Backup 3DS

Make backups of 3ds using ftpd periodically, all in docker container 🐳

Features

• Automated Backups: Uses cron to run a backup script
• FTP-Based Transfer: data are copied from the 3DS via ftp exposed by FTPD
• Automated pruning of old backups: data are pruned periodically based on configuration parameters
• Docker Containerized: Easy deployment with Docker and Docker Compose
• Low Maintenance: Set it and forget it - backups run automatically in the background
• Very ugly dashboard: Static web interface to download backups

Prerequisites

Before using this backup solution, ensure you have:

• A Nintendo 3DS with FTPD installed and running
• Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system
• Your 3DS and backup server on the same local network
• The IP address and port of your 3DS FTPD server

Installation

Using Docker Compose

Just copy and paste this compose file and customize variables and mountpoints as needed

---
services:
  backup_3ds:
    container_name: backup_3ds
    image: carnivuth/backup_3ds:latest
    environment:
      - FTPD_3DS_ADDRESSES=insert your 3DS ip addresses separated by ;
      # to enable dashboard add this
      #- ENABLE_DASHBOARD=true
    volumes:
      # where backups are stored
      - "your data directory:/var/lib/backup_3ds/backups"

Using Docker Run

Alternatively, you can run the container directly with Docker:

docker run -d \
  --name backup_3ds \
  -e FTPD_3DS_ADDRESSES=192.168.1.XXX \
  -v ./data:/var/lib/backup_3ds/backups \
  carnivuth/backup_3ds:latest

Configuration

Environment Variables

The following environment variables are used to configure the backup container:

Variable	Description	Default Value	Required
FTPD_3DS_ADDRESSES	List of the IP addresses of your Nintendo 3DS running FTPD separated by ;	None	Yes
FTPD_3DS_PORT	List of ports that FTPD is listening on, one for each 3DS configured i FTPD_3DS_ADDRESSES	21	No
FTPD_3DS_USERNAMES	List of ftp usernames used to authenticate to the 3DS, one for each 3DS configured i FTPD_3DS_ADDRESSES	None	No
FTPD_3DS_PASSWORDS	List of ftp password used to authenticate to the 3DS, one for each 3DS configured i FTPD_3DS_ADDRESSES	None	No
BACKUP_DIRS	List of paths to backup from the 3ds separated by ;, for example to backup checkpoint data and saves from nds games saved in saves directory /3ds/Checkpoint/saves;/roms/nds/saves (assuming nds roms are saved under /roms/nds)	/	No
ENABLE_DASHBOARD	Enable dashboard (start lighttpd inside docker container), enable by setting to ENABLE_DASHBOARD=true	None	No
KEEP_LAST	Number of backups that the pruning job should keep, set it to 0 to disable pruning	10	No

Finding Your 3DS FTPD Information

To find your 3DS IP address and port:

1. Launch FTPD on your Nintendo 3DS
2. On the top screen, you'll see:
   • IP Address (highlighted in blue) - Use this for FTPD_3DS_ADDRESSES
   • Port (highlighted in red) - Use this for FTPD_3DS_PORTS
3. Keep FTPD running on your 3DS while backups are being performed

Note: Ensure your 3DS and the Docker host are on the same local network.

Change default backup schedule

The backup schedule is controlled by the crontab file in the container. By default, backups run periodically based on the cron configuration. To customize the backup schedule, you can:

1. Mount a custom crontab file as a volume in /etc/crontab

Troubleshooting

FTPD Not Responding

• FTPD on 3DS may timeout after inactivity - restart it before scheduled backups
• Some routers assign different IPs - consider setting a static IP for your 3DS

Permission Issues

If you encounter permission errors with the backup directory:

sudo chown -R $(id -u):$(id -g) ./YOUR-DATA-DIR

License

This project is open source. Please check the repository for license information.

Acknowledgments

• FTPD by mtheall - FTP Server for 3DS/Switch
• The Nintendo 3DS homebrew community