• Backup and restore clients of any type ensuring that all (and many types of) attributes of files are properly saved and restored
• Multi-volume backups supported
• A full comprehensive SQL standard database of all files backed up. This permits online viewing of files saved on any particular volume, and advanced reporting capabilities.
• Automatic pruning of the database (removal of old records), thus simplifying database administration.
• Any SQL database engine can be used making Bacula very flexible. Drivers currently exist for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite
• Built-in Job scheduler
• Rescue USB key for Linux systems
• Multi-threaded implementation
• A comprehensive and extensible configuration file for each daemon

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Features in more detail:

Job Control

• Network backup/restore with centralized Director
• Internal scheduler for automatic Job execution
• Scheduling of multiple Jobs at the same time
• You may run one Job at a time or multiple simultaneous Jobs (sometimes called multiplexing)
• Job sequencing using priorities
• GUI interface (Bacula Administration Tool, or BAT).

Security

• Verification of files previously cataloged, permitting a Tripwire like capability (system break-in detection)
• CRAM-MD5 password authentication between each component (daemon)
• Configurable TLS (SSL) communications encryption between each component
• Configurable Data (on Volume) encryption on a Client by Client basis
• Computation of MD5 or SHA1 signatures of the file data if requested

Restore Features

• Restore of one or more files selected interactively either for the current backup or a backup prior to a specified time and date
• Restore of a complete system starting from bare metal. This is mostly automated for Linux systems and for Solaris
• Listing and Restoration of files using stand-alone bls and bextract tool programs. Among other things, this permits extraction of files when Bacula and/or the catalog are not available. Note, the recommended way to restore files is using the restore command in the Console. These programs are designed for use as a last resort
• Ability to restore the catalog database rapidly by using bootstrap files (previously saved)
• Ability to recreate the catalog database by scanning backup Volumes using the bscan program

SQL Catalog

• Catalog database facility for remembering Volumes, Pools, Jobs, and Files backed up
• Support for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite Catalog databases
• User extensible queries to the MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQLite databases

Advanced Volume and Pool Management

• Labeled Volumes, preventing accidental overwriting (at least by Bacula). Bacula Enterprise Edition also supports IBM /ANSI tape labels, which are recognized by many enterprise tape-managing softwares
• Any number of Jobs and Clients can be backed up to a single Volume. That is, you can backup and restore Linux, Unix, Sun, and Windows machines to the same Volume. You can also save jobs from different dates on one volume
• Multi-volume saves. When a Volume is full, Bacula automatically requests the next Volume and continues the backup
• Pool and Volume library management providing Volume flexibility (e.g. monthly, weekly, daily Volume sets, Volume sets segregated by Client)
• Machine independent Volume data format. Linux, Solaris, and Windows clients can all be backed up to the same Volume if desired
• The Volume data format is upwards compatible so that old Volumes can always be read
• A flexible message handler including routing of messages from any daemon back to the Director and automatic email reporting
• Data spooling to disk during backup with subsequent write to tape from the spooled disk files. This prevents tape "shoe shine" during Incremental/Differential backups

Advanced Support for most Storage Devices

• Autochanger support using a simple shell interface that can interface to virtually any autoloader program. A script for mtx is provided
• Support for autochanger barcodes; automatic tape labeling from barcodes
• Automatic support for multiple autochanger magazines either using barcodes or by reading the tapes
• Support for multiple drive autochangers
• All Volume blocks (approximately 64K bytes) contain a data checksum
• Migration support: move data from one Pool to another or one Volume to another

Miscellaneous

• Multi-threaded implementation
• A comprehensive and extensible configuration file for each daemon
• Console interface to the Director allowing complete control
• Raw device backup/restore. Restore must be to the same device
• Rapid ongoing development