Backblaze has the most straightforward pricing in the consumer online-backup market. There is just one plan and it offers unlimited backups of a single computer and any connected external drives. Advantages of Backblaze. Backblaze is a simple and effective backup service. It does what it says – backs up your files from your computer to Backblaze servers. If you were expecting more, you would be disappointed. Here is a list of things that I think are the strengths of Backblaze: It gives unlimited backup. Granted, it isn’t the best solution for cloud storage (see pCloud for that instead). Still, with 600 Petabytes data stored and over 30 billion files recovered thus far, it really is the best choice for simple and convenient backing up of your computer files. 6 Things We Love About Backblaze. What makes Backblaze a worthwhile backup cloud storage provider is how it is engineered.

Backblaze takes the position that you don’t need to know the details of your backup plan, just that it is occurring: when you install the desktop client for the first time, it doesn’t ask you. Backblaze is one of the least expensive unlimited online backup plans among those I've reviewed but see our Unlimited Online Backup Plan Prices comparison table to see by how much. Backblaze also offers a similar business-class online backup plan, which you can read about in our Business Online Backup list or check out on their site here.

Cloud Backup - How to Set Up Backblaze B2 for Cloud Backup

Cloud Backup

Backblaze B2 is a business-class cloud storage provider with extremely low costs, at $0.005/GB a month or $5/TB a month. Retrospect 12 and higher for Windows and Retrospect 14 and higher for Mac are certified for Backblaze B2 API, and Retrospect 17.5 for Windows and Mac are certified for Backblaze B2 S3-Compatible API. Follow these step-by-step instructions for setting up a Backblaze B2 account and adding it to Retrospect.

Please note that buckets created before May 4, 2020 cannot be used with Backblaze S3 Compatible APIs.

Step-by-step Guide

Video Tutorial - Retrospect Backup for Windows

Video Tutorial - Retrospect Backup for Mac

Account Setup Guide

Setting up a Backblaze B2 account is quick and easy.

1. Visit Backblaze B2. Type in your email address and password and click 'Sign up for B2'.

2. Backblaze B2 requires a valid phone number, so you’ll need to verify yours with a text message. This also allows you to set up two-factor authentication for added security.

3. After verifying your phone number, you’ll see your new Backblaze B2 account page.

4. Backblaze B3 provides two different interfaces that Retrospect supports: B2 API and S3 API. Let’s walk through setup for each.

Information for Retrospect using Backblaze B2 API

Retrospect needs two pieces of information to access Backblaze B2.

• Account ID – Use the Account ID from above.

• Application Key – Use the Application Key from above.

Note that Retrospect’s B2 API requires the master key and does not support application-specific keys. To retrieve the master key, click the 'Show Account ID and Application Key' link and then the 'Create Application Key' button.

Information for Retrospect using Backblaze S3-Compatible API

Retrospect needs two pieces of information to access Backblaze B2.

• Path – s3.us-west-001.backblazeb2.com/your_bucket_name (using the endpoint URL listed in Backblaze 'Buckets' page)

• Access Key: Use the Application Key ID (KeyID).

• Secret Key Download new mac software. : Use the Application Key (applicationKey).

The S3 Compatible API does not support the master key but does support application-specific keys. You’ll need to click 'Add a New Application Key' under 'App Keys' to get the 'Application Key ID' (KeyID) and the 'Application Key' (applicationKey).

The path is listed as 'Endpoint' under the bucket description on your Backblaze 'Buckets' page.

Adding Cloud Storage in Retrospect using Backblaze B2 API

Adding cloud storage as a destination is simple. Retrospect has a new set type called 'Cloud'. Create a new backup set/media set and select 'Cloud' as the type.

Next you’ll need to enter your cloud storage credentials. Retrospect allows customers to set the maximum storage usage, up to 100TB. If you have an existing bucket, type it into 'Bucket'. Otherwise, leave that field blank, and Retrospect will walk through creating a new one.

Adding Cloud Storage in Retrospect using Backblaze S3-Compatible API

Adding cloud storage as a destination is simple. Retrospect has a new set type called 'Cloud'. Create a new backup set/media set and select 'Cloud' as the type.

Next you’ll need to enter your cloud storage credentials. Retrospect allows customers to set the maximum storage usage, up to 100TB. If you have an existing bucket, type it into 'Bucket'. Otherwise, leave that field blank, and Retrospect will walk through creating a new one.

Backblaze Phone Backup Reviews

Using Cloud Storage in Retrospect

Using cloud storage is simple. After you have created a cloud set, create a new script or add it to an existing one, and click 'Run'. The backup will begin with the contents of the set being uploaded to your cloud storage location. You can track the progress in the execution/activity.

Throttling Cloud Backups in Retrospect

Throttling for cloud backup and cloud restore is available in Preferences.

Backblaze B2 Fireball

Retrospect Backup supports integration with B2 Fireball. However, when doing this backup, it will be important that you create a Cloud Backup Set and not a Disk Backup set for the Fireball device.

General Tips

Below are a number of tips for using cloud storage in Retrospect:

• Bandwidth Measurement Tool – Measure your upload and download bandwidth with this free tool: Speedtest.net.

• Disable Backup Verification – Verification will download all of the data that you upload. See more details about why you should disable it for cloud backups in Cloud Backup - Best Practices for Data Protection with Cloud Storage.

Troubleshooting

In some cases, Retrospect Backup will receive an error during upload and need to retry. You need to set your bucket’s lifecycle to 'Keep only the last version'. Otherwise, B2 might store retain the prior incomplete copies of your RDB file, and B2 will charge you for this space.

Last Update: September 22, 2020

We strive to keep our articles as accurate as possible. If you notice any inconsistencies or outdated info please let us know.

Backblaze is a data storage provider. It offers two products: B2 Cloud Storage - An object storage service similar to Amazon's S3. Computer Backup - An online backup tool that allows Windows and macOS users to back up their data to offsite data centers.

Backblaze is a pioneer in robust, scalable low cost cloud backup and storage services. Personal online backup to enterprise scale data storage solutions

On this page:

How to set up a new Backblaze account

To create a new Backblaze account, please follow these steps:

1. Go to https://www.backblaze.com/b2/sign-up.html
2. Enter your email and password, then press Sign Up for B2
   
3. You will be asked if you want to follow the quick start guides. Press Skip Quick Start
   
4. You will be asked to confirm your phone, enter the phone number and then the confirmation code received. Press Verify
   
5. In your Backblaze account on Buckets page, press Create Bucket
   
6. Enter a name for your bucket and press Create bucket
   
7. Go to App Keys page and press Add a new application key
   
8. Enter the name of the key and press Create new key
   
9. Then you will get the confirmation page with all necesarily details for backup.
   

How to backup to Backblaze

Steps to follow:

1. Open Backup4all and select File -> New (Ctrl+N).

2. On the Where do you want to save the backup? page, select Online -> S3 Compatible as backup destination.

3. After selecting S3 Compatible, you need to choose Backblaze B2. Enter the credentials for Backblaze. Then press Next.

4. On the What do you want to backup page, add the backup sources. Press Next.

5. On the Filter the backup sources page, you can set include/exclude filters for backup sources. Then press Next.

6. On the How do you want to backup page, you can choose the backup type and the encryption.

Backblaze Phone Backup System

7. On the When do you want to backup page, you can set the backup job to automatically run on the specified time and days. Press Next.

8. On the Personalize your backup job page, enter a name for the backup in the Backup name field.

9. Press Save -> Save and run

How to backup to Backblaze - video tutorial

How to restore from Backblaze

Backblaze Phone Backup Camera

Steps to follow:

1. If the backup job does not exist in Backup4all, you must open it from File->Open from.

2. Select S3 Compatible, then choose Backblaze. Configure the Backblaze account. Apple macbook free.

3. After the Backblaze account was set, press Show to display the backup jobs in the destination. Select the catalog you want to open and press Open. Backup4all will recreate that backup job.

4. Press the Restore (F7) button. Optionally you can select the location you want to restore the files to. The original location is selected by default.
On the same page, you can choose the way in which to restore. You can also filter files before restoring. If you select to restore from a specific version, press Next to indicate the version or the date back to which you want to restore. Press Next.

5. Press Finish to start the restoration process.

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