Backups & Upgrades

Backing Up

What to Back Up

The entire working directory contains everything you need:

/opt/vps-deployer/
├── vps-deployer.db      # Database (all state)
├── vps-deployer.log     # Application logs
├── caddy.config         # Reference config
├── nginx.config         # Reference config
└── <project-id>/        # Project workspaces

Manual Backup

tar -czf vps-deployer-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /opt/vps-deployer/

Automated Backup

Add a cron job for daily backups:

0 2 * * * tar -czf /backups/vps-deployer-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).tar.gz /opt/vps-deployer/

Restoring

# Stop the service
vps-deployer uninstall

# Restore from backup
tar -xzf vps-deployer-backup-20250101.tar.gz -C /

# Reconfigure (uses existing database)
vps-deployer config -w /opt/vps-deployer -p 3000 -s your-secret-key

# Start
vps-deployer start

Upgrading

Upgrading VPS Deployer is simple. The vps-deployer uninstall command only removes the systemd service — it does not delete your database, working directory, or project files.

Step 1: Stop and Remove Service

vps-deployer uninstall

Step 2: Update the Package

npm update -g vps-deployer

Step 3: Reconfigure

vps-deployer config -w /opt/vps-deployer -p 3000 -s any-key

Use the same working directory and port from your previous setup. The session key can be anything — your database and projects remain untouched.

Step 4: Start

vps-deployer start

Verify

1. Check the service is running: systemctl --user status vps-deployer
2. Verify the web UI loads
3. Test a manual deployment

Breaking Changes

Check the GitHub releases page for breaking changes before upgrading. Major version bumps may require database migrations (handled automatically).

Rollback

If an upgrade causes issues:

# Stop the service
systemctl --user stop vps-deployer

# Install the previous version
npm install -g vps-deployer@<previous-version>

# Restart
vps-deployer start

Your database and working directory are not affected by version changes.