How to Set Up SFTP Backup in HestiaCP

Prerequisites

Before setting up SFTP backups, make sure you have:

• SFTP server credentials (host, port, username, password/key)
• SSH access to your VPS

What is SFTP?

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a secure alternative to FTP that encrypts both authentication and data.

Configure SFTP Backup in HestiaCP

Step 1: Log in to HestiaCP

https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8083

Step 2: Navigate to SERVER Section

Click on SERVER in the top menu bar.

Step 3: Go to Backup Tab → Remote

Step 4: Select SFTP as Type

Fill in:

• Type: SFTP
• Host: backup.example.com
• Port: 22
• Username: backupuser
• Password: (or leave blank if using SSH key)
• Directory: /backup/hestiacp/

Step 5: Set Up SSH Key Authentication (Recommended)

On your HestiaCP server:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f /root/.ssh/id_rsa_hestia_backup

Copy public key to remote server:

ssh-copy-id -i /root/.ssh/id_rsa_hestia_backup.pub backupuser@backup.example.com

Step 6: Test and Save

Click Test Connection then Save.

Manual SFTP Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/backup"
REMOTE_HOST="backup.example.com"
REMOTE_USER="backupuser"
REMOTE_PATH="/backup/hestiacp/"

# Create backup first
/usr/local/hestia/bin/v-backup-users

# Upload to SFTP server
sftp $REMOTE_USER@$REMOTE_HOST <

apt install lftp -y

lftp sftp://backupuser@backup.example.com -e "mirror -R /backup /backup/hestiacp/; quit"