TrueNAS, Ubuntu, or Unraid: What's the Best OS for Your Offsite Backup Server?

# TrueNAS, Ubuntu, or Unraid: What's the Best OS for Your Offsite Backup Server? When you start messing around with homelab setups, one question hits sooner or later: what's the best OS for a backup server — especially if it's offsite? That was the challenge for one user, who just snagged a lifetime Unraid license after years on Synology. Now they're looking to convert their old Synology box into a remote backup rig, replacing the cloud service they were paying for every month. But here's the dilemma: Should they buy another Unraid license? Is that overkill for a system that just sits quietly, receiving files? The responses were a goldmine of real-world advice — not just theory, but insights from people who've actually done this stuff, and lived with their choices. --- ## The Case for Unraid: Convenience, Familiarity, and Flexibility Unraid came up — a lot. No surprise in a community dedicated to it. But the reasons were surprisingly nuanced. Some folks were already running **multiple Unraid boxes** across different locations. One user even mentioned syncing docker containers across servers so they could fail over if needed. Another talked about repurposing an old i5 box with Unraid, loving how it idles at just 15 watts — practically sipping power while running backups and hosting a few lightweight VMs. But let's be real: Unraid isn't free. If you didn't get in years ago when licenses were cheaper, that second lifetime license will set you back $249. For a system that might only boot once a week for scheduled backups? That's a steep ask. Still, if you're already comfortable with Unraid, it's hard to beat the ease of use. Users talked about mounting remote shares, setting up WireGuard tunnels for secure syncing, and even integrating **Tailscale** to stitch together remote systems. The ecosystem is rich. There's Docker, plugin support, and a community of people figuring this stuff out in public. But for others, that level of polish and modularity felt like using a gaming PC to browse the weather. --- ## Ubuntu or Debian: Cheap, Customizable, and Lean This is where the Linux crowd shows up with their ThinkPads, their bash scripts, and their 3 a.m. terminal hacks. Several users pointed out that if you're building a server whose only job is to *receive and store backups*, you probably don't need Unraid's bells and whistles. A minimal Ubuntu or Debian install can get the job done with minimal resources and maximum flexibility. You can run **rsync**, **Restic**, or **Rclone** for backups. If you're more of a GUI person, **Duplicati** and **Kopia** give you web-based interfaces and advanced scheduling with compression and encryption built in. And if you're worried about security — as you should be, especially with ransomware in the mix — Linux gives you full control. Some users mentioned setting up **read-only NFS shares**, restricting write access, or simply locking everything down with SSH and Tailscale. That kind of granularity is perfect if you're willing to put in the setup work. One user even converted an old Synology box into an Ubuntu server, noting that it idled around 20 watts despite being nearly a decade old. "Those were the days before Intel lost their way," they added, only half-joking. --- ## The TrueNAS Option: ZFS Snapshots and Ransomware Peace of Mind And then there's TrueNAS — the tank of backup server OSs. This came up repeatedly from users who were wary of one thing: **ransomware**. It's not enough to just copy your files over. What if those backups get encrypted too, and you don't realize until it's too late? Enter **ZFS snapshots**, one of TrueNAS's headline features. These let you roll back your data to a previous state — last week, last month, even last year. If something gets corrupted or encrypted, you can just revert the snapshot and boom — your clean data is back. That kind of insurance is hard to overstate, and it's what drew several users toward TrueNAS even if they weren't fans of the interface. One user said they were actively considering migrating their current Unraid backup box to TrueNAS just for the snapshot capability. Another pointed out that while TrueNAS has a steeper learning curve, once set up, it's "rock solid." But there are downsides. For one, ZFS requires a little more upfront planning. You'll want your drives to be the same size, or at least close, to avoid wasting space. And they won't spin down the way Unraid's do — which could be a problem if you're trying to conserve power or minimize noise. Still, for a server that's just sitting in your parents' closet or a friend's garage, plugged into Tailscale, and quietly receiving files via Syncthing or rsync? It could be a solid choice. --- ## Alternative Paths: SnapRAID, OpenMediaVault, and the DIY Weirdos Some users are truly out there — in the best way. One built a setup using **SnapRAID and MergerFS** on Ubuntu. It mimics Unraid's JBOD-style storage while giving you some parity protection and the ability to replace a failed drive. Another mentioned **OpenMediaVault**, a lightweight NAS OS with a decent web interface and full Debian compatibility. It's not as slick as Unraid, but it's free, actively maintained, and relatively easy to extend. And then there were the ultra-lightweight setups — **Alpine Linux** on an HP Thin Client, **Proxmox** running a virtualized backup OS, and even some folks still using **Synology**, either with hacked-on apps or just mounting it as a basic NFS share. The creativity is impressive, but these setups generally assume you know your way around the command line and aren't afraid to debug things at 2 a.m. when rsync refuses to cooperate. --- ## So… What's Actually Best? Here's the no-BS version: - **If you want the easiest path and already love Unraid**, it's worth considering a second license — especially if you want mirrored containers or the option to fail over during a disaster. - **If you're security-focused and want the best long-term protection against ransomware**, TrueNAS with ZFS snapshots is hard to beat. Just be ready for the overhead, both technical and hardware-wise. - **If you just want to get it done for cheap**, Ubuntu or Debian with a scheduled sync script (or a nice tool like Duplicati) will do the job with minimal fuss. In the end, the "best OS" is the one that balances effort, cost, reliability, and your own comfort level. --- ## Final Thought: Backup Philosophy Matters More Than the OS What this thread really revealed is that the tech is secondary. The bigger question is *how* you back up. Are you syncing files daily? Keeping versioned backups? Encrypting? Testing restores? As one user put it, you don't need Unraid everywhere. You just need to think through the role of your backup server. Is it a live failover? A cold archive? A ransomware-proof vault? Answer that first, and the right OS will probably pick itself. Just don't forget to test your backups — because nobody wants to learn their offsite server's broken *after* the main one dies.