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xCloud Backup

Overview

xCloud Backup is cloud storage made for versioned backups of NAS systems (Network-Attached Storage). It works with the backup applications of popular NAS manufacturers such as Synology, QNAP, Asustor, Terramaster, and Ugreen, because it speaks the widely used S3 protocol. Object Lock protects your backups against deletion, and the package-based pricing keeps your costs predictable.

Step-by-step guides show how to connect your NAS:

Ordering xCloud Backup

You order xCloud Backup with a package (Safe S to Safe XL):

  1. Open Backup in the xCloud web app. The page shows one tile per package with its price; Price details shows all price components.
  2. Click Create backup on the desired package's tile
  3. In the dialog Set up xCloud Backup, check the package and its prices. You can still choose a different package here.
  4. Click Order backup with obligation to pay. The terms of use and general terms linked in the dialog apply.
  5. Once the backup is set up, the dialog shows your access credentials. Copy the secret key now.
  6. Optionally enter the name of a first bucket, then click Done

Without a stored payment method, you can't order a backup; the web app shows a notice instead.

Access Credentials

Your NAS connects to xCloud Backup with three credentials:

  • Server address: the endpoint of the S3 interface
  • Access key: identifies your backup, comparable to a username
  • Secret key: authenticates your NAS, comparable to a password. Keep it secret.

Your backup's card shows the server address and the access key, plus the bucket name if exactly one bucket exists.

The secret key is shown only once

You see the secret key only when you order the backup and when you regenerate the keys. Store it in a safe place right away; if you lose it, regenerate the keys.

Regenerating the Keys

Regenerate the keys if you suspect they have been compromised or shared by accident, when you replace your NAS, or simply as a regular security measure:

  1. Click Regenerate keys in the access credentials of your backup
  2. Confirm with Regenerate now
  3. Copy the new credentials, including the secret key
  4. Enter the new keys in your NAS

The old keys stop working immediately. Update every system that uses them and check that it can connect again.

S3 Compatibility

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a widely adopted standard for cloud storage. xCloud Backup supports the S3 interface extensively, so you can use any common S3 tool or application. It supports:

  • Bucket operations: create, list, and delete buckets
  • Object operations: create, retrieve, and delete objects
  • Versioning: multiple versions of the same object
  • Object Lock: protection of object versions against deletion for a given period
  • Metadata: custom object metadata
  • Access control: bucket and object permissions with bucket ACLs

You can perform all operations with a standard S3 client. The xCloud web app covers a growing subset of them, described in the following sections.

Buckets

Your backups are stored in buckets. If no bucket exists yet, you can create one with a single click in the web app, optionally with Object Lock.

To delete a bucket, click its delete button and confirm the deletion in the dialog. Deleting a bucket can't be undone.

Object Lock

Object Lock prevents object versions from being deleted or overwritten for a set retention period. This helps you meet legal retention obligations (e.g. GDPR or HIPAA), protects your backups against ransomware and accidental deletion, and enforces internal retention policies.

The two retention modes differ in who may delete a protected object version early:

  • Governance: users with the corresponding permissions can lift the protection. This leaves room for administrative tasks and is suited for tests and for preventing accidental deletion.
  • Compliance: nobody can delete a protected object version early, not even an administrator. This mode offers maximum protection and is suited for legally binding retention obligations.

Only available when creating a bucket

You can only enable Object Lock when you create a bucket; it can't be added to an existing bucket later.

To create a bucket with Object Lock, enable Object Lock in the bucket dialog, choose the retention mode, and set a retention period between 1 and 365 days. The setting applies to every new object version in the bucket.

You can change the retention mode and period of a bucket with Object Lock at any time: click Edit Object Lock for the bucket in your bucket list, change the settings, and save. The new settings only apply to object versions uploaded afterwards; existing object versions keep the mode and period that applied when they were uploaded.

Pricing and Billing

Pricing Structure

Each package has a fixed monthly fee. It includes:

  • a quota of included storage, between 2 and 50 TB depending on the package (Safe S to Safe XL; see How large is a TB?)
  • a quota of outgoing traffic of the same size, which you need for restores and integrity checks
  • unlimited incoming traffic, which you need for creating backups

Unused quotas aren't carried over to the next month.

If you exceed a quota, you additionally pay per GB. Storage is measured once a day, and storage beyond the quota is charged in proportion to its duration. Outgoing traffic is added up over the month, and the part exceeding the quota is charged.

Changing the Package

  1. Navigate to Backup in the xCloud web app
  2. Click Change package on your backup's card
  3. Choose the new package
  4. Click Switch with obligation to pay

Your credentials remain valid, so your NAS doesn't need to be reconfigured. If you switch within a billing period, each package is charged on a daily basis for the days it was active.

Cancellation

xCloud Backup runs in monthly terms and renews automatically. Your backup's card shows the date on which a cancellation would take effect.

Your login needs permission to change the product; logins with read access only don't see the Cancel action.

  1. Navigate to Backup in the xCloud web app
  2. Open the action menu of your backup's card and choose Cancel
  3. If your backup contains buckets, tick the confirmation that they and all data in them will be deleted
  4. Click Cancel

The cancellation takes effect on the date shown; until then, you can use the backup as usual. Until that date, you can choose Withdraw cancellation in the action menu. The backup then continues unchanged and renews monthly again.

Deleting all buckets doesn't end xCloud Backup: an empty backup keeps running, and is billed, until you cancel it.