Automated backup and restore for your *arr Docker stack on macOS
_{Your Sonarr database will corrupt eventually. Your config will vanish after a bad update.
This runs nightly so you never lose more than a day.}

Why Backup?

You will lose your Sonarr database at some point. A failed Docker update, a corrupt SQLite file, an accidental docker compose down -v. When it happens, you lose all your series, quality profiles, custom formats, indexer configs, and download history. Rebuilding takes hours.

This tool backs up configs, databases, and compose files every night. When something breaks, you restore in one command and you're back to where you were yesterday.

What It Backs Up

Item	Details
Config files	config.xml, config.yml, settings.json, *.conf from each service
Databases	All *.db files (Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, Lidarr, Bazarr, etc.), snapshot-backed with sqlite3 when available
Compose file	docker-compose.yml
Environment	.env (sensitive values redacted)
Container state	Snapshot of running containers at backup time

Backups are compressed tarballs stored in ~/Media/backups/ (or your custom --path). Old backups are pruned automatically (default: keep 14 days).

See It In Action

Backup demo

Restore --list

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/liamvibecodes/mac-media-stack-backup.git
cd mac-media-stack-backup
bash backup.sh

Scheduled Backups

Install a nightly backup at 2am:

bash install.sh

Customize the schedule:

bash install.sh --hour 3    # run at 3am instead
bash install.sh --path /Volumes/External/Media --keep 30

Remove the scheduled backup:

bash install.sh --uninstall

Restore

List available backups:

bash restore.sh --list

Restore the most recent backup:

bash restore.sh --latest

Restore a specific backup:

bash restore.sh 20260222-020000

The restore process stops your containers, copies configs and databases back, restarts everything, and runs a health check. If container restart fails, the script exits non-zero and prints clear remediation steps instead of claiming success.

Note: .env values are redacted in backups for security. After restoring, check your .env file and re-add any secrets if needed.

Custom Media Path

All scripts default to ~/Media. Use --path for a different location:

bash backup.sh --path /Volumes/External/Media
bash restore.sh --latest --path /Volumes/External/Media
bash install.sh --path /Volumes/External/Media --keep 30

If your stack repo is not in the same directory as your media library, also set --stack-dir:

bash backup.sh --path /Volumes/External/Media --stack-dir ~/mac-media-stack
bash restore.sh --latest --path /Volumes/External/Media --stack-dir ~/mac-media-stack
bash install.sh --path /Volumes/External/Media --stack-dir ~/mac-media-stack

Works With

• mac-media-stack — One-command Plex + Sonarr + Radarr setup
• mac-media-stack-advanced — Power-user setup with transcoding, quality profiles, and automation

Author

Built by @liamvibecodes

License

MIT