Question 1

How is Ginkgo different from Dropbox or Google Drive?

Accepted Answer

Cloud drives sync — delete locally and it's gone everywhere. Ginkgo is backup — it keeps every version. Delete by accident? Restore it. Ransomware? Roll back to yesterday.

Question 2

How is Ginkgo different from Time Machine / File History?

Accepted Answer

Time Machine only backs up to local/NAS, with no cloud isolation. File History only keeps file-level versions, with no dedup or encryption. Ginkgo offers block-level dedup, AES-256-GCM zero-knowledge encryption, multi-target 3-2-1 backup, and cross-repo ransomware protection — a more professional solution.

Question 3

Do I have to pay for cloud storage?

Accepted Answer

No. BYOS — Bring Your Own Storage. Use your existing drives, NAS, or WebDAV/S3 cloud. No capacity limits, no monthly fees.

Question 4

Will backup slow down my computer?

Accepted Answer

No. Only changed files are processed, running at low priority. Most users don't notice it.

Question 5

The first backup is slow — what should I do?

Accepted Answer

The first backup scans and hashes every file, so it's slower. Subsequent backups only process changes, usually taking seconds to minutes. Consider running the first backup overnight.

Question 6

How much extra space does backup use?

Accepted Answer

Thanks to block-level dedup, duplicate content is stored only once. Typically, backup space is about 1.1-1.5x the source data (including historical versions). Already-compressed files (JPEG, MP4) add almost nothing.

Question 7

Can other people see my data?

Accepted Answer

No. AES-256-GCM encrypted before leaving your machine. Keys stored locally. Zero-knowledge architecture — we can't read your data.

Question 8

What if I forget my encryption password?

Accepted Answer

Always export the recovery code (POST /api/v1/recovery-code/export) when enabling encryption, and keep it safe. If both the password and recovery code are lost, the backup data cannot be recovered — that's the price of zero-knowledge architecture.

Question 9

Does Ginkgo collect telemetry?

Accepted Answer

No. Zero telemetry, zero tracking, no third-party scripts (no Sentry, no Google Analytics). Bug reports stay local.

Question 10

What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?

Accepted Answer

3-2-1 is the industry-standard golden rule: 3 copies of data, on 2 different media (e.g. local drive + NAS), with 1 off-site (e.g. WebDAV cloud). Ginkgo natively supports "one source, multiple targets" so you can easily achieve 3-2-1.

Question 11

How often should I back up?

Accepted Answer

For important working files, hourly is recommended. For documents and photos, daily. For rarely-changing data, weekly. Ginkgo also supports real-time watch mode (watch_mode=auto) — save a file, it's backed up instantly.

Question 12

Which retention policy should I choose?

Accepted Answer

For most users, smart (Smart GFS) is enough: keeps 24 hourly, 30 daily, 12 weekly, 12 monthly, and 3 yearly snapshots. To permanently preserve certain points in time, use the pin feature.

Question 13

Which cloud providers are supported?

Accepted Answer

6 types: Amazon S3 (and compatible MinIO, Cloudflare R2, Wasabi, Backblaze B2, Alibaba OSS), WebDAV (Synology, Nextcloud, Feichu Cloud, Jianguo Cloud), SFTP, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive. All support encrypted transfer and encrypted storage.

Question 14

Will cloud sync slow down backups?

Accepted Answer

No. Cloud sync is asynchronous — it runs after the local backup completes, using concurrent uploads. Even if sync fails, the local backup has already succeeded. Failed syncs are automatically retried by the Patrol service.

Question 15

Can I restore a single file?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Restore one file, a folder, or an entire snapshot. Preview contents and diffs before restoring.

Question 16

Does mounting a snapshot modify the original backup?

Accepted Answer

No. Mounts are read-only, providing a view of the snapshot via WebDAV or FUSE. Anything you do at the mount point doesn't affect the original backup data.

Question 17

What is headless mode?

Accepted Answer

Run Ginkgo on a server or NAS without a GUI. Manage via HTTP API or CLI. Ideal for automated deployments.

Question 18

How do I recover from ransomware?

Accepted Answer

Ginkgo's cross-repo protection detects suspicious mass changes. Backups synced to the cloud via WebDAV are isolated from your machine — ransomware cannot reach them. Even if your system is compromised, cloud backups remain safe. Enable ransomware-lock for extra protection.

Question 19

Can multiple devices share the same repository?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but each device should use an independent subdirectory. Ginkgo's content-addressed design supports multi-device repository sharing, but manifests are isolated by source ID.

FAQ

Basics

Performance & Resources

Security & Privacy

Backup Strategy

Cloud Storage & Sync

Restore & Mount

Advanced Usage

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