Best way to create backup on cloud for EPUB books

[ljrkrispes]

Barely computer literate MAC user. I have several thousand books in Calibre, and I need to make a backup on the cloud of all my books. Caught out with Apple removing Marvin from App Store and don't want to wake up one day and find out my books are lost because something happened to Calibre. So I guess I need to back up my library to a cloud based platform. Should I just buy Dropbox storage, create a folder and upload everything? I know you geniuses have this problem solved already. Thanks for helping. Linda

[Sirtel]

Copying the library folder to Dropbox works pretty well (don't put your original library folder in there, only a copy). For subsequent updates, install FreeFileSync and use its mirror option to copy any later changes in the original library to the backup library. This way you won't need to copy the entire library over every time you make changes. And always make changes in the original library, not the Dropbox one - only mirror the changes from one to the other, not vice versa.

Don't use Google Drive for backup, it will destroy your library.

[Turtle91]

If you don’t want to pay a subscription for cloud storage you can use the technique mentioned by Sirtel to mirror it to a usb drive. Those drives a very inexpensive and will easily hold the entire library of thousands of books.

You can either just copy the folder that holds your books to the usb, or other external, drive - OR - you can use Calibre’s LibraryExport function. That function makes a Calibre restorable folder you typically use if transferring your library from one computer to another. It’s a larger folder than just copying the library folder, but it still easily fits in a usb drive.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

You can either just copy the folder that holds your books to the usb, or other external, drive - OR - you can use Calibre’s LibraryExport function. That function makes a Calibre restorable folder you typically use if transferring your library from one computer to another. It’s a larger folder than just copying the library folder, but it still easily fits in a usb drive.

The drawback of the export method is that you can't do incremental updates afterwards - you'll have to export a new copy every time you make changes.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The drawback of the export method is that you can't do incremental updates afterwards - you'll have to export a new copy every time you make changes.

You can always use rsync/rcloud instead.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Arun

For creating a cloud backup of EPUB books, using cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud is an efficient and secure method to safeguard your collection for easy access.

Google Drive is not compatible with calibre libraries. Unless you zip the library folder up, your library will get corrupted.

What is with those obviously AI-generated posts from brand new members?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The drawback of the export method is that you can't do incremental updates afterwards - you'll have to export a new copy every time you make changes.

BUT it is great for the first backup because it establishes your personal configuration BASELINE, then the file sync on another copy.

(remember to sync you configuration folder if yo do not want to use the Export as a recovery starting point)

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by theducks

...(remember to sync you configuration folder if yo do not want to use the Export as a recovery starting point)

Yes, of course.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ljrkrispes

Barely computer literate MAC user. I have several thousand books in Calibre, and I need to make a backup on the cloud of all my books. Caught out with Apple removing Marvin from App Store and don't want to wake up one day and find out my books are lost because something happened to Calibre. So I guess I need to back up my library to a cloud based platform. Should I just buy Dropbox storage, create a folder and upload everything? I know you geniuses have this problem solved already. Thanks for helping. Linda

Nothing is happening to calibre. You won't lose your eBooks. They will always be in your library.

Buy an external hard drive. You can backup the entire computer. Using cloud storage as you are suggesting is going to break your library. So if you ever needed to restore it, you will have to either fix it or start over. It's not worth the hassle.

You can also get a USB stick or a USB memory card and use that to backup your calibre settings and libraries. That will work a lot better then any sort of library breaking cloud storage.

Also, by using USB storage or an external hard drive, you can use FreeFileSync so after the first backup, you only have to backup what's changed. And you won't need double the disk space on your computer for the calibre libraries.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

You can always use rsync/rcloud instead.

Nah! FreeFileSync works better.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Nothing is happening to calibre. You won't lose your eBooks. They will always be in your library.

But a computer drive may die. Then the OP would lose their ebooks.

Using cloud storage as you are suggesting is going to break your library.

No, it won't. Please don't spread false information. Keeping a backup on a cloud drive is perfectly fine, as long as it's not your active library, and unless it's Google Drive.

[Quoth]

"Cloud" is just someone else's server. Dropbox is currently under investigation for breaking privacy and copyright because they are switching to AI products and by default (if not in EU*, allegedly), they will scan all your content for their AI model.

The "cloud" won't wreck your Calibre library if used correctly, but a USB HDD left at a friend/relative's house can work out cheaper if you have a big library. Might be more secure and private.
[* seems they take more notice of EU regulations than Musk's X aka formerly Twitter]

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The "cloud" won't wreck your Calibre library if used correctly, but a USB HDD left at a friend/relative's house can work out cheaper if you have a big library. Might be more secure and private.

That's presuming you have a friend or a relative you visit often enough to update your backup regularly. And even if you have such a person, naturally this friend or relative is on vacation just at the moment you need that backup urgently.

As for me, I have no other way to keep an offsite, regularly updated backup than to keep in in the cloud. I visit my relatives a few times a year; that's certainly not enough to keep most of my stuff up to date (I make changes almost every day in my various files). I do back up on external drives, but those are not off site. And external drives can die; you have to use more than one and replace them with new ones after a while, just in case.

Of course a cloud server may go belly up too, but usually you'll still have your local copy in that case. IMO it's best to use more than one backup method, unless you have some really sensitive stuff in your files. But in that case you'd better not leave that backup with a friend or a relative either.

[JSWolf]

Get a water/fire proof box to store the backups.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Get a water/fire proof box to store the backups.

Nope. I prefer cloud, specifically Dropbox. YMMV.