What is BmuS?

BmuS is a powerful free backup program for the automated backup of files, directories, and MySQL databases from a Linux / Raspberry Pi system to a NAS or network drive. You can also sync two NAS (i.e. Synology to Synology or Synology to UGREEN etc. and vice versa).

BmuS can be installed directly on the source system or via a Docker repository, which is also available. With Docker, you can easily use BmuS on different operating systems, such as a Mac or Windows. Visit the Quick Start Guide and FAQ on how to install Docker and Bmus on a Mac or Windows.

BmuS features encryption, deduplication, Cloud Backups and much more.

BmuS was developed with low-resource systems in mind, enabling even single-board computers such as Raspberry Pi to run it efficiently.

One of the key features that has received special attention (or is it called “Love”?) is the dashboard, which is probably the most unique feature of BmuS, apart from the fact that only a few backup tools can back up files AND MySQL/MariaDB databases at the same time.

The pro version of the dashboard does not only provide simple status information, but also includes trend analyses (such as size growth, duration and more) and displays the backup history of the last 30 days. See here for a live example of the pro dashboard: https://www.back-me-up-scotty.com/dashboards/bmus_dashboard.html

What is the design difference between tools such as Borg or Restic?

While tools like BorgBackup and Restic are powerful industry standards for block-level deduplication, BmuS (Back Me Up Scotty) follows a different philosophy: The KISS Principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

Here is the different approach taken by BmuS.

1. Zero Lock-in & 100% Transparency

This is the biggest differentiator. Borg and Restic store your data in proprietary “repositories” (chunked data blobs). To read or restore a single file, you must have the tool installed and working.

• BmuS Approach: Your backup is just a standard file system. You can plug your backup drive into any Linux machine and browse your files with a standard file manager (Explorer/Finder).
• The Benefit: If BmuS stops existing tomorrow, your data is still fully accessible. You don’t need BmuS to restore your data.

2. Visual Reporting Out-of-the-Box

Borg and Restic are Command-Line Interface (CLI) tools. They output text logs. If you want charts or a dashboard, you have to set up complex external monitoring stacks (like Prometheus/Grafana) or use third-party wrappers.

• BmuS Approach: BmuS generates a beautiful, standalone HTML Dashboard after every run. It visualizes your data growth, file types, and performance trends instantly, without any additional software.

3. Minimal Dependencies

To run Borg or Restic, you need to download and maintain their specific binaries on every machine.

• BmuS Approach: BmuS relies on rsync and bash—tools that are pre-installed on virtually every Linux distribution (from Raspberry Pi to Enterprise Servers). It is lightweight and native to the system.

4. “Time Machine” Style Browsing

Because BmuS uses Hardlinks (like macOS Time Machine), every backup snapshot looks like a full backup directory.

• The Benefit: You can verify your backup simply by looking at it. You don’t need to mount a FUSE filesystem or run a mount command just to check if a file is there.

5. Hackability & Customization

Borg and Restic are compiled programs (Go/Python/C). If you want to change how they work, you need to be a software engineer.

• BmuS Approach: It is a transparent Bash script. If you want to add a custom notification, change the logging format, or tweak the logic, you can do it yourself in minutes.