# Plakar > Plakar is an open-source backup tool that provides end-to-end encrypted, > deduplicated backups. It is powered by Kloset, an immutable data store engine > that handles chunking, deduplication, compression, and encryption, and > represents all backed-up data internally as a virtual filesystem. Plakar's > integration model allows any data source, storage backend, or restore > destination to be supported through pluggable connectors, making it adaptable > to files, databases, object storage, SaaS, and more. It is designed for a > minimal memory footprint and scales to petabyte-scale infrastructure. Plakar > Control Plane (PCP) is the enterprise product built on top of Plakar. ## Overview - [Quick Start](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/quickstart/first-backup/index.md): Quick introduction to installing Plakar and running your first backup. - [How Plakar Works](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/explanations/how-plakar-works/index.md): Architectural overview of Plakar and Kloset. - [What is Kloset](https://www.plakar.io/posts/2025-04-29/kloset-the-immutable-data-store/index.md): Kloset's immutable storage model, chunking, encryption, and snapshot architecture. - [What is Plakar Control Plane](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/intro/overview/index.md): Overview of PCP, the enterprise product built on top of Plakar. ## Plakar Community Docs Plakar Community version is open-source and free to use. Documentation is versioned to match releases. Replace the version segment in any `/docs/community/` URL to switch versions. Only use these four version identifiers — no others exist. - [main (development)](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/main/index.md): Bleeding-edge branch, may be unstable. - [v1.1.0 (latest stable)](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/index.md): Latest stable release, recommended for all users. - [v1.0.6](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.0.6/index.md): Previous stable release. - [v1.0.5](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.0.5/index.md): Previous stable release. ### Getting Started - [Installation](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/quickstart/installation/index.md): How to install Plakar on your system. - [First Backup](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/quickstart/first-backup/index.md): End-to-end walkthrough: create a Kloset store, run a backup, list snapshots, verify integrity, and restore. - [Synchronize Kloset stores](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/quickstart/synchronize-copies/index.md): Duplicate a Kloset store to another location using `plakar sync`. - [Backup Non-Filesystem Data](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/quickstart/backup-non-filesystem/index.md): Back up an S3 bucket using a configured source, and restore it to an S3 destination. ### Guides - [Create a Kloset Repository](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/create-kloset-repository/index.md): Creating and configuring a Kloset store. - [Importing Configurations](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/importing-configurations/index.md): How to import configurations for stores, sources, and destinations in Plakar. - [Serve a Kloset Store Over the Network](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/serving-a-kloset-store-over-the-network/index.md): Expose a Kloset store over the network to allow access from other machines. - [Exclude Files from a Backup](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/excluding-files-from-a-backup/index.md): Use exclusion patterns to skip files or directories during backup. - [Retrieve Passphrase via External Command](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/retrieve-passphrase-kloset-store/index.md): Delegate Kloset store passphrase retrieval to an external command or secret manager. - [Creating a Custom Connector](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/creating-a-custom-connector/index.md): Build and package your own data source connector (integration). - [Log In to Plakar](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/logging-in-to-plakar/index.md): Log in to unlock pre-built integration packages and alerts. - [Managing Packages](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/managing-packages/index.md): Install, build, update and remove Plakar integrations. - [Using Plakar Prune](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/using-plakar-prune/index.md): Remove old snapshots and reclaim storage space. - [Using Plakar UI](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/using-plakar-ui/index.md): Using the web interface to browse snapshots, restore files, install integrations, etc. - [MySQL: Physical Backups](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/mysql/physical-backups/index.md): Back up raw MySQL data directories using physical backup method. - [MySQL: SQL Dump](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/mysql/sqldump/index.md): Logical SQL dump backup for MySQL and MariaDB using the MySQL integration. - [PostgreSQL: pg_basebackup](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/postgres/pg-base-backup/index.md): Full physical cluster backup for PostgreSQL using the PostgreSQL integration. - [PostgreSQL: pg_dump](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/postgres/pgdump/index.md): Logical SQL dump backup for PostgreSQL using the PostgreSQL integration. - [Exoscale: Backup Managed MySQL](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/exoscale/backup-exoscale-managed-mysql/index.md): Back up a MySQL database hosted on Exoscale. - [Exoscale: Dedicated Backup Server](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/exoscale/exoscale-compute-as-a-dedicated-backup-server/index.md): Use an Exoscale compute as a centralized backup server. - [OVHcloud: Backup Managed PostgreSQL](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/ovhcloud/backup-ovhcloud-managed-postgres/index.md): Back up a PostgreSQL database hosted on OVHcloud. - [OVHcloud: Dedicated Backup Server](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/guides/ovhcloud/ovhcloud-as-a-dedicated-backup-server/index.md): Use an OVHcloud VPS as a centralized backup server. ### Explanations - [Should You Pull or Push Backups](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/explanations/should-you-pull-or-push-backups/index.md): How to decide between push and pull backup architectures, and how Plakar supports both. - [How Many Kloset Stores Should I Have](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/explanations/how-many-kloset-stores/index.md): How to decide between a single shared store or multiple stores based on deduplication boundaries, encryption scope, and operational needs. - [Why Several Copies](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/explanations/why-several-copies/index.md): Why multiple backup copies matter and the 3-2-1 backup strategy. - [Why Should I Back Up My SaaS](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/explanations/why-should-i-backup-my-saas/index.md): Why SaaS availability is not the same as data protection, and why independent backups are necessary under the shared responsibility model. - [How Maintenance Works](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/explanations/how-maintenance-works/index.md): How Plakar reclaims storage after snapshot deletion: chunking, packfiles, garbage collection, and the grace period. ### Integrations Each integration tells Plakar how to interact with a specific storage system in up to three ways: as a **source** (read data to back up), as a **store** (host a Kloset store), or as a **destination** (restore data back to that system). - [S3](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/s3/index.md): S3-compatible object storage (store, source, destination). - [SFTP](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/sftp/index.md): SFTP/SSH-accessible servers (store, source, destination). - [HTTP(S)](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/https/index.md): HTTP/HTTPS endpoint for stores exposed by `plakar server` (store). - [Notion](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/notion/index.md): Notion workspace via the Notion API (source, destination). - [Dropbox](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/dropbox/index.md): Dropbox via Rclone (store, source, destination). - [iCloud Drive](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/icloud-drive/index.md): iCloud Drive via Rclone (store, source, destination). - [Koofr](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/koofr/index.md): Koofr via Rclone (store, source, destination). - [Google Drive](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/google-drive/index.md): Google Drive via Rclone (store, source, destination). - [OneDrive](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/onedrive/index.md): OneDrive via Rclone (store, source, destination). - [OpenDrive](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/opendrive/index.md): OpenDrive via Rclone (store, source, destination). - [Proton Drive](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/proton-drive/index.md): Proton Drive via Rclone (store, source, destination). - [Proxmox](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/proxmox/index.md): Proxmox VMs and containers via vzdump (source, destination). - [Kubernetes](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/kubernetes/index.md): Kubernetes cluster resources, manifests, and persistent volumes (source). - [etcd](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/integrations/etcd/index.md): etcd cluster snapshots (source). ### References - [Command-Line Syntax](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/command-line-syntax/index.md): Global flags, environment variables, and output formats. - [PTAR Format Reference](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/ptar/index.md): Reference for the `.ptar` portable archive format: creation, inspection, integrity verification, and restore. - [Go Kloset SDK](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/main/references/sdk/index.md): Reference for the Go Kloset SDK used to build custom Plakar integrations: importer, exporter, and storage connector interfaces. ### Commands - [plakar archive](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-archive/index.md): Create an archive from a Plakar snapshot. - [plakar backup](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-backup/index.md): Create a new snapshot in a Kloset store. - [plakar cat](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-cat/index.md): Display file contents from a Plakar snapshot. - [plakar check](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-check/index.md): Check data integrity in a Kloset repository. - [plakar create](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-create/index.md): Create a new Kloset repository. - [plakar destination](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-destination/index.md): Manage Plakar restore destination configuration. - [plakar diag](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-diag/index.md): Display detailed information about Plakar internal structures. - [plakar diff](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-diff/index.md): Show differences between files in a Plakar snapshots. - [plakar digest](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-digest/index.md): Compute digests for files in a Plakar snapshot. - [plakar dup](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-dup/index.md): Duplicates an existing snapshot with a different ID. - [plakar info](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-info/index.md): Display detailed information about internal structures. - [plakar locate](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-locate/index.md): Find filenames in a Plakar snapshot. - [plakar login](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-login/index.md): Authenticate to Plakar services. - [plakar logout](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-logout/index.md): Log out from Plakar services. - [plakar ls](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-ls/index.md): List snapshots and their contents in a Kloset repository. - [plakar maintenance](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-maintenance/index.md): Remove unused data from a Plakar repository. - [plakar mount](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-mount/index.md): Mount Plakar snapshots as read-only filesystem. - [plakar pkg add](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-pkg-add/index.md): Install Plakar plugins. - [plakar pkg build](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-pkg-build/index.md): Build Plakar plugins from source. - [plakar pkg create](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-pkg-create/index.md): Package a plugin. - [plakar pkg manifest](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-pkg-manifest/index.md): Manifest for plugin assemblation. - [plakar pkg recipe](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-pkg-recipe/index.md): Recipe to build Plakar plugins from source. - [plakar pkg rm](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-pkg-rm/index.md): Uninstall Plakar plugins. - [plakar pkg show](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-pkg-show/index.md): Show installed Plakar plugins. - [plakar policy](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-policy/index.md): Manage Plakar retention policies. - [plakar prune](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-prune/index.md): Prune snapshots according to a policy. - [plakar ptar](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-ptar/index.md): Generate a self-contained Kloset archive (.ptar). - [plakar query](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-query/index.md): Query flags shared among many Plakar subcommands. - [plakar restore](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-restore/index.md): Restore files from a Plakar snapshot. - [plakar rm](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-rm/index.md): Remove snapshots from a Plakar repository. - [plakar server](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-server/index.md): Start a Plakar server. - [plakar server](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-server/index.md): Manage optional Plakar-connected services. - [plakar source](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-source/index.md): Manage Plakar backup source configurationn. - [plakar store](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-store/index.md): Manage Plakar store configurations. - [plakar sync](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-sync/index.md): Synchronize snapshots between Plakar repositories. - [plakar token create](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-token-create/index.md): Create a token to authenticate to Plakar services. - [plakar ui](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-ui/index.md): Serve the Plakar web user interface. - [plakar version](https://www.plakar.io/docs/community/v1.1.0/references/commands/plakar-version/index.md): Display the current Plakar version. ## Plakar Control Plane Docs Plakar Control Plane is a self-hosted backup management system built on top of Plakar. It adds a web interface, centralized scheduling, SLA, inventory management to Plakar and deployed as a virtual appliance in your own infrastructure. ### Getting Started - [Control Plane Overview](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/intro/overview/index.md): What's the Control Plane, who is for and how it works. - [Enrollment](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/intro/enrollment/index.md): One-time setup that registers your PCP instance with plakar.io to retrieve your license and enable billing reporting. - [Billing & Plans](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/intro/billing/index.md): Available plans and pricing for Plakar Control Plane. ### Installation - [AWS](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/intro/installation/aws/index.md): How to install Control Plane on AWS from AWS marketplace AMI. - [Scaleway](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/intro/installation/scaleway/index.md): How to install Control Plane on Scaleway using a QCOW2 image. - [VMware vSphere](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/intro/installation/virtual-machines/vsphere/index.md): How to install Control Plane on vCenter using vSphere from either an OVA or an ISO. ### Infrastructure - [Secret Providers](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/infrastructure/secret-providers/index.md): How to use secret providers to feed secrets into Control Plane. - [Secret Provider: AWS Secrets Manager](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/infrastructure/secret-providers/aws/index.md): How to setup AWS Secrets Manager on Control Plane and use it as a secret provider. - [Secret Provider: HashiCorp Vault](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/infrastructure/secret-providers/vault/index.md): How to setup HashiCorp Vault on Control Plane and use it as a secret provider. - [Secret Provider: Scaleway Secret Manager](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/infrastructure/secret-providers/scaleway/index.md): How to setup Scaleway Secret Manager on Control Plane and use it as a secret provider. - [Inventories](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/infrastructure/inventories/index.md): What are inventories and how they are used in Control Plane. - [Inventory: AWS](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/infrastructure/inventories/aws/index.md): How to setup AWS inventory and use it in Control Plane. - [Inventory: Scaleway](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/infrastructure/inventories/scaleway/index.md): How to setup Scaleway inventory and use it in Control Plane. - [Inventory: Self-managed](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/infrastructure/inventories/self-managed/index.md): How to setup a Self-managed inventory and use it in Control Plane. ### Connectors - [Overview](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/connectors/index.md): What are connectors in Plakar Control Plane and how to set up a connector. - [Source Connector](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/connectors/sources/index.md): How to configure and use a source connector. - [Store Connector](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/connectors/stores/index.md): How to configure and use a store connector. - [Destination Connector](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/connectors/destinations/index.md): How to configure and use a destination connector. ### Resources - [Object Storage: S3](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/resources/object-storage/s3/index.md): Provision and manage S3-compatible object storage resources including AWS S3, Scaleway, MinIO, etc. - [Block Storage: Scaleway](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/resources/block-storage/scaleway/index.md): Back up Scaleway block volumes. - [Compute: Scaleway](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/resources/compute/scaleway/index.md): Back up and restore Scaleway compute instances. ### Operations - [Policies](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/operations/policies/index.md): Define backup SLA requirements (frequency, retention, storage tier) and monitor source compliance against them. - [Scheduling](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/operations/scheduling/index.md): Configure one-off and recurring backup, restore, sync, and check tasks using the built-in scheduler. ### Administration - [Updating Control Plane](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/administration/updating-control-plane/index.md): How to update your Plakar Control plane from the settings page. - [Updating Control Plane AMI on AWS](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/administration/updating-control-plane/aws/index.md): How to update the Control Plane AMI on AWS from AWS marketplace. - [Updating Control Plane QCOW2 on Scaleway](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/administration/updating-control-plane/scaleway/index.md): How to update Control Plane installations on Scaleway to a new version of the QCWO2. ### General guides for Control Plane - [Managing Passphrases](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/guides/managing-passphrases/index.md): How passphrases are use in Control Plane, how to update a passphrase and what happens when you forget your passphrase. - [AWS: IAM Users, Roles & Access Keys](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/guides/aws/iam-users-roles-and-access-keys/index.md): Configure AWS IAM for the Control Plane. - [Scaleway: IAM & API Keys](https://www.plakar.io/docs/control-plane/guides/scaleway/iam-and-api-keys/index.md): Configure Scaleway IAM for the Control Plane.