a database back?

Each backup holds a consistent dump of your databases (pg_dumpall for PostgreSQL, mysqldump --single-transaction for MySQL and MariaDB). Restore the dumps into a folder, then import the one database you need, or the whole file on a new server. Nothing is re-imported automatically. You go back to the time of a backup, not to any moment in between. More: a database.

My server is gone. How do I get everything back?

You need an account API key and the server’s recovery key. On a new server, install the agent without registering it, then let it take over the lost server’s backups:

curl -fsSL https://neverwiped.com/install.sh | NEVERWIPED_NO_SETUP=1 sh
neverwiped recover

recover revokes the lost server’s keys, so the old machine can no longer read or add backups. Then restore into a folder and copy back your data and configuration files one by one. More: a whole server.

How far back can I go?

It depends on your plan: the last 4 weekly backups on Essentiel, one per day for the last 30 days on Pro, for the last 90 days on Business. You can keep less for a server, within limits; shortening the history waits 7 days and is e-mailed to you first. More: retention and changing the retention.

How do I test a restore?

On day one, then once a month:

neverwiped restore latest --target /root/test-restore --yes
ls -R /root/test-restore | head
rm -rf /root/test-restore

Then check that you can find the recovery key in your password manager. More: test a restore today.

Encryption and security

Can you read my backups?

No. Your data is encrypted on your server by restic (AES-256) before it is sent, with a key generated on your server that never leaves it. We only receive locked blocks, and we know neither that key nor your recovery key. Restores are decrypted on your server. More: how it works and what we can’t do.

I lost my recovery key. What now?

If the server still runs, nothing is lost: make a new key with neverwiped recovery-key new, store it, and test the copy with neverwiped recovery-key check. If the server is gone and you have neither the recovery key nor a copy of its repo.key, the backups can’t be read, by you or by us. More: lost your recovery key?.

I have several servers. Which recovery key is which?

Each server has its own keys, including its own recovery key. The box at install shows the server’s name, its ID and a check code: write the three next to the key. The same code is on the server’s page and in neverwiped status, and neverwiped recover refuses a key that belongs to another server. More: several servers.

Can someone with root on my server delete my backups?

Not with the server’s day-to-day login: the storage is append-only. But old backups are pruned about once a week with a separate login valid for one hour, and someone with root could request it too, or add fake backups so that pruning removes real ones. Pause pruning for a server and no login that can delete is issued for it. Each server has its own keys, so your other servers are not affected. More: known limits and the pruning window.

Where are my backups stored?

Your backups are stored in France, once, on one storage server with encrypted disks in RAID 6. They never pass through our platform. Your account data (e-mail, billing, backup dates, sizes and server names) lives on our platform, hosted in the EU. More: privacy policy and known limits.

Account, team and billing

How does the free trial work, and what happens at its end?

14 days, no card, on the Essentiel plan, up to 5 GB. If you don’t choose a plan, new backups stop, restore stays possible, and the trial data is erased 7 days after the end, announced by e-mail first. More: pricing and when backups are deleted.

Is the price per server, and can I change plans?

No, per plan: each plan covers a number of servers and their storage is shared. Prices are in euros, VAT included, and invoices are in your dashboard. Moving up applies at once, prorated; moving down applies at the end of the period. More: pricing and refunds and cancellation.

What happens if a payment fails?

You get reminders and new attempts. On day 10, new backups are paused; restore still works. On day 45, the backups are deleted, announced by e-mail first. A successful payment at any step stops this and backups resume on their own. More: pricing and when backups are deleted.

How do I cancel, and can I get a refund?

From your dashboard, at any time, at no cost. The cancellation takes effect at the end of the period already paid; until then backups go on and you can undo it. Restore keeps working until the backups are deleted, 30 days later. The period already started is not refunded pro rata; consumers have a 14-day right of withdrawal. More: refunds and cancellation.

Can I give a colleague access, and protect the sign-in?

Yes. Dashboard › Team: invite someone as admin, technician or viewer; each person has their own sign-in, and no role gives access to what is inside your backups. In My account › Security, add a passkey or an authenticator app. More: team access and two-step and passkeys.

Updates, leaving and support

How do I update the agent?

neverwiped update --check
neverwiped update

Only a signed release is installed, and neverwiped update --rollback puts the previous version back. Automatic update is off by default. More: updating the agent.

How do I uninstall, and what happens to my backups?

neverwiped uninstall --yes removes the agent, its schedule and its keys from the server, and keeps your backups on the storage by default (they still count in your storage, and the subscription is not cancelled). With --delete-backups, they are deleted once you confirm it in your dashboard. Check your recovery key first with neverwiped recovery-key check. More: uninstall.

What if NeverWiped disappears?

Your backups are a standard restic repository and the key is yours: open-source restic reads them with your recovery key, as long as our storage answers. If it stopped answering, only a copy you keep elsewhere would be left, so keep one. More: if NeverWiped disappears.

How do I delete my account?

Dashboard › My account. Everything is deleted 7 days after your request; until then backups go on, nothing is charged, and you can cancel on the same page. Some records are kept after that, such as invoices for 10 years: the list is on the same page. More: when backups are deleted.

How do I contact support?

Write to support from your account’s e-mail address, or from the server:

neverwiped feedback --kind help

For a problem on a server, include the output of neverwiped status and the last 50 lines of /var/log/neverwiped.log. Never send /etc/neverwiped/config.json, repo.key or your recovery key: nobody at NeverWiped needs them, and support can’t read your backups. No reply time is promised beyond what the support page says. More: still stuck? and support hours.