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Proxmox LXC backup and restore with vzdump

proxmoxlxcbackup

vzdump backs up both LXCs and VMs. Key mode decision:

  • snapshot: non-disruptive, uses filesystem snapshot or QEMU snapshot. May miss in-flight writes.
  • stop: cleanest backup, briefly stops the container. Required for containers that can’t be snapshot-consistent (databases writing outside of volumes).
  • suspend: pauses the container, takes snapshot, resumes. Middle ground — not widely used.

Restore an LXC

pct restore <new-vmid> /path/to/backup.tar.zst --storage local-lvm

Restore a VM

qmrestore /path/to/backup.vma.zst <new-vmid> --storage local-lvm

What not to vzdump

Plex Media Server should never be backed up via vzdump if it contains a large media library. Plex generates .bif thumbnail files that can easily be 50–100GB, making backups enormous and slow. Backup the Plex database and config only — exclude the media directory.

Recovery philosophy

For homelab resilience, the most practical pattern is: small root disk on fast local storage + appdata on NAS via bind mount. Rebuilding the container from scratch takes minutes; the data on NAS is unaffected. Only the config needs backing up.