borg key change-passphrase

borg [common options] key change-passphrase [options] [REPOSITORY]
positional arguments
  REPOSITORY  

Common options

Description

The key files used for repository encryption are optionally passphrase protected. This command can be used to change this passphrase.

Please note that this command only changes the passphrase, but not any secret protected by it (like e.g. encryption/MAC keys or chunker seed). Thus, changing the passphrase after passphrase and borg key got compromised does not protect future (nor past) backups to the same repository.

Examples

# Create a key file protected repository
$ borg init --encryption=keyfile -v /path/to/repo
Initializing repository at "/path/to/repo"
Enter new passphrase:
Enter same passphrase again:
Remember your passphrase. Your data will be inaccessible without it.
Key in "/root/.config/borg/keys/mnt_backup" created.
Keep this key safe. Your data will be inaccessible without it.
Synchronizing chunks cache...
Archives: 0, w/ cached Idx: 0, w/ outdated Idx: 0, w/o cached Idx: 0.
Done.

# Change key file passphrase
$ borg key change-passphrase -v /path/to/repo
Enter passphrase for key /root/.config/borg/keys/mnt_backup:
Enter new passphrase:
Enter same passphrase again:
Remember your passphrase. Your data will be inaccessible without it.
Key updated

Fully automated using environment variables:

$ BORG_NEW_PASSPHRASE=old borg init -e=repokey repo
# now "old" is the current passphrase.
$ BORG_PASSPHRASE=old BORG_NEW_PASSPHRASE=new borg key change-passphrase repo
# now "new" is the current passphrase.

borg key export

borg [common options] key export [options] [REPOSITORY] [PATH]
positional arguments
  REPOSITORY  
  PATH where to store the backup
optional arguments
  --paper Create an export suitable for printing and later type-in
  --qr-html Create an html file suitable for printing and later type-in or qr scan

Common options

Description

If repository encryption is used, the repository is inaccessible without the key. This command allows to backup this essential key. Note that the backup produced does not include the passphrase itself (i.e. the exported key stays encrypted). In order to regain access to a repository, one needs both the exported key and the original passphrase.

There are two backup formats. The normal backup format is suitable for digital storage as a file. The --paper backup format is optimized for printing and typing in while importing, with per line checks to reduce problems with manual input.

For repositories using keyfile encryption the key is saved locally on the system that is capable of doing backups. To guard against loss of this key, the key needs to be backed up independently of the main data backup.

For repositories using the repokey encryption the key is saved in the repository in the config file. A backup is thus not strictly needed, but guards against the repository becoming inaccessible if the file is damaged for some reason.

Examples:

borg key export /path/to/repo > encrypted-key-backup
borg key export --paper /path/to/repo > encrypted-key-backup.txt
borg key export --qr-html /path/to/repo > encrypted-key-backup.html
# Or pass the output file as an argument instead of redirecting stdout:
borg key export /path/to/repo encrypted-key-backup
borg key export --paper /path/to/repo encrypted-key-backup.txt
borg key export --qr-html /path/to/repo encrypted-key-backup.html

borg key import

borg [common options] key import [options] [REPOSITORY] [PATH]
positional arguments
  REPOSITORY  
  PATH path to the backup (‘-’ to read from stdin)
optional arguments
  --paper interactively import from a backup done with --paper

Common options

Description

This command allows to restore a key previously backed up with the export command.

If the --paper option is given, the import will be an interactive process in which each line is checked for plausibility before proceeding to the next line. For this format PATH must not be given.