What is HomeLab Backup?
HomeLab Backup is Ryan Alan Jacobs’s private backup utility. It creates encrypted archives of selected home-lab application backups and recovery information, uploads them to the owner’s Google Drive, and reads uploaded files back to verify successful storage.
It is a personal utility, rather than a public backup service. This page explains the application named HomeLab Backup on its Google authorization screen. There is no Google sign-in or backup upload form on this website.
Encrypted before upload. Backup archives are encrypted on the backup system. The separate outer decryption/recovery key is kept outside Google Drive. Configuration backups can contain credentials or keys inside their encrypted contents.
Why it asks for Google Drive access
The utility requests Google’s drive.file permission. It creates an application backup folder, uploads encrypted archives, checks file ownership and storage metadata, and reads back its uploaded copies for verification.
This permission covers files created by, opened with, or explicitly shared with the application. It does not give the utility general access to every file in your Google Drive.
Google authorization occurs in a separate, owner-initiated setup flow. This public website does not receive Google passwords, authorization codes, OAuth tokens, backup archives, or recovery keys.
You stay in control
- The owner chooses what is backed up and which Google account authorizes access.
- Authorization can be revoked in the Google account’s third-party connections settings.
- Revoking access prevents future access; it does not delete backup files already stored in Drive.
- The owner can remove those files directly from Google Drive. There is no promise of automatic cloud deletion or a fixed cloud retention period.
For the complete data-handling explanation, read the privacy policy. Use of the website and utility is described in the terms.
Questions or support
Contact Ryan at contact@ryanalanjacobs.com. Please keep passwords, recovery keys, Google authorization codes, and backup contents out of email.