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Backing up your Frigate configuration

Your camera recordings live on the ZFS pool, but the instructions that tell Frigate how to run live in small configuration files on the NVR. Losing config.yml after a bad edit, a failed update, or drive work on the boot disk means rebuilding camera entries, zones, and notification settings by hand.

This guide covers what to back up, when to do it, and how to keep copies somewhere safe outside the NVR.

Before you start

This guide assumes:

  • You can SSH into the NVR or open Portainer at https://portainer.internal
  • Frigate is already running and configured

Backups described here protect configuration, not your entire recording archive. Footage on the ZFS pool is a separate concern. See Drive and pool errors for storage health and How Frigate stores recordings for how footage is organized on disk.

What to back up

Item Why it matters
config.yml Camera streams, detection, zones, notifications, retention
Caddyfile Hostname routing for Frigate, Portainer, and Cockpit
Optional: environment files Only if you use a .env file or custom variables with your containers

You do not need to back up Docker images. They can be pulled again from the registry. You also do not need to copy the full recording pool for a routine config backup.

Find your Frigate config directory

Frigate mounts its config directory into the container at /config. On the host:

docker inspect frigate --format '{{ range .Mounts }}{{ if eq .Destination "/config" }}{{ .Source }}{{ end }}{{ end }}'

The file you want is config.yml inside that folder.

Find your Caddyfile

If you followed the Caddy reverse proxy guide, the Caddyfile is on the host at the path you mounted when creating the container. Check mounts with:

docker inspect caddy --format '{{ range .Mounts }}{{ .Source }} -> {{ .Destination }}{{ "\n" }}{{ end }}'

Look for the mount mapped to /etc/caddy/Caddyfile.

When to back up

Create a fresh backup:

  • Before editing config.yml (adding cameras, zones, or notification changes)
  • Before updating container images via Portainer
  • Before Ubuntu package updates that may require a reboot (Updating Ubuntu Server)
  • After a working configuration you do not want to recreate

If you edit config often, weekly backups to another device are a good habit even when nothing is scheduled to change.

Back up from the command line

Create a dated backup folder on the NVR

BACKUP_DIR=~/nvr-backups/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

Adjust ~/nvr-backups if you prefer a different location on the boot drive. Keeping backups only on the recording pool works until the pool is full or degraded, so store at least one copy elsewhere.

Copy Frigate config

FRIGATE_CONFIG=$(docker inspect frigate --format '{{ range .Mounts }}{{ if eq .Destination "/config" }}{{ .Source }}{{ end }}{{ end }}')
cp "$FRIGATE_CONFIG/config.yml" "$BACKUP_DIR/config.yml"

Copy Caddyfile (if present)

CADDYFILE=$(docker inspect caddy --format '{{ range .Mounts }}{{ if eq .Destination "/etc/caddy/Caddyfile" }}{{ .Source }}{{ end }}{{ end }}')
if [ -n "$CADDYFILE" ] && [ -f "$CADDYFILE" ]; then
  cp "$CADDYFILE" "$BACKUP_DIR/Caddyfile"
fi

Verify the backup

ls -la "$BACKUP_DIR"

You should see config.yml and optionally Caddyfile.

Copy backups off the NVR

A backup that exists only on the NVR does not help if the boot drive fails or the system is lost. Copy backups to another computer on your LAN regularly.

From your admin PC (replace username, IP, and date):

scp -r yourusername@192.168.1.100:~/nvr-backups/2026-06-15 ./lan-foundry-backups/

rsync works well for repeated syncs:

rsync -avz yourusername@192.168.1.100:~/nvr-backups/ ./lan-foundry-backups/

Store backups on a machine you control, not on a cloud sync folder unless you are comfortable with camera layout and credentials living there. config.yml contains RTSP passwords and notification tokens.

Back up from Portainer

If you prefer the web UI:

  1. Browse to https://portainer.internal.
  2. Open the frigate container and note the host path mounted to /config under Volumes.
  3. Use SSH or Cockpit's file tools to copy config.yml from that path into a dated folder, or use SCP as above.

Portainer does not replace off-NVR copies. It helps you find paths, not archive files to another machine.

What a good backup habit looks like

  • Dated folders (2026-06-15, 2026-06-22) so you can roll back to more than one point in time
  • At least one copy off the NVR (admin PC, NAS, or external drive)
  • A backup taken immediately before any change you are unsure about

Keep three to five recent dated backups and delete older ones if disk space on your admin PC is tight.

Where to go from here

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