Skip to main content
This example demonstrates how to create a new backup repository from scratch. Initializing a repository sets up the necessary directory structure, generates encryption keys, and stores the repository configuration.

​
Complete Example

use rustic_backend::BackendOptions;
use rustic_core::{
    repofile::MasterKey, ConfigOptions, Credentials, KeyOptions, Repository, RepositoryOptions,
};
use simplelog::{Config, LevelFilter, SimpleLogger};
use std::error::Error;

fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
    // Display info logs
    let _ = SimpleLogger::init(LevelFilter::Info, Config::default());

    // Initialize Backends
    let backends = BackendOptions::default()
        .repository("/tmp/repo")
        .to_backends()?;

    // Init repository
    let repo_opts = RepositoryOptions::default();
    let key_opts = KeyOptions::default();
    let config_opts = ConfigOptions::default();
    let _repo = Repository::new(&repo_opts, &backends)?.init(
        &Credentials::Masterkey(MasterKey::new()), // in real life, make sure you save this masterkey after generating it!
        &key_opts,
        &config_opts,
    )?;

    // -> use _repo for any operation on an open repository
    Ok(())
}

​
Step-by-Step Explanation

​
1. Set up logging

let _ = SimpleLogger::init(LevelFilter::Info, Config::default());
Initialize the logger to display informational messages during repository initialization. This helps track progress and debug issues.

​
2. Configure the backend

let backends = BackendOptions::default()
    .repository("/tmp/repo")
    .to_backends()?;
Set up the storage backend where the repository data will be stored. This example uses a local filesystem path (/tmp/repo), but rustic_core supports various backends including S3, Azure, and more.

​
3. Set repository options

let repo_opts = RepositoryOptions::default();
let key_opts = KeyOptions::default();
let config_opts = ConfigOptions::default();
Configure the repository, key, and config options. The defaults provide sensible values for most use cases.

​
4. Initialize the repository

let _repo = Repository::new(&repo_opts, &backends)?.init(
    &Credentials::Masterkey(MasterKey::new()),
    &key_opts,
    &config_opts,
)?;
Create and initialize the repository with:
  • Credentials: A new master key for encryption (save this securely!)
  • Key options: How the encryption key is derived
  • Config options: Repository-specific configuration
Important: When generating a new MasterKey, you must save it securely! Without the master key or password, you cannot access your backups. In production, use Credentials::password() for password-based authentication or save the master key to a secure location.

​
5. Use the repository

Once initialized, the returned _repo object can be used for any repository operations like creating snapshots, restoring data, or checking integrity.

​
Expected Output

When you run this example, you’ll see log messages indicating the repository initialization progress: 
INFO - initializing repository at /tmp/repo
INFO - created new repository config
INFO - generated master key
INFO - repository successfully initialized
After successful initialization, the repository directory will contain:
  • config - Repository configuration file
  • keys/ - Encryption keys directory
  • data/, index/, snapshots/ - Data storage directories

​
Next Steps

After initializing a repository, you can:

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us