NO COMPUTER
No computer in the middle
The iPhone talks to the server directly over Wi-Fi. No Mac or PC left on, no cloud, no telemetry — nothing leaves your network.
Self-hosted iPhone backup server
Your iPhone backs up
straight to your server
AirVault turns your NAS into a backup server for every iPhone and iPad in the house — full backups over Wi-Fi, kept as restore points you can look inside or put back on any paired phone.
- Open source
- Wi-Fi backups
- Incremental & deduplicated
- Encrypted backups
- Runs on any amd64 Docker host
// features
Everything Finder does,
minus the Mac
FULL BACKUP
A full backup, not a file sync
The same backup Finder makes: settings, messages, app data and photos. After the first one, only changes transfer.
HISTORY
Restore points that don't pile up
Every backup is kept as a restore point. Old ones thin out to one a week or one a month.
SAFE
Encrypted and verified
With iOS encryption on, passwords and Health data are backed up too. Every file is checked before it goes back.
DEVICE
The phone at a glance
Camera roll, apps and their files, battery and storage — plus restart or erase, right from the dashboard.
// inside a backup
Look inside
any backup
Find a photo, a chat, a document or a Wi-Fi password in any restore point — without putting it back on a phone.
Open any restore point and pick what to look at. An encrypted one asks for its password first.
// how it works
Pair once, restore anytime
- 01
Pair
Plug the iPhone into the server once and tap Trust. The server remembers the phone from then on.
- 02
Back up
Back up over Wi-Fi from the dashboard or on a schedule. Each run becomes a restore point.
- 03
Restore
Put any restore point back on the same iPhone or its replacement — or look inside it to pull out a single photo or chat.
// install
Up and running
in minutes
One container on any amd64 Docker host, with ready-made setups for Synology, TrueNAS and Unraid below.
Save the file as
docker-compose.ymland rundocker compose up -d.Plug the iPhone into the host once — USB is only needed to pair.
Open
http://<host>:8080, paste the token from the log and pair the phone.
requirements
amd64 Docker host · USB for the one-time pairing
services:
airvault:
image: ghcr.io/wizier/airvault:latest
container_name: airvault
restart: unless-stopped
# Host networking is required: Wi-Fi discovery is link-local mDNS multicast
network_mode: host
environment:
- AIRVAULT_PORT=${AIRVAULT_PORT:-8080}
- AIRVAULT_AUTH_TOKEN=${AIRVAULT_AUTH_TOKEN:-}
- AIRVAULT_LOG_LEVEL=${AIRVAULT_LOG_LEVEL:-info}
- AIRVAULT_MUX_LOG_LEVEL=${AIRVAULT_MUX_LOG_LEVEL:-warn}
- TZ=${TZ:-Etc/UTC}
# Advanced (optional): AIRVAULT_LISTEN_ADDR, AIRVAULT_DATABASE_URL,
# PUID/PGID/UMASK
# USB pairing: bind the bus
device_cgroup_rules:
- "c 189:* rmw"
volumes:
# /config: settings, database, pairing records. /backups: the backups.
- ./config:/config
- ./backups:/backups
- /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb
- /run/udev:/run/udev:ro// faq
Common questions
What does the backup include?
Everything a Finder backup includes: settings, messages, app data and photos. With encryption on, it also carries what iOS otherwise holds back: saved passwords, Health data and call history. Apps themselves re-download from the App Store on restore.
Can I see what's inside a backup without restoring it?
Yes. Any restore point opens from the dashboard: photos, Messages and WhatsApp chats, notes, files, contacts and calls — and saved passwords, if the backup is encrypted. Anything you find saves in original quality.
Do I need a computer or a cloud account?
No. The iPhone backs up to the server directly over Wi-Fi, and you manage everything from a browser.
Which iPhones are supported?
AirVault uses the same backup protocol Finder and iTunes use, so any iPhone or iPad that can back up to a computer can back up here. Wireless backups use the Wi-Fi sync you enable once during pairing.
How much storage do backups use?
The first backup is roughly the used space on the phone. Restore points share unchanged files, so the history grows only by what changed.
Can old backups be removed automatically?
Yes. Keep every backup of the last few days and one a week or one a month of the older ones. Cleanup runs after each backup.
How long does the first backup take?
It copies the whole used space of the phone, so give it time. Backups run over USB too — you can do the first one with the cable still in from pairing. Later runs are quick.
Can backups run on a schedule?
Yes — daily, every three days or weekly, optionally only within set hours. iOS asks for the passcode before every backup, so a due backup starts when you unlock the iPhone at home, and you confirm it with the passcode.
Are encrypted backups supported?
Yes — standard iOS backup encryption, managed from the dashboard. Nobody can read an encrypted backup without its password, AirVault included: it asks for the password whenever you open one.
Can I restore to a new iPhone?
Yes. Any restore point can be put back on any paired iPhone, including a factory-new phone during its setup. It also downloads as a regular Finder backup, so a Mac can restore it too. Before handing on the old phone, erase it from the dashboard — its backups stay.
How many iPhones can back up to one server?
As many as you like — each one keeps its own restore points.