Ginkgo Backup — a time machine for your vault (version diff, timeline, one-click restore)

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Is this project open source? Yes
Is this project completely free? No (free for local backups, restore, and mesh networking; paid for cloud backup, Notion backup, and encryption)
Is this project vibe-coded beyond the author’s ability to comprehend how it works? No
Community Directory: https://community.obsidian.md/plugins/ginkgo-backup

Ever rewritten a paragraph and wished you could get the original back? Or merged a note by mistake and lost half your work?

I built Ginkgo Backup to solve this — it captures every save into a versioned timeline, so any previous state is one click away. Diff it, preview it, restore it, all without leaving Obsidian.

Version diff between any two snapshots

Why another backup plugin?

Most Obsidian backup solutions fall into two camps:

  • Git-based — powerful, but requires Git knowledge (commits, branches, push/pull)
  • Cloud sync — automatic, but you pay a subscription and your data leaves your control

Ginkgo Backup is neither:

  • No Git knowledge required — just save, and it’s backed up
  • No cloud subscription — the backup engine runs locally on your machine
  • Your data never leaves your control

Key features

Visual timeline — A calendar sidebar lets you jump to any day and browse that day’s snapshots with file counts, sizes, and change badges (+added, ~modified).

Timeline calendar view

Version history & diff — Right-click any file to see its full history. Pick any two versions and see exactly what changed, line by line (LCS-based, with a context-only mode for large files).

One-click restore — Preview a version before restoring. Your current content is saved automatically first, so an accidental restore never destroys unsaved work.

Restore preview

Instant push on save — Every save is captured within seconds, not on a schedule. Identical content is skipped, so only real changes are stored.

Scheduled full backup — Optionally back up the entire vault (including images and attachments) on a timer.

How it works

The plugin is a lightweight frontend; the actual backup engine (snapshot storage, deduplication, scheduling) runs as a standalone desktop app. This keeps your vault history independent of Obsidian’s lifecycle — your backups survive even if Obsidian is closed or the plugin is uninstalled.

Quick start

  1. Install Ginkgo Backup — Download from ginkgobackup.com (macOS / Windows / Linux, free for local backups), launch it, and copy the API token from Settings → API.
  2. Enable the plugin — In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins, search for “Ginkgo Backup”, install and enable it.
  3. Follow the setup guide — On first launch the plugin shows a 4-step welcome modal. Paste your API token and click Test connection.

Setup guide

  1. Configure the backup source — Run Ginkgo: Configure source and pick the repository for this vault. Done — your notes are now versioned.

Pricing

  • Free — local backups, restore, version diff, mesh networking
  • Paid — cloud backup, Notion backup, encryption (the Obsidian plugin works fully with the free version)

Links

  • Plugin page: https://community.obsidian.md/plugins/ginkgo-backup
  • Source code: https://github.com/ginkgobackup/obsidian-ginkgo-backup
  • Website: ginkgobackup.com

Feedback welcome! Happy to answer any questions.

2 Likes
2

Sounds great, but looks like the client is free for only 5 folders, so presumably it won’t work for most vaults?

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Good question — let me clarify, since “5 folders” can be misleading.

The “5 folders” refers to 5 backup sources (each source = one top-level directory you want to back up). An Obsidian vault counts as one backup source, regardless of how many notes, subfolders, or attachments it contains.

So with the free tier you can back up:

  • 1 vault = 1 source (the most common case)
  • Up to 5 different vaults = 5 sources
  • Or any mix, e.g. 3 vaults + 2 other project folders = 5 sources

There’s no limit on the number of files or subfolders within a vault — your entire vault (notes, attachments, configs) is backed up, no matter how large.

For most users with one or two vaults, the free tier covers everything. The paid tier is mainly for cloud backup, Notion backup, encryption, or backing up more than 5 separate directories.

Does that answer your concern?

4

Correction: I should clarify that encryption is also free in the free tier — AES-256-GCM encryption is available to all users at no cost. The paid tier is for cloud backup, Notion backup, and supporting more than 5 backup sources.

5

Yup, sounds great, think I’ll give it a try!

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Doh, it’s Windows only!

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Apologies about that! The Ginkgo Backup desktop client currently only supports Windows. We’re actively testing native builds for macOS and Linux, and they’ll be released within the next few days. We’d love it if you give the app another go once these versions launch.

2 Likes
8

Drop a note here about their release and I’ll definitely give it a try.

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Will do! I’ll post an update here as soon as the macOS and Linux builds are ready — should be just a few days out. Thanks for the interest, and glad to have you along for the ride.

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