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Introduction to Storages

Storages are the destinations where Pluton saves your backup data. Understanding and configuring storages is essential before creating backup plans.

What is a Storage?​

A storage in Pluton represents a destination location where your backup snapshots and data are stored. This can be local storage (disks attached to your server) or remote cloud storage (AWS S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.).

Each storage configuration includes:

  • Connection details (credentials, endpoints)
  • Storage type and provider information
  • Default paths and settings
  • Access permissions and authentication

Local Storage (Default)​

Pluton automatically provides access to Local Storage where the application is installed. This is immediately available without any configuration.

What Local Storage Includes​

System Drives:

  • Internal hard drives and SSDs
  • The drive where Pluton is installed
  • Any mounted system volumes

External Storage:

  • USB drives
  • External hard drives
  • Network-attached storage (NAS) if mounted
  • Mapped network drives

When to Use Local Storage​

Ideal for:

  • Testing Pluton before configuring cloud storage
  • Backing up to external drives or NAS
  • Organizations with on-premise storage requirements
  • High-speed local backups without internet dependency
  • Privacy-sensitive data that must remain on-site

Limitations:

  • No off-site disaster recovery protection
  • Limited by physical storage capacity
  • Vulnerable to local disasters (fire, theft, hardware failure)
  • Requires manual management of external drives

Best Practice​

Use local storage as your primary backup destination, then configure a cloud storage as a secondary off-site backup for critical data protection.

Cloud Storage Options​

Pluton supports a wide range of cloud storage providers through Rclone integration. These require configuration but offer off-site protection and scalability.

Object Storage:

  • AWS S3
  • Backblaze B2
  • Wasabi
  • Cloudflare R2
  • DigitalOcean Spaces

Personal Cloud:

  • Google Drive
  • OneDrive
  • Dropbox
  • pCloud
  • Box.com

Enterprise Cloud:

  • Google Cloud Storage
  • Azure Blob Storage
  • Oracle Swift
  • Alibaba OSS

Specialized:

  • SFTP servers
  • WebDAV
  • SMB/CIFS shares
  • FTP servers

Benefits of Cloud Storage​

  • Off-site protection - Data safe from local disasters
  • Scalability - Easily expand storage capacity
  • Accessibility - Access backups from anywhere
  • Redundancy - Provider handles data replication
  • Automation - No manual drive management

Considerations​

  • Costs - Monthly fees based on storage and bandwidth
  • Speed - Upload/download limited by internet connection
  • Privacy - Data stored on third-party servers (use encryption)
  • Setup - Requires account creation and credential configuration

Storage Features​

Each storage type supports different capabilities:

Common Features:

  • Upload and download files
  • Create and delete folders
  • List directory contents
  • Verify connectivity

Advanced Features (vary by provider):

  • Purge - Delete entire folders efficiently
  • Copy/Move - Transfer files between locations
  • About - Query storage space and usage
  • Link Sharing - Generate public download links
  • Cleanup - Remove old or temporary files

Pluton automatically detects and utilizes available features for each storage type.

Storage Organization​

Storage List​

The Storages page displays all configured storage destinations:

  • Local Storage - Pre-configured and always available
  • Cloud Storages - Remote destinations you've added

Each storage shows:

  • Provider name and icon
  • Custom storage name
  • Number of backup plans using it
  • Total storage used

Storage Management​

What You Can Do:

  • Add new cloud storage destinations
  • Verify storage connectivity
  • Edit storage configurations
  • Remove unused storages
  • Organize with tags
  • Monitor storage usage

What You Cannot Do:

  • Edit or remove Local Storage (system-managed)
  • Change storage type after creation
  • Merge multiple storages

Getting Started​

Option 1: Start with Local Storage​

  1. No configuration needed - it's already available
  2. Create your first backup plan
  3. Select "Local Storage" as the destination
  4. Specify a path on your local drives or external storage
  5. Start backing up immediately

Example paths:

  • /backups/documents - Linux/Mac
  • E:\Backups\Photos - Windows external drive
  • /mnt/nas/backups - Network storage

Option 2: Add Cloud Storage​

  1. Navigate to the Storages page
  2. Click "+ New" to add a storage
  3. Select your cloud provider
  4. Enter credentials and configuration
  5. Verify the connection
  6. Use in backup plans
Storage Name Cannot be Changed

Note that storage name cannot be changed once it has been created. The storage name is used as rclone storage config. When its changed, your restic backup repos won't be accessible anymore.