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layout default
title Documentation - IMAP Backup & Restore Tool
description Complete documentation for IMAP email backup and restore. Learn how to use Docker, Python, S3 storage, and GPG encryption for secure email backups.
keywords imap backup documentation, email backup guide, docker backup tutorial, s3 email storage, gpg encryption guide

IMAP Backup & Restore Documentation

Welcome to the IMAP Backup & Restore tool documentation. This tool allows you to backup, restore, and manage your IMAP email accounts with support for S3 storage and GPG encryption.

Features

  • Full IMAP Backup: Download all emails from your IMAP server to local mbox files
  • Smart Restore: Upload mbox files back to IMAP server (skips duplicates)
  • S3 Integration: Store backups in S3-compatible storage (MinIO, Hetzner, AWS S3, etc.)
  • GPG Encryption: Encrypt backups for secure storage
  • Incremental Backups: Only downloads new messages on subsequent runs
  • Docker Support: Run easily with Docker using user2k20/imapbackup image

Quick Start

Using Docker (Recommended)

# Basic backup
docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/backups:/data \
  user2k20/imapbackup \
  -s imap.example.com -u user@example.com -e

# Backup with S3 upload
docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/backups:/data \
  user2k20/imapbackup \
  -s imap.example.com -u user@example.com -e \
  --s3-upload \
  --s3-endpoint=https://s3.hetzner.cloud \
  --s3-bucket=my-backups \
  --s3-access-key=YOUR_KEY \
  --s3-secret-key=YOUR_SECRET

Using Python Directly

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install Python dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Install system dependencies
# Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt install gnupg

# RHEL/CentOS:
sudo yum install gnupg

# macOS:
brew install gnupg

# Run backup
python3 imapbackup.py \
  -s imap.example.com \
  -u user@example.com \
  -e

Documentation Index

  1. Docker Setup Guide - Using the Docker image
  2. Python/venv Setup Guide - Using Python virtual environments
  3. Backup Guide - How to backup your emails
  4. Restore Guide - How to restore emails from backups
  5. Multi-Account Backup - Backup multiple email accounts with YAML configuration
  6. S3 Configuration - Setting up S3 storage (MinIO, Hetzner, AWS)
  7. GPG Encryption Guide - Encrypting your backups
  8. GPG Key Import Guide - Flexible GPG key import (files, URLs, environment variables)

Common Use Cases

Daily Automated Backups

Use cron to schedule daily backups:

# Run daily at 2 AM
0 2 * * * docker run --rm -v /backups:/data user2k20/imapbackup \
  -s imap.example.com -u user@example.com -p @/root/.imap_password -e

Backup and Upload to S3 with Encryption (Easy Method)

# Using flexible key import - no GPG keyring mount needed
docker run --rm \
  -v $(pwd)/backups:/data \
  user2k20/imapbackup \
  -s imap.example.com -u user@example.com -e \
  --s3-upload \
  --s3-endpoint=https://s3.eu-central-1.hetzner.cloud \
  --s3-bucket=email-backups \
  --s3-access-key=$S3_KEY \
  --s3-secret-key=$S3_SECRET \
  --gpg-encrypt \
  --gpg-recipient=backup@example.com \
  --gpg-import-key=https://example.com/keys/backup-public.asc

See GPG Key Import Guide for more examples including environment variables and file paths.

Backup and Upload to S3 with Encryption (Traditional Method)

# Using mounted GPG keyring
docker run --rm \
  -v $(pwd)/backups:/data \
  -v $(pwd)/.gnupg:/root/.gnupg \
  user2k20/imapbackup \
  -s imap.example.com -u user@example.com -e \
  --s3-upload \
  --s3-endpoint=https://s3.eu-central-1.hetzner.cloud \
  --s3-bucket=email-backups \
  --s3-access-key=$S3_KEY \
  --s3-secret-key=$S3_SECRET \
  --gpg-encrypt \
  --gpg-recipient=backup@example.com

Restore from S3 Encrypted Backup

docker run --rm \
  -v $(pwd)/backups:/data \
  -v $(pwd)/.gnupg:/root/.gnupg \
  user2k20/imapbackup \
  -r \
  -s imap.newserver.com -u user@newserver.com -e \
  --s3-upload \
  --s3-endpoint=https://s3.eu-central-1.hetzner.cloud \
  --s3-bucket=email-backups \
  --s3-access-key=$S3_KEY \
  --s3-secret-key=$S3_SECRET \
  --gpg-encrypt \
  --gpg-recipient=backup@example.com

Command Line Options

Basic Options

  • -s HOST - IMAP server hostname
  • -u USER - Username/email
  • -p PASS - Password (or @/path/to/file to read from file)
  • -e - Use SSL (recommended)
  • -d DIR - Directory for mbox files (default: current directory)

Backup/Restore Modes

  • -a - Append to existing mbox files (default)
  • -y - Overwrite existing mbox files
  • -r - Restore mode: Upload mbox files to IMAP server

Folder Selection

  • -f FOLDERS - Only backup specific folders (comma-separated)
  • --exclude-folders=FOLDERS - Exclude specific folders

S3 Storage Options

  • --s3-upload - Enable S3 integration
  • --s3-endpoint=URL - S3 endpoint URL
  • --s3-bucket=BUCKET - Bucket name
  • --s3-access-key=KEY - Access key
  • --s3-secret-key=KEY - Secret key
  • --s3-prefix=PREFIX - Optional prefix (e.g., backups/imap/)

GPG Encryption Options

  • --gpg-encrypt - Enable GPG encryption/decryption
  • --gpg-recipient=EMAIL - GPG key ID or email
  • --gpg-import-key=SOURCE - Import GPG public key from:
    • File path: /path/to/key.asc
    • URL: https://example.com/key.asc
    • Environment variable: env:GPG_PUBLIC_KEY

Requirements

For Docker

  • Docker installed
  • GPG keyring volume (if using encryption): -v ~/.gnupg:/root/.gnupg

For Python (venv)

  • Python 3.6+
  • Virtual environment recommended
  • Python dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt
  • System dependencies:
    • GPG: apt install gnupg (Ubuntu/Debian)
    • GPG: yum install gnupg (RHEL/CentOS)
    • GPG: brew install gnupg (macOS)

Support

For issues or questions:

  • Check the detailed guides in this docs folder
  • Review command line options with --help
  • Check error messages for configuration issues

Security Notes

  1. Password Storage: Use @/path/to/password to read password from a file
  2. GPG Keys: Ensure your GPG keyring is properly secured
  3. S3 Credentials: Use environment variables or secure credential storage
  4. SSL/TLS: Always use -e flag for encrypted IMAP connections

Next Steps

  1. Read the Docker Setup Guide to get started with Docker
  2. Follow the Backup Guide for your first backup
  3. Set up S3 Storage for cloud backups
  4. Configure GPG Encryption for secure backups