Files
appa-net/pfsense.home.arpa/BACKUP-QUICKSTART.md
Kenji Morishige 38f2aefecd Add pfSense backup utility and documentation
- Add backup-pfsense-config.sh script for automated config backups via SSH
- Auto-commits backups to git with timestamped filenames
- Includes validation, error handling, and troubleshooting guides
- Add scripts/README.md with detailed usage and crontab examples
- Add BACKUP-QUICKSTART.md for quick reference commands
- Update README.md to reference automated backup workflow
- Create backups/ directory structure

The script tests SSH connectivity successfully to pfSense.
2026-04-22 14:42:43 -05:00

1.3 KiB

Quick Backup Reference

One-liner commands to backup your pfSense configuration.

Basic Commands

# Navigate to the pfsense folder
cd /Users/kenjim/workspace/src/personal/appa-net/pfsense.home.arpa

# Test SSH connection (no download)
./scripts/backup-pfsense-config.sh --dry-run

# Backup with auto-commit to git (default)
./scripts/backup-pfsense-config.sh

# Backup without auto-commit
./scripts/backup-pfsense-config.sh -n

# Backup from different host
./scripts/backup-pfsense-config.sh 192.168.1.1

Schedule Daily Backups

Add to your crontab to run at 2 AM every day:

crontab -e

Then add this line:

0 2 * * * cd /Users/kenjim/workspace/src/personal/appa-net/pfsense.home.arpa && ./scripts/backup-pfsense-config.sh > /tmp/pfsense-backup.log 2>&1

Verify it was added:

crontab -l | grep backup-pfsense

View Backups

# List all backups
ls -lh backups/

# Show latest backup
ls -lh backups/ | tail -1

# Check git history
git log --oneline backups/

# See what changed in latest backup
git show HEAD:backups/

Restore from Backup

From pfSense WebUI:

  1. Diagnostics → Backup & Restore
  2. Choose File → select backup from backups/ folder
  3. Restore Configuration
  4. Reboot when prompted

Last Updated: 2026-04-22