> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cloudstic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Storage Backends Overview

> Choose the right storage backend for your Cloudstic backups

Cloudstic supports multiple storage backends for maximum flexibility. All backends support encryption, compression, and content-addressed deduplication.

## Available Backends

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Local Storage" icon="folder" href="/storage/local">
    Store backups on the local filesystem
  </Card>

  <Card title="Amazon S3" icon="aws" href="/storage/s3">
    S3-compatible storage (AWS, R2, MinIO)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Backblaze B2" icon="cloud" href="/storage/b2">
    Cost-effective cloud storage
  </Card>

  <Card title="SFTP" icon="server" href="/storage/sftp">
    Remote storage over SSH
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Choosing a Backend

### Local Storage

Best for:

* Local backups to external drives
* Fast network-attached storage (NAS)
* Testing and development

### S3-Compatible

Best for:

* AWS S3 for scalable cloud storage
* Cloudflare R2 for zero-egress costs
* MinIO for self-hosted S3 compatibility

### Backblaze B2

Best for:

* Cost-effective cloud storage
* Long-term archival with low storage costs
* Predictable pricing

### SFTP

Best for:

* Existing SSH-accessible servers
* Remote Linux/Unix systems
* Simple remote backup without cloud setup

## Common Features

All storage backends support:

* **Encryption**: AES-256-GCM with key derivation
* **Compression**: Automatic zstd compression
* **Deduplication**: Content-addressed storage
* **Packfiles**: Bundle small objects to reduce API calls
* **Atomic writes**: Temporary files with atomic rename

## Configuration

Storage backends are configured via:

1. **Command-line flags** (e.g., `-store local:/backup`)
2. **Environment variables** (e.g., `CLOUDSTIC_STORE=local:./backup_store`)
3. **Per-backend credentials** (e.g., `B2_KEY_ID`, `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`)

<Note>
  Environment variables are particularly useful for automation and CI/CD pipelines.
</Note>

## Backend Selection

Specify the storage backend with the `-store` flag:

```bash theme={null}
cloudstic init -store local:./backup_store
cloudstic init -store s3:my-bucket
cloudstic init -store b2:my-bucket
cloudstic init -store sftp://user@host/remote/backup
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Local Storage" icon="folder" href="/storage/local">
    Set up local filesystem storage
  </Card>

  <Card title="S3 Storage" icon="aws" href="/storage/s3">
    Configure S3-compatible storage
  </Card>

  <Card title="B2 Storage" icon="cloud" href="/storage/b2">
    Set up Backblaze B2
  </Card>

  <Card title="SFTP Storage" icon="server" href="/storage/sftp">
    Configure SFTP storage
  </Card>
</CardGroup>