BACK UP SQL SERVER TO BACKBLAZE B2
This tutorial walks through backing up SQL Server databases to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage with SQL Backup Master – from setting up a B2 bucket and application keys, through creating and scheduling a backup job, to running it and verifying the results. Backblaze B2 is one of the most robust and cost-effective cloud storage options available today, making it an excellent target for off-site database backups.
SQL Backup Master connects to Backblaze B2 through its S3-compatible API. Note that very old B2 buckets (created before May 2020) are not S3-compatible – if you have one of these, simply create a new bucket for your database backups.
Prerequisites
Before starting, you'll need:
- SQL Backup Master installed on a Windows host that can connect to your SQL Server instance.
- A Backblaze B2 account. If you don't have one yet, visit the Backblaze B2 homepage and sign up with an email address and password.
- A SQL Server login (or Windows account) with sufficient permissions to back up your databases.
Step 1: Create a B2 bucket
Sign in to your Backblaze account and open the B2 Cloud Storage area. Create a new bucket to hold your database backups – choose a unique bucket name and keep the bucket private. The console layout changes over time, but bucket creation is always available from the B2 bucket list.
Step 2: Create an application key
SQL Backup Master authenticates to Backblaze B2 with an application key pair – the key ID serves as the access key and the application key as the secret key. Create a key from the application keys area of your Backblaze account, ideally scoped to just the backup bucket, and record both values; Backblaze only shows the application key once, at creation time.
Step 3: Create a new backup job
In SQL Backup Master's Backup and Restore window, click New Backup. The Database Backup Editor window will appear – this is where you'll configure the source databases, destination, and schedule for the job.
Step 4: Connect to SQL Server
Click Choose SQL Server to open the SQL Server connection dialog, then enter your SQL Server instance name in the Server name field. For example:
- (local)\SQLExpress – connects to a local SQL Express instance running under the default instance name.
- (local) – connects to a local SQL Server instance with no instance name.
- Server1\SQLExpress – connects to a remote SQL Express instance on a server named Server1.
- Server1 – connects to an unnamed remote SQL Server instance on a server named Server1.
You can also use the server name dropdown to detect available SQL Server instances automatically. Click Test SQL Connection to verify connectivity, then click OK.
Step 5: Select databases to back up
The Database Backup Editor now lists the databases available on your SQL Server instance under Source. Check the boxes next to the databases you'd like to back up. Alternatively, enable the Back up all non-system databases option to have SQL Backup Master automatically include newly created databases in future backup runs.
Step 6: Add the Backblaze B2 destination
In the Destinations section, click the Add icon to open the list of available backup destinations, then double-click Backblaze B2. In the Backblaze B2 Destination Settings window, enter:
- Access key – the application key ID you created in Step 2.
- Secret key – the matching application key.
- Bucket – the bucket you created in Step 1.
Click Test to verify the connection to Backblaze B2, then click OK. Back in the Database Backup Editor, save the backup job settings.
Step 7: Schedule the backup job
To run backups automatically, configure a recurring schedule for the job – for example, a nightly full backup. Scheduled jobs run unattended through the SQL Backup Master service, so no one needs to be logged in. You can skip this step if you only want to run backups manually.
Step 8: Run and verify the backup
In the main SQL Backup Master window, locate the backup job you just created and click Back up now. SQL Backup Master will back up the selected databases and upload the results to your Backblaze B2 bucket. When the job completes, review the job log to confirm success, and check the bucket in the Backblaze console to see the uploaded backup files. If anything goes wrong, the application logs contain detailed troubleshooting information.