Cockpit Backblaze B2

This is a simple Backblaze B2 backup module for Cockpit.

It uses Cockpit Starter Kit as a base

Features

Create, edit, and delete B2 backup jobs via the Cockpit web UI
Save job definitions in /etc/cockpit-backblaze-b2/jobs.json
Run jobs manually or on a schedule using cron
No encryption: app key and ID are stored in plaintext in jobs.json.

(Server security is assumed. Restrict file permissions accordingly.)

Jobs

Jobs created with this app is stored in /etc/cockpit-backblaze-b2/jobs.json and the format is:

(values below is completely random)

[
  {
    "jobName": "nightly-home",
    "keyId": "0038d8ace473683wq268643",
    "appKey": "K003KldOw14BUxPCZpqfdsaffdfasfdsffsff",
    "bucket": "my-super-nas",
    "folder": "/tank_hdd/shared"
  }
]

Permissions

sudo mkdir /etc/cockpit-backblaze-b2
sudo touch /etc/cockpit-backblaze-b2/jobs.json
sudo chmod 600 /etc/cockpit-backblaze-b2/jobs.json
sudo chown root:root /etc/cockpit-backblaze-b2/jobs.json

Scheduling backups

To schedule automatic backups, add a cron entry that runs every minute:

* * * * * /usr/libexec/cockpit-backblaze-b2/runner.js

The runner.js script should read jobs.json and execute each job as needed.

You may want to run specific jobs at certain times—use your preferred cron logic.

Example for running all jobs at 3:00 AM:

0 3 * * * /usr/libexec/cockpit-backblaze-b2/runner.js

Example runner.js

Require node.js

To install node.js run this:

sudo apt install nodejs npm

runner.js

#!/usr/bin/env node

const fs = require('fs');
const { spawnSync } = require('child_process');

const JOBS_FILE = '/etc/cockpit-backblaze-b2/jobs.json';

if (!fs.existsSync(JOBS_FILE)) {
  console.error(`Jobs file not found: ${JOBS_FILE}`);
  process.exit(1);
}

const jobs = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(JOBS_FILE, 'utf-8'));

for (const job of jobs) {
  const { keyId, appKey, bucket, folder, jobName } = job;
  console.log(`Running backup job: ${jobName}`);
  const result = spawnSync(
    '/usr/libexec/cockpit-backblaze-b2/sync.sh',
    [keyId, appKey, bucket, folder],
    { stdio: 'inherit' }
  );
  if (result.error) {
    console.error(`Job "${jobName}" failed:`, result.error);
  } else {
    console.log(`Job "${jobName}" completed.`);
  }
}

Security

AppKey and KeyId are stored unencrypted. Restrict file permissions!

Only allow trusted users to access /etc/cockpit-backblaze-b2.

Downloading the Module

Clone this repository to your system:

git clone https://github.com/rabol/backblaze-b2.git
cd backblaze-b2

Development Dependencies

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install gettext nodejs npm make pipx
pipx ensurepath

On Fedora:

sudo dnf install gettext nodejs npm make pipx
pipx ensurepath

You must restart your shell or run source ~/.bashrc after installing pipx.

Installing the Backblaze B2 CLI

This module depends on the official Backblaze B2 CLI.

Install it globally using pipx:

pipx install b2

Verify it is available system-wide:

which b2
# Should return: /usr/local/bin/b2

Building the Module

To build the Cockpit module:

make

Installing the Module

To install the module system-wide:

sudo make install

This will install the frontend assets to:

/usr/local/share/cockpit/backblaze-b2

And metadata to:

/usr/local/share/metainfo/org.cockpit_project.backblaze_b2.metainfo.xml

To remove a previously installed development version:

rm ~/.local/share/cockpit/backblaze-b2

Installing the Sync Script

Copy the sync.sh script to a system location:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/libexec/cockpit-backblaze-b2
sudo cp sync.sh /usr/libexec/cockpit-backblaze-b2/sync.sh
sudo chmod +x /usr/libexec/cockpit-backblaze-b2/sync.sh

Ensure it’s executable and accessible by the Cockpit backend. NOTE: the app only pick up lines that starts with "ERROR:" or "SUCCESS:"

Example sync.sh

#!/bin/bash

set -euo pipefail

KEY_ID=$1
APP_KEY=$2
BUCKET=$3
FOLDER=$4

# Authorize account using updated syntax, suppress output
if ! b2 account authorize "$KEY_ID" "$APP_KEY" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "ERROR: Failed to authorize with Backblaze B2. Check your Key ID and App Key."
    exit 1
fi

# Sync folder using correct --skip-newer flag, suppress output
if ! b2 sync --delete --skip-newer "$FOLDER" "b2://$BUCKET/$(hostname)" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "ERROR: Sync failed. Check folder path, bucket name, and B2 credentials."
    exit 1
fi

echo "SUCCESS: Backup completed successfully."