# How I got my Coolify VPS backing up to Synology NAS automatically

> I wanted a simple, reliable way to back up everything on my Coolify server – config, projects, Docker volumes, WordPress files – to my Synology NAS every night. No exposed ports. No external services. Just a secure, private connection.

Author: Farhan Munim  
Published: 1 May 2026  
Updated: 26 October 2026  
Tags: Coolify, VPS  
Source: https://farhan.app/blog/how-i-got-my-coolify-vps-backing-up-to-synology-nas-automatically/

## What I used

-   A Hetzner VPS running Coolify
-   A Synology NAS
-   Tailscale installed on both devices (same account)

## Step 1: Get Tailscale IPs

First, I made sure both devices were connected under the same Tailscale account.

Then I grabbed the VPS Tailscale IP (it looks like `100.x.x.x`).

## Step 2: Creating a shared folder on Synology

In DSM, I created a new shared folder:

-   Control Panel → Shared Folder → Create
-   Name: `Coolify-Backup`

## Step 3: Enabling SSH on Synology

In DSM:

-   Control Panel → Terminal & SNMP
-   Enabled SSH service

## Step 4: Setting up passwordless SSH

From the Coolify terminal, I generated an SSH key and copied it to the NAS:

```bash
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/nas_push -N ""ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/nas_push.pub YOUR-SYNOLOGY-USERNAME@YOUR-NAS-TAILSCALE-IP
```

To confirm it worked, I ran:

```bash
ssh -i ~/.ssh/nas_push YOUR-SYNOLOGY-USERNAME@YOUR-NAS-TAILSCALE-IP "echo works"
```

That returned `works` without asking for a password, which confirmed everything was set up correctly.

## Step 5: Locking down SSH with Hetzner firewall

In the Hetzner Cloud firewall, I added an inbound rule:

-   Source: `100.x.x.x`/x
-   Protocol: TCP
-   Port: 22

This ensures SSH access is limited to the Tailscale network only.

## Step 6: Creating the backup script

On the server, I created a daily backup script:

```bash
nano /etc/cron.daily/coolify-backup
```

```bash
#!/bin/bash# Coolify configrsync -avz -e "ssh -i /root/.ssh/nas_push" \/data/coolify/ \YOUR-SYNOLOGY-USERNAME@YOUR-NAS-TAILSCALE-IP:/volume1/Coolify-Backup/# Docker volumesrsync -avz -e "ssh -i /root/.ssh/nas_push" \/var/lib/docker/volumes/ \YOUR-SYNOLOGY-USERNAME@YOUR-NAS-TAILSCALE-IP:/volume1/Coolify-Backup/docker-volumes/
```

Then I made it executable:

```bash
chmod +x /etc/cron.daily/coolify-backup
```

## Step 7: Scheduling it

I added a cron job to run it at 4am:

```bash
crontab -e
```

```
0 4 * * * /etc/cron.daily/coolify-backup
```

I chose 4am to avoid overlap with NAS maintenance.

## Step 8: Testing the backup

Before relying on it, I ran the script manually:

```bash
/etc/cron.daily/coolify-backup
```

I could see files transferring, and everything appeared in the `Coolify-Backup` folder on the NAS.

## Important things I saved

There are two things I made sure to store safely:

-   The Coolify `APP_KEY` `cat /data/coolify/source/.env | grep APP_KEY`
-   The SSH key used for backups (`/root/.ssh/nas_push`)

The APP\_KEY is especially important — without it, restoring data isn’t possible.

## How it works

```
Coolify → Tailscale → SSH → rsync → Synology
```

-   Runs every night at 4am
-   Only transfers changed files after the first run
-   Keeps a full copy on the NAS
-   No public exposure
-   No ongoing cost

## 🚨 Restoring after a failure

If I needed to rebuild the server, this is the process I followed.

### 1\. Create a new VPS

I spun up a fresh server (Ubuntu 24).

### 2\. Install Coolify

```bash
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash
```

### 3\. Install Tailscale

```bash
curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | shtailscale up
```

### 4\. Restore data from the NAS

```bash
rsync -avz -e "ssh" \/volume1/Coolify-Backup/ \root@NEW-SERVER-IP:/data/coolify/
```

### 5\. Restore docker volumes

```bash
rsync -avz -e "ssh" \/volume1/Coolify-Backup/docker-volumes/ \root@NEW-SERVER-IP:/var/lib/docker/volumes/
```

### 6\. Restore the APP\_KEY

```bash
nano /data/coolify/source/.env
```

I replaced the `APP_KEY` value with the saved one.

### 7\. Restore the database

```bash
cat /data/coolify/backups/coolify-db-*.sql | docker exec -i coolify-db \pg_restore --verbose --clean --no-acl --no-owner -U coolify -d coolify
```

### 8\. Restart Coolify

```bash
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash
```

### 9\. Verify everything

I accessed the dashboard and confirmed all projects, services, and settings were intact.

### 10\. Re-enable backups

Finally, I set the backup script up again on the new server.

## Troubleshooting

When things didn’t work, these were the first checks:

-   Tailscale connected on both devices
-   SSH accessible over Tailscale
-   Hetzner firewall rule in place (`100.x.x.x/x`)
-   SSH enabled on Synology

Manual test:

```bash
/etc/cron.daily/coolify-backup
```