turbo backup with rclone + backblaze b2 + cloudflare (free egress!)

for u who like me, u love linux, love rclone, but got tired of trying to backup to google drive.

u know how it is, ne? u try to upload that backup and the upload becomes a turtle... or ur rclone mount makes dolphin or nautilus choke just to list files? and to make it worse, u find out google has an api operation limit that only lets u upload like 2 or 3 files per second?

its so annoying! not to mention the 750gb daily upload limit! if u have 2tb to upload, u gotta spend like 3 days managing everything.

but... theres a much faster way, with no daily limit, and it can be free to download ur files again! introducing our heroes: backblaze b2 and cloudflare!

part 1: the villain (why does google drive hate rclone?)

(it doesnt hate it, it just wasnt made for it!)

the problem is simple. google drive was made for humans (who click 1 file, wait, then click another). it wasnt made for machines (like rclone) that ask for 1000 things at once.

• action limit: google gets "mad" (rate limits) and only accepts like 2 or 3 new files per second. thats why uploading 10 thousand small files takes forever.
• daily limit: the 750 gb ceiling.

google drive is great for storing college work, but its terrible, horrible, disgusting for a huge rclone backup.

part 2: the hero (hello, backblaze b2!)

backblaze b2 (or just "b2") is object storage. it LOVES fast requests! lets compare:

u see that? 500 ACTIONS PER SECOND! u can use ur rclone copy with --transfers 100 and itll fly!

"but it must be expensive!" no! its super cheap!

• to store: like $0.006 per gb. (ur 200 gb would cost like $1.2 per month!)
• to upload: free!

...theres just one catch...

part 3: the catch (download cost)

b2 (and aws, and all the others) charges u to download files. (its called "egress"). its cheap (like $0.01 per gb), but... if u download ur files again, u gotta pay.

its fair.

but... what if we made it free?

part 4: the trick! (b2 + cloudflare = bffs!)

heres the best secret on the internet! backblaze and cloudflare are like... best friends!

they have an official agreement (the "bandwidth alliance") that says:

"any data transfer between us two is 100% free!"

and cloudflare (which is a "shield" service for sites) also gives u unlimited free download!

u understand the magic?

• u ask cloudflare for ur file.
• cloudflare fetches ur file from backblaze.
• backblaze delivers to cloudflare (for free, bc theyre bffs).
• cloudflare delivers the file to u (for free, bc its nice).

result: download cost = $0.00!

part 5: guide (how to do the trick!)

(takes like 10 minutes!)

what u need:

• backblaze b2 account (first 10 gb are free).
• cloudflare account.
• a domain (the only part that costs money, like $10 per year).

step 1: in backblaze b2

• create a "bucket" (a folder). give it a unique name (ex: my-backup).
• important: keep the bucket private!
• go to "application keys" and create a new "app key".
• give permission only to that bucket u created.
• SAVE THESE 3:
  1. keyID
  2. applicationKey (only shows once!)
  3. the "friendly url" of ur bucket (something like f005.backblazeb2.com).

step 2: in cloudflare

• add ur domain to cloudflare.
• go to the "dns" tab → "records".
• click "add record" and do this:
  • type: CNAME
  • name: files (or b2, cloud...)
  • target: the friendly url from backblaze! (ex: f005.backblazeb2.com)
  • proxy status: ON! (the cloud icon must be ORANGE!).
• save!

step 3: on ur linux (rclone!)

in ur terminal, type: rclone config

• create a "new remote" (like b2-free).
• choose the "backblaze b2" option.
• put the keyID and applicationKey u saved.
• HERE IS THE SECRET:
  • rclone will ask for the endpoint
  • DO NOT leave it blank!
  • put here the domain u just created on cloudflare! (ex: files.cth.jp)
• finish the config (just hit enter for the rest).

now, ur b2-free remote is ready!

when u run:

rclone copy ~/MyHugeFolder b2-free:MyHugeFolder --transfers 50 --checkers 100 --progress

itll upload super fast! (no 2/s limit and no 750gb cap!)

rclone mount b2-free:/ ~/Cloud

rclone will ask cloudflare for the files... cloudflare will fetch from b2 for free... and u download everything for free!

this is the right way to use the cloud on linux!

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