Backups

Files

A full Bee node backup includes the kademlia-metrics, keys, localstore, password, stamperstore, statestore, and password files. The node should be stopped before taking a backup and not restarted until restoring the node from the backup to prevent the node from getting out of sync with the network.

A node's data including keys and stamp data are found in the data directory specified in its configuration.

Key data in backup files allows access to Bee node's Gnosis account. If lost or stolen it could lead to the loss of all assets in that account. Furthermore the stamperstore contains postage stamp data, and postage stamps will not be recoverable if it is lost.

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Don't forget - it's not a backup until you're sure the backup files work! Make sure to test restoring from backup files to prevent loss of assets due to data loss or corruption.

Ubuntu / Debian / Raspbian / CentOS package managers

For Linux installations from package managers yum or apt, the data directory is located at:

/var/lib/bee

It may also be useful to include the bee.yaml config file in a backup so that configuration can be easily restored. The default location of the config file is:

/etc/bee

This guide uses the default package manager location for the data folder, make sure to change the commands to match your data folder's location if it in a different directory.

Binary package install

If you installed Bee using the automated shell script or by building Bee from source, your data directory will typically be located at:

/home/<user>/.bee

Docker Compose

When using Docker Compose configuration files to run a node, Docker will create a volume for Bee.

Use docker cp to retrieve the contents of these folders:

docker cp bee_bee_1:/home/bee/.bee/ bee

Data types

The data directory contains three directories. Its default location depends on the node install method used.

For shell script install the location is /home/<user>/.bee and for package manager installs it is /var/lib/bee. The directory structure is as follows:

├── kademlia-metrics
│   └── ...
├── keys
│   ├── libp2p.key
│   ├── libp2p_v2.key
│   ├── pss.key
│   └── swarm.key
├── localstore
│   ├── indexstore
│   └── sharky
├── password
├── stamperstore
│   └── ...
└── statestore
│   └── ...

Keys

The keys directory contains three key files: libp2p.key, libp2p_v2.key, pss.key, swarm.key,. These keys are generated during the Bee node's initialisation and are required for maintaining access to your node.

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The swarm.key file allows access to Bee node's Gnosis Chain account. If the key is lost or stolen it could lead to the loss of all assets secured by that key.

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To use swarm.key to manage the Gnosis account for a node through Metamask or other wallets, exportSwarmKeys can be used to convert swarm.key to a compatible format.

Statestore and Localstore.

The statestore retains data related to its operation, and the localstore contains chunks locally which are frequently requested, pinned in the node, or are in the node's neighbourhood of responsibility.

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As the data in statestore and localstore continually changes during normal operation of a node, when taking a backup the node should first be stopped and not re-connected to the Swarm network until restoring from the backup (otherwise the statestore and localstore files will get out of sync with the network). It is possible to restore using out of sync statestore and localstore files, however it may lead to data loss or unexpected behavior related to chunk uploads, postage stamps, and more.

Back-up your node data

Copy entire bee data folder to fully backup your node. This will do a full backup of kademlia-metrics, keys, localstore, stamperstore, password, and statestore, files into a newly created /backup directory. Make sure to save the backup directory to a safe location.

mkdir backup
sudo cp -r /var/lib/bee/ backup

Back-up your password

Depending on your configuration, your password may not be located in the /bee data directory which was copied in the previous step. If it has been specified in an environment variable or in your bee.yaml configuration file, make sure to copy it and save it together with the rest of your backup files or write it down in a safe place.

Back-up blockchain keys only

If you only need to export your node's blockchain keys, you need to export the swarm.key UTC / JSON keystore file and the password file used to encrypt it. First create a directory for your keys and then copy your keys to that directory.

mkdir keystore
sudo cp -r /var/lib/bee/keys/swarm.key /var/lib/bee/password keystore    

Metamask Import

If you wish to import your blockchain account to a wallet such as Metamask, you can simply print out your keystore file and password and use those data to import into the wallet:

View key and password for wallet import

sudo cat /var/lib/bee/keys/swarm.key 
sudo cat /var/lib/bee/password

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Note that swarm.key is in UTC / JSON keystores format and is encrypted by default by your password file inside the /bee directory. Make sure to export both the swarm.key file and the password file in order to secure your wallet. If you need your private key exported from the keystore file, you may use one of a variety of Ethereum wallets which support exporting private keys from UTC files (such as Metamask, however we offer no guarantees for any software, make sure you trust it completely before using it).

Get private key from keystore and password

To import to Metamask:

1. View and copy your swarm.key and password as shown above
2. Go to Metamask and click "Account 1" --> "Import Account"
3. Choose the "Select Type" dropdown menu and choose "JSON file"
4. Paste the password (Make sure to do this first)
5. Upload exported JSON file
6. Click "Import"

To export your private key:

1. Go to Metamask and click "Account 1" to view the dropdown menu of all accounts
2. Click the three dots next to the account you want to export
3. Click "Account details"
4. Click "Show private key"
5. Enter your Metamask password (not your keystore password)
6. Copy your private key to a safe location

Restore from backup

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Before restoring, make sure to check for any old node data at /var/lib/bee from a previous node which has not yet been backed up, and back it up if needed.

1. Install Bee. See install page for more info.

2. Delete /bee folder which was generated during install

   sudo rm -r /var/lib/bee

3. Navigate to backup directory and copy files to data folder.

   sudo cp -r /<path-to-backup>/. /var/lib/bee

4. Revert ownership of the data folder.

   sudo chown -R bee:bee /var/lib/bee

5. Start bee service and check logs to see if Bee node is running properly.

   sudo systemctl restart bee
   sudo journalctl --lines=100 --follow --unit bee