Automatically remove old HA config backups

Configuration
21

Steps to Automatically Delete Old Backups in Home Assistant

Follow these steps to set up a system that automatically deletes backups older than 7 days.

Step 1: Generate SSH Keys

Generate a new SSH key pair. Open the terminal and execute:

ssh-keygen -t rsa

When prompted for the file location, change it to:

/config/shell_command_id_rsa

Step 2: Set Up SSH Key Authentication

Append the public key to the authorized keys and test the SSH connection:

cat /config/shell_command_id_rsa.pub >> /root/.ssh/authorized_keys
cd /config
ssh -i shell_command_id_rsa root@localhost

This should open a new SSH session. Type exit to close the session.

Step 3: Create a Directory for Shell Scripts

Create a directory to store your shell scripts:

mkdir /config/shell

Step 4: Create the Backup Removal Script

Create a shell script that deletes backups older than 7 days:

nano /config/shell/remove-old-backups.sh

Add the following content to the script:

#!/bin/bash

# Remove old backup files
# -mtime +7 corresponds to files older than 7 days
find /backup -name '*.tar' -mtime +7 -exec rm -f {} \;

Make the script executable:

chmod +x /config/shell/remove-old-backups.sh

Step 5: Edit the Home Assistant Configuration

Edit the configuration.yaml file to add a shell command that executes your script via SSH:

shell_command:
  delete_old_backups: 'ssh -i /config/shell_command_id_rsa -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no root@localhost bash /config/shell/remove-old-backups.sh'

Step 6: Create an Automation to Run the Script

Add an automation to run the shell command daily. Edit your automations.yaml or use the UI to create a new automation:

automation:
  - alias: Delete Old Backups
    description: Deletes backups older than 7 days every day at 3:30 AM
    trigger:
      - platform: time
        at: "03:30:00"
    action:
      - service: shell_command.delete_old_backups

Step 7: Restart Home Assistant

Restart Home Assistant to apply the changes:

ha core restart

Summary

You’ve now set up an automated system to delete backups older than 7 days using a custom shell script and Home Assistant automations.

Feel free to adapt the SSH setup to suit other types of commands if needed.

2 Likes
22

Just a quick update on this working on HA Core 2024.8.3 (Home Assistant OS)
Backups folder moved from /config/bakcups/ to backup/

command_line:
  - switch:
      name: Purge Backups
      # go to backup direcotory, list files by date, filter result list to hide the first 7 results (show from nr.8) and remove remaining
      command_on: cd backup/ && ls -A1t | tail -n +8 | xargs rm -v
2 Likes
23

Just wanted to pop in here and show yet another commandline that works. I was getting errors due to using Syncthing on that folder. This will check only for .tar files (I’m on Docker - change the folder name for Core): command_on: "cd /config/backups/ && ls *.tar -A1t | tail -n +8 | xargs rm -f"

24

Hi,

looks very promising.

Which path will I have to use for a remote backup location I added?

/KNEBB