Self-Hosting
Atlas is a self-hosted backup engine. You run it on your own infrastructure and your backup data never leaves your network.
In This Section
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Storage Setup | Configure MinIO on Docker, bind mounts, RAID, and filesystem recommendations. |
| Scheduling & Bandwidth | Understand bandwidth requirements and automate backups with cron or systemd. |
| Replication Setup | Set up multi-location replication for a 3-2-1 backup strategy. |
Platform Recommendation
Atlas is designed and tested primarily for Linux. Use Ubuntu Server 22.04+ or Debian 12+ for production deployments.
Why Linux:
- Docker volume drivers are most mature and performant on Linux, with no VM translation layer like Docker Desktop on macOS/Windows.
- systemd timers and cron provide native scheduling for automated backups without third-party tools.
- Filesystem semantics (permissions, symlinks, mount points) are consistent and well-understood for server workloads.
- Lower overhead: no desktop environment consuming resources on a dedicated backup server.
Atlas runs on macOS and Windows for development and testing, but all production guidance in this documentation targets Linux.
System Requirements
| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Node.js | 20+ | Latest LTS |
| RAM | 1 GB | 2+ GB |
| CPU | 1 core | 2+ cores |
| Disk | Depends on mailbox sizes | See Storage Setup |
| Network | Stable internet connection | Dedicated link, see Scheduling & Bandwidth |
Atlas itself is lightweight, but the data it moves is not. A tenant-wide backup of many large mailboxes can transfer tens or hundreds of gigabytes over HTTPS.