Backup strategy

In version control systems, backup strategies are the core component of ensuring code security. A well-designed backup approach can effectively prevent data loss while supporting efficient team collaboration. Below is a detailed backup plan and practical methods for Git.

Multi-Copy Mechanism for Local Repositories

The simplest backup strategy is to store repository copies on different physical devices. It is recommended to maintain at least three copies:

1. Working directory on the development machine
2. Bare repository on an external hard drive
3. Timely synchronized copy on a NAS device

# Create a bare repository backup  
git clone --mirror /project /backup/project.git  

Distributed Storage for Remote Repositories

Leverage Git's distributed nature for cross-region backups:

Mainstream Code Hosting Platforms

• GitHub
• GitLab
• Bitbucket

// Automatically add multiple remote repositories via Node.js  
const { execSync } = require('child_process')  
execSync('git remote add github git@github.com:user/repo.git')  
execSync('git remote add gitlab git@gitlab.com:user/repo.git')  

Self-Hosted Git Servers

Set up private backup nodes using the SSH protocol:

# Server-side initialization  
ssh user@backup-server "mkdir -p /git/repo.git && cd /git/repo.git && git init --bare"  
# Add remote locally  
git remote add backup ssh://user@backup-server/git/repo.git  

Branch Protection Strategies

Critical branches should have protection rules:

• main/master branch: Enforce code reviews
• release branch: Disallow direct pushes
• hotfix branch: Time-limited forced deletion

# Example of branch locking (server-side hook)  
#!/bin/sh  
if [ "$1" = "refs/heads/main" ]; then  
  echo "Error: Direct pushes to the main branch are prohibited"  
  exit 1  
fi  

Automated Backup with Hook Scripts

Use Git hooks to implement automatic backups:

post-commit Hook

#!/bin/sh  
git push backup-server --all  

pre-receive Hook

#!/bin/sh  
while read oldrev newrev refname; do  
  if [ "$refname" = "refs/heads/main" ]; then  
    git archive --format=zip HEAD > /backups/$(date +%Y%m%d).zip  
  fi  
done  

Large File Storage Solution

Manage binary resources with Git LFS:

# Installation and configuration  
git lfs install  
git lfs track "*.psd"  
git add .gitattributes  

Repository Maintenance Operations

Perform regular maintenance tasks:

# Compress history  
git gc --aggressive  

# Verify integrity  
git fsck  

# Rebuild index  
git repack -a -d --depth=250 --window=250  

Disaster Recovery Plan

Steps to handle repository corruption:

1. Clone from the most recent bare repository

git clone --mirror /backup/repo.git  

2. Check for dangling objects

git fsck --full  

3. Recover lost branches

git branch recovered-branch abc1234  

Cross-Platform Considerations

Handle line endings for different systems:

# Uniformly convert to LF  
git config --global core.autocrlf input  

Submodule Backup Strategy

Recursively back up repositories with submodules:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://repo.git  
git submodule update --init --recursive  

Backup Verification Mechanism

Periodically test backup availability:

# Randomly sample backup repositories  
test_repo=$(ls /backups | sort -R | head -n 1)  
git --git-dir="/backups/$test_repo" log -1