How I almost lost my backups

My backup strategy follows the 3-2-1 backup rule: Three copies of your data On two different media One copy off-site Some people argue that your production data (the copy stored on your laptop, for example) counts as one of those copies. I disagree. While it may be a copy of your current data, it's not a copy of your historical data. If I need to recover a file that I modified or deleted 2 years ago, my laptop won't have it. Device backups I use Restic to write encrypted backups to a 2.5" SSD inside an external USB enclosure. This disk also contains a few scripts to automate the process. Friday is backup day: connect the disk, run the script, done. Using rsync, I make copies of this master disk: To another USB 2.5" hard drive located at the office. This is a physical copy I can easily access if my house burns down. Restic's encryption is vital here, as coworkers have access to the area where this disk is kept. To a dedicated server at Hetzner. A few friends have SSH access1 to the…