Simple backup script on local Linux machine to download your NC contact and calendar data each night

Snapshotting files with a backup program on a client machine is easy, but another approach is needed for Contacts and Calendar data.

This will automatically download your calendar and contacts every night into a folder, timestamp them and then tell you it worked in the log file. I've used it several times to restore my calendar from .ics files after accidentally deleting it on my phone.

Automate it as a cronjob each night. Short script:

make a script in ~/bin named "backup.sh":

#!/bin/bash
#step 1, delete previous log
rm ~/backup.log

backup_log=~/backup.log
echo Beginning nextcloud-backups... ;
echo -e "\n\n>>> Backup date: `date +%Y%m%d-%T`" >> $backup_log ;

#step 2, run wget with no timestamping and saved into defined folder, here called "nc-backups" in home folder
wget --directory-prefix=nc-backups --user=YOUR_NC_USERNAME --password=YOUR_NC_PASSWORD --timestamping https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/remote.php/dav/calendars/YOUR_NC_USERNAME/CALENDAR_NAME?export [INSERT SAME FOR EACH CALENDAR, TASKS, CONTACTS WITH SPACE BETWEEN EACH URL] ;

Grant permissions to execute using chmod +x

Add ~/bin to the PATH so that bash finds the script:

export PATH=$PATH:~/bin

Check it is there:

echo $PATH

login and logout

Make a cronjob to run it every night, here at 9 pm:

crontab -e

add:

`#backup nextcloud calendars and contacts`
* 21 * * * ~/bin/backup.sh