I know that reading the headline of this article must be pretty baffling, because hey, what's a better backup than a NAS? NAS systems were made to be backups, among other things.Their uses are endless, but pretty much everyone I know uses their NAS as a backup.Should they stop? Are they wrong? Is your NAS a terrible option for long-term backups? Maybe.
Not necessarily.And yes! I'll explain why below.Your NAS is online even when your long-term backup has no reason to be Why would you want your backups to be so reachable? Close I have a feeling I'm going to catch some flak for this article, but hey, we're going in! Your NAS is great for backups, I know.
But long-term, offline backups, not so much, and one of the reasons for that is that it's most likely always online.Right? This is one of the best things about owning a NAS, after all.Your PCs can, and should, back up to your NAS automatically.
You can go in and grab any file you want at any given time.And if you've set yourself up with remote access, you can even access all those files when you're not home.That's all lovely, but this isn't the definition of "cold storage," which is what long-term backups fall under.
For those files, constant accessibility isn't necessarily an advantage, although remember that leaving an SSD unpowered for too long can be a huge problem, too.Keeping your main, important backups always online exposes them to threats like ransomware and malware, but also simple mistakes like accidental deletion.One badly-configured piece of software can be enough to put your files at risk.
Your NAS is right in the same place as everything it's meant to back up That's against the 3-2-1 rule The famous 3-2-1 rule for safe backups tells you to keep one copy off-site ...but how are you going to do that if your NAS is at home, probably in the same room as your PC? The issue is that my NAS contains most of the data that my PCs do, so I've got two copies very close to each other.If you're in the same boat, imagine what happens if your home is struck by a power cut or a surge and your files are gone -- in this scenario, both the PC and the NAS would be equally affected.
With that said, you can still use your NAS for backups, obviously.Just make sure that your PC and your NAS aren't the only two sources of those important files if they're both sat in the very same room 24/7.Related 3 copies, 2 formats, 1 big problem: Why modern backups fail The '3-2-1' backup rule is finally outdated - here's what to do instead Posts 7 By Monica J.
White RAID makes your NAS resilient, but that doesn't mean untouchable Four drives = one backup RAID is fantastic, but also so, so overestimated sometimes.Depending on the level you're using, one or even multiple drives can fail, and your data will stay put.That's the beauty of building an array: you don't have to restore everything from scratch.
However, RAID doesn't turn everything inside the NAS into an independent backup, so if you delete a file from a RAID array, it's gone.If said file gets overwritten, corrupted at the logical level, or somehow encrypted, having multiple disks doesn't automatically keep an untouched, still-good copy of that file.It gives you an illusion of security when in reality, without proper security measures, you're still looking at just one backup system.
Snapshots can disappear with the NAS that made them That's quite a disaster Snapshots are key to making your NAS useful as it protects your data, as they don't just keep the current state they also let you roll things back easily.Restoring from a snapshot is a huge relief when something goes wrong and, for once, you don't have to do a whole song and dance for it to work again.For that, your NAS is fantastic, and some platforms even support immutable snapshots that you can't delete for a set period.
The problem with local snapshots is that they still depend on the storage system that created them.If something happens to the NAS itself, including storage failure, those snapshots can disappear in the blink of an eye.Your NAS can't spot every problem with old data At least not automatically Another issue with long-term backups (in general, not just on a NAS) is that you can't be sure that a file you back up today will be the exact same file a year from now.
I don't mean that it'll magically morph into something else; it's more about data integrity.Storage can develop errors, and it can happen when left unpowered for long periods of time (which your NAS won't be, but as we've said, that opens it up to other issues).Modern filesystems and NAS platforms have their ways to detect problems, but you have to consciously use those features.
For instance, Btrfs can maintain checksums for data, and scheduled data scrubbing can check stored information for inconsistencies.Just because your NAS has those capabilities doesn't mean that you're using them, though.You should look into SMART monitoring to keep an eye on drive health, but also run periodic integrity checks to make sure the files are okay, too.
Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeInteresting and unique NAS use casesTrivia challengeBeyond basic backups — how well do you know the surprising things a NAS can do?MediaHome LabBackupNetworkingAutomationBegin 01 / 8MediaWhich popular open-source media server software is commonly self-hosted on a NAS to stream personal video libraries to any device?AVLC Media PlayerBKodiCPlexDInfuseCorrect! Plex is one of the most popular apps for turning a NAS into a personal Netflix-style streaming server.It organizes your media with artwork and metadata and can transcode video on the fly for different devices and connections.Not quite — the answer is Plex.While Kodi and VLC are great media players, Plex is specifically designed as a client-server platform that lets you stream your NAS library to phones, smart TVs, and browsers from anywhere in the world.Continue 02 / 8BackupWhat is the name of the widely recommended data protection strategy that involves keeping three copies of data, on two different media types, with one copy offsite?ARAID redundancy ruleB3-2-1 backup ruleCDouble-parity protocolDMirror-and-sync methodCorrect! The 3-2-1 backup rule is a cornerstone of data protection strategy.
A NAS plays a central role by acting as the second on-site copy, while cloud sync or an offsite drive satisfies the third copy requirement.Not quite — the answer is the 3-2-1 backup rule.RAID is often mistaken for a backup, but it only protects against drive failure, not accidental deletion or ransomware.The 3-2-1 rule is the gold standard precisely because it covers multiple failure scenarios.Continue 03 / 8Home LabA NAS running a hypervisor or container platform like Docker can host a Pi-hole instance.
What does Pi-hole primarily do?AMonitors hard drive temperatures across the networkBBlocks advertisements network-wide at the DNS levelCEncrypts all outgoing internet trafficDManages IP address assignments via DHCPCorrect! Pi-hole acts as a DNS sinkhole, blocking known ad-serving and tracking domains before they ever reach your devices.Hosting it on a NAS via Docker means it runs 24/7 without needing a dedicated Raspberry Pi.Not quite — the answer is that Pi-hole blocks ads at the DNS level.Rather than installing an ad blocker on every single device, Pi-hole protects your entire network, including smart TVs and phones, by intercepting ad domain requests before any data is loaded.Continue 04 / 8SurveillanceMany NAS manufacturers offer dedicated surveillance software packages.
What is the primary function of these applications?AMonitoring CPU and RAM usage across the local networkBManaging and recording footage from IP security camerasCScanning network traffic for intrusion attemptsDAutomating firmware updates on connected IoT devicesCorrect! Synology Surveillance Station and QNAP's QVR Pro are examples of NAS-based NVR (Network Video Recorder) solutions.They let you manage multiple IP cameras, set motion-triggered recording, and review footage without paying for a cloud subscription.Not quite — the answer is managing and recording IP camera footage.A NAS can replace a dedicated NVR appliance entirely, storing days or weeks of footage locally.
This is a compelling use case since it avoids ongoing cloud storage fees while keeping footage on hardware you control.Continue 05 / 8AutomationWhich self-hosted application, commonly run on a NAS, automatically downloads TV show episodes and movies by integrating with torrent or Usenet indexers?ARadarr and SonarrBBazarr and LidarrCOverseerr and RequestrrDProwlarr and ReadarrCorrect! Radarr handles movies and Sonarr handles TV shows — together they form the backbone of a self-hosted media automation stack.They monitor release groups, grab new episodes automatically, and pass files directly to your Plex or Jellyfin library.Not quite — the answer is Radarr and Sonarr.While Bazarr handles subtitles and Prowlarr manages indexers, Radarr and Sonarr are the core apps for automating movie and TV downloads respectively.
They integrate with your NAS download client and media server for a seamless pipeline.Continue 06 / 8NetworkingA NAS can be configured as a VPN server so that remote users can securely access the local network.Which VPN protocol, known for being modern and extremely fast, is supported by newer NAS operating systems like Synology DSM?APPTPBL2TP/IPSecCWireGuardDOpenVPNCorrect! WireGuard is a modern VPN protocol praised for its lean codebase, high speeds, and strong encryption.Synology added WireGuard support to DSM, making it easier than ever to securely tunnel into your home network from anywhere without exposing your NAS directly to the internet.Not quite — the answer is WireGuard.
PPTP is outdated and considered insecure, while OpenVPN and L2TP/IPSec are reliable but more resource-intensive.WireGuard achieves better throughput with less overhead, which matters on the modest CPUs found in many NAS devices.Continue 07 / 8Cloud ReplaceNextcloud is a self-hosted platform frequently deployed on a NAS.Which major commercial cloud service does it most directly aim to replace?AAmazon AWS S3BGoogle Drive and Google WorkspaceCMicrosoft Azure Active DirectoryDDropbox BusinessCorrect! Nextcloud provides file sync, document editing, calendar, contacts, and video calls — a direct alternative to Google Drive and Google Workspace.
Running it on a NAS means your data never leaves your own hardware, which is a major privacy and cost advantage.Not quite — the answer is Google Drive and Google Workspace.Nextcloud replicates the full productivity suite experience: shared folders, collaborative document editing, and mobile sync.When paired with a NAS, it becomes a powerful private cloud that rivals Google's offering without any subscription fees.Continue 08 / 8Creative UseSome photographers and videographers use a NAS as the central hub for a collaborative editing workflow.
Which protocol, natively supported on macOS and optimized for high-bandwidth file access, makes a NAS behave like a fast local drive for video editing?AFTPBWebDAVCSMBDAFP or SMB with MultichannelCorrect! For video editing workflows, SMB Multichannel (or historically AFP on older Macs) allows a NAS to deliver the kind of sustained throughput needed to scrub through high-bitrate footage without copying files locally first.Pair this with a 2.5GbE or 10GbE network and a NAS can rival a dedicated SAN for small creative teams.Not quite — the answer is SMB with Multichannel (or AFP on legacy Macs).FTP and WebDAV are too slow and latency-prone for real-time editing.
SMB Multichannel bonds multiple network connections to boost throughput, which is why NAS vendors like Synology specifically market this feature to creative professionals editing 4K and 6K footage.See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score/ 8Thanks for playing!Try Again The biggest problem is that your NAS is just one thing Your NAS should be just one piece of a larger puzzle At this point, you're probably noticing a running theme: your NAS isn't bad, but using it as your only long-term backup bad.A NAS, be it a budget ex-office PC or an expensive beast, is a great backup target, but the two caveats here are that it's constantly online and that it's in the same physical location as your other backups.You can make your NAS as resilient as possible, but it'll still be susceptible to similar threats as the rest of your setup.
That's the problem with relying on it for your one source of long-term backups: if things go wrong, you may end up losing both your main files and your backup in one fell swoop.Great for backups, but not all backups The bottom line is that yes, you should use your NAS for backups, but it should never be your only backup target.A NAS doesn't replace a full-blown backup strategy, so the files you really care about should have multiple homes across multiple locations.
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