TimeMachine

A docker-compose based Samba server compatible with macOS Time Machine. Powered by mbentley/docker-timemachine.

Quickly deployable on Raspberry Pi.

Prerequisites

• Docker
• External storage device connected to the Docker host (Raspberry Pi)

Setup

Step 1: Mount the drive

Attach your external disk, then run:

sudo ./scripts/mount-drive.sh

The script shows available devices, prompts for selection, mounts the drive, and prints the values you'll need for your .env:

Done.
  Device:  /dev/sda1
  Mount:   /tm_data
  Marker:  /tm_data/.drive-mounted

Add to your .env:
  TM_DEVICE_MOUNT_POINT=/tm_data
  TM_VOLUME_SIZE_LIMIT=3726 G

  (TM_VOLUME_SIZE_LIMIT accepts G, T, or M — e.g. "2 T" or "500 G")

You can also pass the device directly to skip the prompt:

sudo ./scripts/mount-drive.sh /dev/sda1

Step 2: Configure .env

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with the values printed by the mount script:

Variable	Default	Description
TM_PASSWORD	timemachine	Password to connect to the Samba share
TM_SHARENAME	timemachine.home.arpa	Network share name
TM_DEVICE_MOUNT_POINT	/tm_data	Path where the drive is mounted
TM_VOLUME_SIZE_LIMIT	500 G	Time Machine backup quota — value + unit (e.g. 2 T, 500 G, 1000 M). Printed by mount script.

Step 3: Start the stack

./scripts/start.sh

The script verifies the drive is mounted before bringing the container up, then prints container status. To watch logs: docker compose logs -f

Boot persistence (optional)

To automatically mount the drive and start the container on boot:

sudo ./scripts/install-systemd.sh

The script prompts for the device (or accepts it as an argument), installs mount-drive.sh to /usr/local/bin, writes a systemd unit with your device and mount point baked in, then enables and starts the service.

Troubleshooting

Container is unhealthy

The healthcheck verifies the drive is mounted. If the drive was disconnected or remounted, run the mount script to restore the mount and recreate the healthcheck marker:

sudo ./scripts/mount-drive.sh

The container will return to healthy within 30 seconds — no restart needed.

Uninstall

sudo ./scripts/teardown.sh

Stops the container, removes Docker volumes (Samba state), and unmounts the drive. Your backup data on the disk is not affected.

Tested hardware

• Raspberry Pi 4B 4GB — Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
• Raspberry Pi 4B 8GB — Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)
• Raspberry Pi 5 8GB — Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)