Managing Multiple Backup Sources: One API Key Per Server

As your infrastructure grows, so does the number of systems you need to back up. Your main application database, your auth server, your file store — each one is critical, and each one deserves its own backup configuration. That’s why Calm Backup now supports multi-source backup management.

What Are Backup Sources?

A backup source represents a single system you want to protect. Each source gets its own API key, its own backup history, and its own storage metrics. Think of them as independent backup channels — one per server or database.

Why Separate Sources Matter

Running all your backups through a single API key creates problems:

No isolation. If one server is compromised, the attacker has access to credentials for all your backups.

No visibility. When everything runs through one key, you can’t tell which system backed up and which didn’t.

No granular control. You can’t revoke access for one server without breaking all of them.

With multi-source management, each system operates independently. You can rotate one API key without touching the others, monitor each system’s backup frequency separately, and immediately spot which server missed its backup window.

How It Works

When you select a source from the dashboard, you see everything specific to that system: its API key, setup instructions, storage usage, and backup history.

Each source displays its own statistics — total backup count, storage consumed, and when the last backup ran. This makes it easy to spot a source that’s fallen behind without digging through a combined log.

Setting Up Multiple Sources

Adding a new source takes seconds:

Click Add Source on your dashboard

Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Production MySQL”, “Auth Server”, “Redis Snapshots”)

Copy the generated API key

Configure the new key on the target server

Each source generates its own ak_live_ prefixed API key. Install it on the corresponding server the same way you set up your first backup — run vendor/bin/calmbackup init and paste the key when prompted.

Organizing with Labels

As you add more sources, you can assign labels to group them logically. Group by environment (production, staging), by team, or by service type. Labels appear in the source selector, keeping your dashboard clean even as your infrastructure scales.

Independent Monitoring

Each source is monitored independently. If your main database backs up on schedule but your auth server misses a window, you’ll get an alert specifically about the auth server — not a vague “something didn’t back up” notification.

This per-source monitoring eliminates the most dangerous failure mode: assuming everything is fine because some backups are running, while a critical system has silently stopped.

Key Rotation Without Downtime

Need to rotate an API key? Click the three-dot menu next to any source and select Regenerate API Key. The old key is immediately invalidated, and you get a new one to install on that server. No other sources are affected.

This is particularly useful when a team member leaves or when you suspect a key may have been exposed. You can isolate and remediate a single source without disrupting your entire backup infrastructure.

The Bottom Line

Multi-source backup management is about treating each system as the independent, critical asset it is. One API key per server. One backup history per server. One set of alerts per server. No blind spots, no shared credentials, no guesswork about which system is protected and which isn’t.

If you’re currently running all your backups through a single API key, it takes about two minutes per server to migrate to a multi-source setup. Your future self — the one dealing with an incident at 3 AM — will thank you.