---
name: "cyrus-backupd"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "cyrus-common"
version: "3.10.2-1+deb13u2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/cyrus-backupd"
---

# cyrus-backupd(8)

Cyrus IMAP documentation Cyrus Backups server process

## NAME

backupd - Cyrus IMAP documentation

Cyrus Backups server process

## SYNOPSIS

```
backupd [ -C config-file ] [ -U uses ] [ -T timeout ] [ -D ]
    [ -s ] [ -N ] [ -p ssf ]
```

## DESCRIPTION

**NOTE:**

*Cyrus Backups are experimental, incomplete, and deprecated as of 3.10.*

**backupd** *is the Cyrus Backups server.  It accepts Cyrus replication protocol* *commands on its standard input and responds on its standard output.  It MUST be* *invoked by [master(8)](/master/8.md) with those descriptors attached to a* *replication client connection, typically [sync\_client(8)](/sync_client/8.md).*

**backupd** *reads its configuration options out of the [imapd.conf(5)](/imapd.conf/5.md) file unless specified otherwise by* **-C***.*

**backupd** *is generally configured to run on a dedicated backup server,* *containing backup storage, but no IMAP service or mailbox storage.*

*You must configure at least one backuppartition.  User backups will be* *distributed among the configured partitions.  Note that there is no* *relationship between mailbox partitions and backuppartitions.*

*If the directory* **log***/user exists under the directory specified in the* **configdirectory** *configuration option, then* **backupd** *will create* *protocol telemetry logs for sessions authenticating as user.  The telemetry* *logs will be stored in the* **log***/user directory with a filename of the* **backupd** *process-id.*

## OPTIONS

- **-C config-file**

  *Use the specified configuration file config-file rather than the default [imapd.conf(5)](/imapd.conf/5.md).*

- **-U uses**

  *The maximum number of times that the process should be used for new* *connections before shutting down.  The default is 250.*

- **-T timeout**

  *The number of seconds that the process will wait for a new* *connection before shutting down.  Note that a value of 0 (zero)* *will disable the timeout.  The default is 60.*

- **-D**

  *Run external debugger specified in debug\_command.*

- **-p ssf**

  *Tell* **backupd** *that an external layer exists.  An SSF (security* *strength factor) of 1 means an integrity protection layer exists.* *Any higher SSF implies some form of privacy protection.*

## EXAMPLES

**backupd** *is commonly included in the SERVICES section of* *[cyrus.conf(5)](/cyrus.conf/5.md) like so:*

```
SERVICES {
    backupd        cmd="backupd" listen="csync" prefork=0
}
```

## HISTORY

## FILES

## SEE ALSO

*[imapd.conf(5)](/imapd.conf/5.md)***,** *[master(8)](/master/8.md)***,** *[sync\_client(8)](/sync_client/8.md)*

## AUTHOR

**The Cyrus Team**

## COPYRIGHT

**1993–2025, The Cyrus Team**