My ArchLinux system backup script; pacman tricks for system files, whitelisting for everything else. Paired with git for config git-lfs for files.

backup.sh

#!/bin/bash

wd=$(pwd)
#remote=root@host

run() {
  local ret
  if [ $remote ]; then
    ssh $remote "$@" >&1;
  else
    bash -c "$@" >&1;
  fi
}

lost_files=$(run 'lostfiles relaxed | grep -e"^\\/etc"')
pacman_files=$(run 'pacman -Qii | awk "/^MODIFIED/{print \$2}"')
all_files=$(echo ${lost_files} ${pacman_files} $(cat "$wd/whitelist") | sort | uniq)

if [ $remote ]; then
  files=()
  for f in $all_files; do
    files+=($remote:$f);
  done
  export all_files=${files[@]}
fi

mkdir -p "$wd/pacman"
run 'pacman -Qenq' > "$wd/pacman/archpacks.txt"
run 'pacman -Qdnq' > "$wd/pacman/archdeps.txt"
run 'pacman -Qemq' > "$wd/pacman/aurpacks.txt"
run 'pacman -Qdmq' > "$wd/pacman/aurdeps.txt"

rsync \
  --acls \
  --archive \
  --backup \
  --backup-dir="$wd/backup/$(date +'%Y-%m-%d')" \
  --compress \
  --delete \
  --delete-excluded \
  --exclude-from="$wd/blacklist" \
  --executability \
  --fuzzy \
  --include-from="$wd/whitelist" \
  --progress \
  --relative \
  --verbose \
  --xattrs \
  $all_files \
  "$wd/root/"

setfacl \
  --recursive \
  --modify 'u:u8sand:r-x' \
  "$wd/"

blacklist

/etc/passwd
/etc/passwd-
/etc/passwd.OLD
/etc/shadow
/etc/shadow-
/etc/shadow.OLD

whitelist

/home/u8sand/.config/Atom/
/home/u8sand/.config/bakamplayer.ini
/home/u8sand/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
/home/u8sand/.config/i3/
/home/u8sand/.config/sublime-text-3/
/home/u8sand/.config/Trolltech.conf
/home/u8sand/.config/xfce4/
/home/u8sand/.conkyrc
/home/u8sand/.gitconfig
/home/u8sand/.gtkrc-2.0
/home/u8sand/.ipython/profile_default/startup/
/home/u8sand/.local/bin/
/home/u8sand/.local/share/nemo/
/home/u8sand/.profile
/home/u8sand/.rclone.conf
/home/u8sand/.unison/
/home/u8sand/.vimrc
/home/u8sand/.xinitrc
/home/u8sand/.xserverrc
/home/u8sand/.zprofile
/home/u8sand/.zshrc
/home/u8sand/Templates/

For a better, more generic and extensible, backup script, see my new repo: https://github.com/u8sand/backup