What backup tool does ServerCrate use?

ServerCrate provides a dedicated SFTP endpoint for Restic, a free open-source backup tool. Restic encrypts data client-side before upload, handles deduplication, and manages snapshot history. No proprietary agents are required.

Are there egress fees when I restore?

No. ServerCrate never charges egress fees on any plan. Restore your backups as many times as needed. The flat monthly price covers both backup and restore with no per-GB transfer charges.

Backup Server Hosting - Private Encrypted Offsite Backup

What Is Backup Server Hosting?

Backup server hosting means having a managed remote server that acts as the destination for your backups. Instead of self-hosting a storage server on a VPS and managing its security, storage, and monitoring yourself, you use a hosted service that handles all of that infrastructure.

ServerCrate's backup server hosting gives each user a dedicated encrypted vault - not a shared bucket, not a generic cloud storage container, but a private SFTP endpoint backed by its own ZFS dataset. You connect Restic to your vault and it works exactly like a self-hosted Restic backup server, without the management overhead.

What's Included in ServerCrate Backup Hosting

Dedicated Private Vault

Each account gets an isolated ZFS dataset with a unique SFTP port. Your data is never stored alongside other users' data.

Zero-Knowledge Encryption

Restic encrypts your data on your device before transmission. ServerCrate stores only ciphertext - we cannot read your backups.

ZFS-Backed Storage

All vault storage uses ZFS with checksumming. Silent data corruption is detected and flagged automatically, keeping your repository intact.

Web Portal Dashboard

Monitor vault status, snapshot history, storage usage, and manage devices and billing from a clean web portal.

No Egress Fees

Restore your backups as many times as you need. No egress fees, no bandwidth charges, no per-restore pricing on any plan.

5-Minute Setup

Create account, get connection string, run restic init, start backing up. No infrastructure to provision or configure.

Pricing

All plans include flat monthly pricing with no egress fees and a 7-day money-back guarantee on paid tiers.

Free:10 GB, 1 device, 7-day snapshot retention - no credit card required
Starter ($5/mo):100 GB, 1 device, 30-day snapshot retention
Standard ($15/mo):500 GB, 3 devices, 60-day snapshot retention
Pro ($29/mo):1 TB, 5 devices, 90-day snapshot retention

Why Managed Over Self-Hosted

Self-hosting a backup server on a VPS seems simple until you actually maintain one. The disk fills silently. SSH keys expire. The provider has an outage at 3am on a Saturday. You find out your backups stopped running two weeks ago when you try to restore something. Managed backup server hosting eliminates that class of problem - the infrastructure is someone else's job.

ServerCrate is purpose-built for one thing: being a reliable, private, encrypted remote target for Restic backups. Not generic cloud storage with backup as an afterthought. Not a shared bucket. A dedicated encrypted vault per user, with a portal that shows you whether your backups are running, built on ZFS storage that detects corruption before it becomes a problem.

Who Uses Backup Server Hosting

Homelab operators:Proxmox VMs, Docker stacks, TrueNAS configs, and self-hosted app data all need an offsite backup target that doesn't live on the same hardware as the primary data. See the homelab backup guide.
Linux server and VPS owners:Web developers and sysadmins running Linux servers need offsite backup that survives provider outages, ransomware, and accidental rm -rf.
Developers:Code, databases, and project files outside version control need protection. A private encrypted vault means that data is safe without exposing it to shared cloud storage.
Small businesses:Teams that need reliable encrypted offsite protection for NAS devices and business data. See the small business offsite backup page.

How Setup Works

Create your account:Sign up and verify your email. Your vault provisions automatically - no ticket, no wait.
Get your connection string:Your vault page shows your SFTP host, port, username, and Restic token. Copy it directly.
Install Restic:One package manager command on any major Linux distro. Also works on macOS and Windows.
Initialize and back up:restic init then restic backup /your/paths. First run uploads everything; subsequent runs are incremental.
Schedule it:Add a systemd timer or cron job to run nightly. Your portal shows snapshot history so you can confirm backups ran correctly.

For full copy-paste setup commands see the ServerCrate setup guide.

Backup Server Hosting vs Cloud Object Storage

S3, Backblaze B2, and Wasabi work as Restic backends but come with per-GB egress fees, per-operation API costs, and no backup-specific tooling. You are assembling a backup solution from generic infrastructure. Dedicated backup hosting like ServerCrate is designed specifically for the backup use case: SFTP access Restic understands natively, flat monthly pricing with no egress fees, snapshot history in a dashboard, and ZFS storage suited to long-term backup retention. For users specifically wanting Restic-based encrypted offsite backup, a dedicated service is simpler and more cost-predictable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Backup server hosting means using a managed remote server as the destination for your backups rather than self-hosting the infrastructure. With ServerCrate, each user gets a dedicated encrypted vault with a private SFTP endpoint backed by ZFS storage. You connect Restic to your vault and it works like a self-hosted backup server without any management overhead.

S3 uses object storage APIs with per-operation and egress fees. ServerCrate provides standard SFTP that works natively with Restic, has no per-operation costs, and never charges egress when you restore. You get a dedicated private vault rather than a shared bucket.

No proprietary agents. Install Restic from your package manager and point it at your ServerCrate vault using the connection string from the portal. Works on Linux, macOS, Windows, and FreeBSD.

Yes - two layers. Restic encrypts your data client-side before it leaves your machine. The SFTP connection is also encrypted in transit via SSH. ServerCrate never sees unencrypted data.

Your vault stays active through the end of your billing period. You have time to restore any data before it expires. After expiry, data is securely deleted. No surprise charges after cancellation.

Related guides

Restic Backup Server Offsite Backup Server BorgBase Alternative rsync.net Alternative Setup Guide Homelab Backup

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