Setup Guide

Setting Up BorgBase with
Borg Backup Server

BorgBase provides hosted, offsite BorgBackup repositories with append-only support, monitoring, and geographic redundancy. This guide walks you through connecting a BorgBase repository to Borg Backup Server as a remote storage host.

What you'll need

  • A BorgBase account (free tier available)
  • A running Borg Backup Server instance
  • An SSH key pair (Borg Backup Server generates one for you during setup)
1

Create a Repository on BorgBase

Log in to your BorgBase account and click New Repo. Give the repository a name, select your preferred region (EU or US), and make sure Borg is selected as the repo format. Click Add Repository.

BorgBase Add Repository screen — enter a name, choose region (EU or US), and select Borg as the repo format
2

Copy the Repository URL

After the repository is created, BorgBase displays the SSH connection string. Copy the URL provided in your account — you'll paste it into Borg Backup Server in a later step. It looks something like this:

ssh://xxxxx@xxxxx.repo.borgbase.com/./repo
BorgBase Repository Added confirmation showing the SSH connection URL
3

Configure SSH Key Access

Edit the repository and navigate to the Access tab. BorgBase supports two access levels:

  • Full Access — keys can read, add, and delete files
  • Append-Only Access — keys cannot delete or modify existing backups

You'll add the SSH public key generated by Borg Backup Server to one of these access lists. For maximum security, use Append-Only Access so that even if a client is compromised, existing backups remain safe.

BorgBase Edit Repository Access tab showing Full Access and Append-Only Access key assignments
4

Add BorgBase in Borg Backup Server

In your Borg Backup Server dashboard, go to Settings → Storage → Remote Storage and click Add Remote Storage Host. Select BorgBase from the provider list.

Borg Backup Server Settings page showing the Remote Storage provider selection with BorgBase, Hetzner, rsync.net, and Custom options
5

Paste Connection String & Test

Paste the SSH connection string you copied from BorgBase. Borg Backup Server automatically parses the host, user, port, and path. Paste the SSH private key that matches the public key you added to BorgBase.

Click Test Connection to verify everything works. You should see a green "Connected" status with the borg version. Then click Add Host to save the configuration.

Borg Backup Server BorgBase Setup form with connection string, parsed host details, SSH private key, and successful connection test

You're all set

Your BorgBase repository is now connected as a remote storage host. You can use it when creating backup plans — Borg Backup Server will push encrypted, deduplicated backups to BorgBase over SSH.

Offsite backups in EU or US data centers
Append-only mode prevents ransomware from deleting backups
End-to-end encryption — BorgBase never sees your data
Monitoring and alerts from both BorgBase and Borg Backup Server

Don't have Borg Backup Server yet?

Try the Live Demo View on GitHub