Back Up Your SaaS
December 15, 2025 · View on GitHub
A collaborative documentation project by Daniel Rosehill and Claude (Anthropic) cataloging backup capabilities across SaaS providers.
Statement of Purpose
This repository provides documentation, assessments, and strategies for backing up cloud-based services and SaaS applications. It serves as a resource for users who believe in the fundamental right to maintain control over their own data.
Mission
To empower users with clear, structured information about each SaaS provider's data portability—what you can export, how, and what's missing—so you can make informed decisions about your digital sovereignty.
The Problem
Despite data liberation frameworks like GDPR, SaaS backup capabilities vary wildly:
- Some providers offer full API access for scripted backups
- Others require manual exports with multi-day turnaround
- Many exclude critical data (CDN images, metadata, relationships)
- A few offer nothing—complete vendor lock-in
This repository rates and documents these differences systematically.
Rating System
Each service receives a Backup Friendliness Grade from A to F:
| Grade | Description | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| A | Gold Standard | Unrestricted API, automatic/incremental backups, full data including media, scriptable |
| B | Good | API available or comprehensive export, some automation possible, most data accessible |
| C | Adequate | Basic export functionality, manual initiation, limited formats, may exclude some data |
| D | Poor | Minimal export, requires support contact, long turnaround, significant data gaps |
| F | Vendor Lock-in | No export mechanism, data trapped, complete dependency on provider |
Service Assessment Criteria
Each service is evaluated on:
| Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| API Availability | None / Partial / Full |
| API Data Extraction | Can the API retrieve user content for backup? |
| Data Export | Built-in export mechanism available? |
| Export Initiation | User-initiated / Support-required |
| Turnaround Time | Instant / Hours / Days / Variable |
| Incremental Backup | Supports backing up only changes? |
| Automatic Backup | Can be scheduled/automated? |
| Media Included | CDN images, attachments, files included? |
| Compliance Driver | GDPR / CCPA / Voluntary / None |
| Data Completeness | Full / Partial / Minimal |
See TEMPLATE.md for the full assessment form.
Repository Structure
Back-Up-Your-SaaS/
├── README.md # This file
├── TEMPLATE.md # Service assessment template
├── RATING.md # Detailed rating methodology
├── services.yaml # Machine-readable service index
└── [service-name]/ # Per-service documentation
├── README.md # Service assessment (from template)
├── scripts/ # Backup scripts and tools
└── docs/ # Additional documentation
Services Index
| Service | Grade | API | Export | Incremental | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub | A | Full | Yes | Yes | Gold standard—full API access |
| Hugging Face | A | Full | Yes | Yes | Full API, git-based repos |
| Google Workspace | C | Partial | Yes | No | Takeout: full dump only, not incremental |
| Notion | C | Partial | Yes | No | API limited, export excludes some data |
| Dropbox | B | Full | Yes | Yes | Good API, sync-based |
| D | None | Partial | No | Export-only, partial data | |
| Medium | D | None | Partial | No | Basic export, excludes images |
| Slack | C | Partial | Yes | No | Export varies by plan |
| X (Twitter) | D | Limited | Yes | No | Basic archive, API restricted |
Core Principles
Digital Sovereignty
The ability to back up your own data is an unalienable right. The cloud is not a backup—it's primary storage that requires its own backup strategy.
The 3-2-1 Rule
- 3 copies of your data
- On 2 different media types
- With 1 copy off-site
Programmatic Over Manual
Effective backups must be automated where possible. Manual backups are inconsistent and don't scale.
Contributing
Contributions welcome for:
- Service assessments using the template
- Backup scripts and automation tools
- Corrections and updates to existing assessments
Collaboration Note
This repository is a collaborative effort between Daniel Rosehill (danielrosehill.com) and Claude, an AI assistant by Anthropic. The structured assessment methodology was developed through iterative discussion to create a practical framework for evaluating SaaS backup capabilities.
License
MIT License. Contributions should respect the spirit of digital sovereignty and user empowerment.