When using the Omnibus package for GitLab, backups created via gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create are stored in a specific directory by default. Understanding this location is crucial for disaster recovery scenarios.

The default backup directory for Omnibus installations is:

/var/opt/gitlab/backups/

You can verify this by running:

sudo ls -lh /var/opt/gitlab/backups/

To modify the backup directory, edit the GitLab configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb

Add or modify this line:

gitlab_rails['backup_path'] = "/your/custom/backup/path"

Then reconfigure GitLab:

sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure

Backup files follow this pattern:

YYYY_MM_DD_HH_MM_SS_gitlab_backup.tar

Example:

2023_12_25_14_30_00_gitlab_backup.tar

Here's a simple bash script to verify backup creation:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/var/opt/gitlab/backups"
LATEST_BACKUP=$(ls -t "$BACKUP_DIR" | head -n 1)

if [ -z "$LATEST_BACKUP" ]; then
    echo "No backups found in $BACKUP_DIR"
    exit 1
else
    echo "Latest backup: $BACKUP_DIR/$LATEST_BACKUP"
    exit 0
fi

• Backup files contain sensitive data - ensure proper permissions (typically 0600)
• The directory must be writable by the git user
• For large installations, consider using a separate partition

After locating your backup, verify its integrity with:

sudo tar -tf /var/opt/gitlab/backups/LATEST_BACKUP.tar | head -n 10

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When using the Omnibus package installation of GitLab, the backup files created with gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create are stored in a specific default location. Understanding this location is crucial for backup management and disaster recovery scenarios.

By default, Omnibus installations store backups in:

/var/opt/gitlab/backups/

This directory is automatically created during installation with proper permissions for the GitLab user. Each backup file follows the naming convention:

[TIMESTAMP]_gitlab_backup.tar

You can confirm the backup location by checking GitLab's configuration:

sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info | grep "Backup Path"
# Or check the configuration directly:
sudo grep "backup_path" /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb

To modify the backup directory, edit GitLab's configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb

Add or modify this line:

gitlab_rails['backup_path'] = "/your/custom/backup/path"

Then reconfigure GitLab:

sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure

Here's a complete workflow for creating and locating a backup:

# Create backup
sudo gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create

# List available backups
sudo ls -lh /var/opt/gitlab/backups/

# Sample output:
# -rw------- 1 git git 2.5G Mar 15 10:30 1678879800_2023_03_15_15.0.2_gitlab_backup.tar

To automatically manage backup retention, add this to gitlab.rb:

gitlab_rails['backup_keep_time'] = 604800 # 7 days in seconds

• Backup files contain sensitive data - ensure proper permissions
• The directory requires sufficient disk space
• Consider remote storage for disaster recovery
• Verify backups regularly with restore tests