https://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttps://tkalp.dev/tags/synology/Recent content in Synology on tkalp.devhttps://tkalp.dev/tags/synology/https://source.unsplash.com/collection/983219/2000x13221440After Dark 10.1.0 (Hugo 0.163.1)en-USCopyright © blacksamsays. Licensed under CC-BY-ND-4.0.Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:09:49 UThttps://tkalp.dev/post/affordable-off-site-photo-backup-synology-backblaze-b2/Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:00 UThttps://tkalp.dev/post/affordable-off-site-photo-backup-synology-backblaze-b2/Photos and family videos are some of the few digital files you simply cannot recreate. A NAS gives you a convenient local copy, but it cannot protect you from fire, theft, major hardware failure, or a mistake that affects the entire system. This guide builds an affordable, encrypted off-site backup around Synology Photos, Hyper Backup, and Backblaze B2.TechPhotos and family videos are some of the few digital files you simply cannot recreate. A NAS gives you a convenient local copy, but it cannot protect you from fire, theft, major hardware failure, or a mistake that affects the entire system. This guide builds an affordable, encrypted off-site backup around Synology Photos, Hyper Backup, and Backblaze B2. The backup plan The setup uses: Synology Photos to collect and organise photos Hyper Backup for versioning, compression, and deduplication Backblaze B2 as affordable S3-compatible cloud storage Client-side encryption before anything leaves the NAS The complete data flow looks like this: Phones and computers → Synology Photos → Hyper Backup → Backblaze B2 → a replacement NAS or Hyper Backup Explorer Hyper Backup runs every day and keeps multiple restore points with Smart Recycle. Because the backups are incremental and deduplicated, unchanged files are not uploaded in full for every new version. In one real-world setup with roughly 300 GB of data, the monthly bill stayed at only a few dollars, including local tax. Your cost will depend on the amount of data you store and Backblaze’s current pricing. Configure Hyper Backup Install Hyper Backup from Synology Package Center. Create a new Folders and Packages backup task. Choose an S3-compatible destination. Enter the regional S3 endpoint provided by Backblaze. Select only the data you actually care about: Synology Photos as an application important personal folders documents any static archive worth keeping off-site Enable: compression client-side encryption a daily schedule Smart Recycle with a sensible version limit Hyper Backup downloads the encryption key locally. Store it in a password manager and keep a second copy on an offline medium. If both the password and the key are lost, the backup cannot be recovered. The bucket setting that can quietly increase storage use Hyper Backup already manages version history inside its .hbk repository. If the Backblaze bucket remains on the default Keep all versions setting, Backblaze may also retain older versions of internal objects that Hyper Backup changes or deletes. For this type of repository, set the bucket lifecycle rule to: Keep only the last version Hyper Backup will continue to manage your restore points, while the storage provider avoids keeping a second, indefinite layer of object versions in the background. Backup retention and provider lifecycle rules are separate controls. Configure both deliberately. Real growth or runaway versioning? A gradually rising cloud bill does not automatically mean something is wrong. If Source Disk Usage is growing at roughly the same pace, the extra storage probably represents real data—usually new photos and large videos. Before reducing retention or deleting backups, compare growth on the source and destination. If they rise together, you are probably paying for new files rather than uncontrolled versioning. Fix a partially completed backup Hyper Backup may still create new versions while reporting Partially completed if the task references a source folder that no longer exists. To fix it: Open the most recent backup logs. Identify the missing source folder. Remove it from the backup task. Run a manual backup. Confirm that the result changes to Success. The detailed logs are much more useful than the general status message when a task only completes partially. Test a real restore A backup is not real until you have restored something from it. The most useful test happens inside Backup Explorer: Select a recent backup version. Find a photo from a personal Synology Photos space. Download it. Confirm that the file opens normally. That small test verifies several things at once: personal photos are included the repository is readable decryption works a genuine recovery path exists A green status icon is reassuring. A successfully restored file is evidence. Recover after losing the entire NAS If the NAS fails completely, the preferred recovery path is: Set up a replacement Synology running the same or a newer Hyper Backup version. Choose Restore from existing repositories. Connect to the existing S3-compatible bucket. Select the existing .hbk repository. Enter the encryption password or provide the key. Choose a backup version. Restore the photo folders and the Synology Photos application. Relink the repository so future backups can continue. You can also download the complete repository to a computer and open it with Hyper Backup Explorer. For several hundred gigabytes this is slower, but it gives you a recovery option without buying a replacement NAS immediately. Lessons worth keeping RAID is not a backup. Your NAS and cloud storage should be able to fail independently. Check both the application backup and the actual files in Backup Explorer. Provider lifecycle rules and backup retention are separate layers. Keep the encryption key outside the infrastructure it protects. Investigate warnings even when new backup versions are still being created. One real restore test is worth more than a hundred green status indicators. Add a periodic offline USB copy for fuller 3-2-1 protection. Final thoughts The result is simple: photos remain easy to access on the Synology, Hyper Backup keeps their history, and Backblaze provides the remote copy. The important thing is not merely knowing that “the backup is running.” It is knowing where the data lives, keeping the keys safe, and proving in advance that your files can come back. Sources Synology Hyper Backup Restoring backup data with Hyper Backup Hyper Backup data backup settings and client-side encryption Backblaze B2 pricing Backblaze lifecycle rules