Duplicati
Encrypted, incremental backups with a web-based UI
Overview
Duplicati is a free, open-source backup client that stores encrypted, incremental, compressed backups on cloud storage services and remote file servers. QuickBox Pro installs Duplicati per user, exposes it through the dashboard reverse proxy path, and configures a per-user systemd service for the web UI.
Key features
Here are the QuickBox-relevant highlights confirmed by the install and proxy configuration.
Encrypted backups
Stores encrypted, incremental, compressed backups to cloud storage and remote file servers.
Reverse-proxied web UI
QuickBox publishes the web UI at /username/duplicati/ with the ngax UI at /username/duplicati/ngax/.
Per-user service
Runs as a per-user systemd unit named duplicati@username.
User-scoped data
Uses /home/username/.config/Duplicati for user configuration, including preload.json for the server database key.
When to use it
Use Duplicati when you want encrypted backups with a web UI and prefer QuickBox to manage the per-user service and reverse-proxy access.
Good fit
- You need encrypted, incremental backups with a web UI.
- You want QuickBox to manage a per-user Duplicati service and configuration.
What QuickBox sets up
- Install Duplicati for a specific user and access it at /username/duplicati/ngax/.
- QuickBox creates the per-user service and config directory under /home/username/.config/Duplicati.
Installation
Install from the Dashboard
Open App Dashboard → Package Management (/dashboard?mode=packages), find Duplicati
in the catalog (browse the File Management category or search), and click Install. The
dashboard streams the install log live and Duplicati appears in your Application Control panel
when it finishes. There is nothing to pick in the dialog — Duplicati is a plain install.
Reinstall, Update, and Remove are available from the same panel.
What you see is gated by your account: admins manage any user’s apps; regular users manage their own. See App Management for the full flow.
Install from the CLI (automation)
The CLI runs the same scripts as the Dashboard and is suited to automation and scripting:
qb install duplicati -u username
qb reinstall duplicati -u username
qb update duplicati -u username
qb remove duplicati -u usernameFull flag reference: CLI Reference.
.NET runtime
Duplicati requires the .NET runtime, which QuickBox installs automatically during setup. The source of the runtime depends on your distribution:
On Debian 13 (trixie), QuickBox installs dotnet-runtime-8.0 from Debian’s official repositories. This is because Debian 13 uses stricter GPG signature verification that is incompatible with Microsoft’s current repository signing key.
On Debian 11 (bullseye), Debian 12 (bookworm), Ubuntu 22.04 (jammy), and Ubuntu 24.04 (noble), QuickBox uses Microsoft’s APT repository for the .NET runtime.
No user action is required — the correct source is selected automatically based on your operating system.
Access and authentication
URL / route
QuickBox publishes Duplicati under the user-scoped path and redirects the UI to the ngax interface:
/username/duplicati//username/duplicati/ngax//username/duplicati/login.html
The dashboard Launch action links to the ngax route for Duplicati.
Credentials / tokens
QuickBox sets the Duplicati web UI password using the QuickBox user password and writes it into the per-user defaults file as --webservice-password.
Security notes
The Duplicati service reads its web settings from /etc/default/duplicati-username, including --webservice-allowed-hostnames and the data folder path.
Ports and networking
Duplicati’s base web port is 9300. QuickBox marks the port for auto-assignment and randomizes it within a small range if the base is already in use.
You can confirm the live port in the dashboard Service Control list, where the Duplicati row shows the assigned port in the port field.
Configuration and files
QuickBox installs Duplicati per user and places configuration under the user’s home directory.
Additional files and paths used by QuickBox:
/opt/username/Duplicati/usr/bin/duplicati-server-username/usr/bin/duplicati-cli-username/etc/default/duplicati-username/etc/nginx/software/username.duplicati.conf
Common tasks
Use the dashboard Service Control list for Duplicati to check status, start, stop, refresh, and launch the web UI. The same panel shows the current port that QuickBox assigned to the service.
Best practices
These tips align with how QuickBox installs and exposes Duplicati.
Do
- Use
qb update duplicati -u usernameto keep the per-user install current. - Use the dashboard port field to confirm the assigned Duplicati port.
- Keep
/home/username/.config/Duplicati/preload.jsonin place so the server database remains encrypted.
Don't
- Do not rely on the legacy
/username/duplicati/ngclientpath, which QuickBox redirects to the ngax UI. - Do not assume the base port 9300 is always used when auto-assignment is enabled.
Troubleshooting
These checks are based on the QuickBox proxy, service, and configuration files.
Confirm the Duplicati service is running in the dashboard Service Control list and verify the nginx config exists at
/etc/nginx/software/username.duplicati.conf.
QuickBox rewrites the login and ngax paths in the proxy configuration. Verify the URL you are using matches
/username/duplicati/login.html or /username/duplicati/ngax/.
QuickBox creates /home/username/.config/Duplicati/preload.json with a server database encryption key.
Ensure the file exists and is owned by the user.
Resources
Use these official references that are already linked in QuickBox sources.
Resources
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