One of my laptops now serves as a dedicated Ubuntu machine, acting as a perfect test device for testing apps and self-hosted services. But there's a severe lack of disk backup and system image creation apps in the operating system. You can understand my frustration with copying each file from a directory to an external disk, which is not feasible for large copy operations. However, it's no longer a problem for me, as I use Clonezilla to create full system backups, saving me time.

It provides me with the flexibility to run disk-to-disk backups or create system images with minimal effort. There are several other perks, including multiple backup modes and the ability to restore the created system image using the same tool. Here are four reasons why you shouldn't look elsewhere if you want to make full system backups.

Runs from a USB stick

Clone without booting the OS

Clonezilla runs from a live USB drive or a CD drive (if you can find one). It's because it doesn't support cloning online partitions. Therefore, I can create a live USB drive using Balena Etcher with the Clonezilla ISO file. After that, I can boot from the USB drive and enter the Clonezilla menu, which guides me through the complete process.

Since it doesn't run after booting the OS, you can use it even if you have a problem loading the Ubuntu desktop or have forgotten the device password. Of course, it works with other distros and operating systems in a similar manner, but it never once asks for a system password. It's one of the reasons why I keep the Clonezilla ISO file on my Ventoy USB drive.

It also doesn't matter whether your system supports BIOS or UEFI. Clonezilla works with both without any problems.

Easy-to-use menus

No command line problem

I'm not a fan of terminal-guided tools that require me to type long commands to complete an action. Clonezilla doesn't have a GUI, but it does have console menus like the one you see in the BIOS. So, you get to choose between the terminal route and the menu route. Unless you know what you're doing, there's no reason to get into command line mode.

The menus use keyboard input, and you only need to use the arrow, tab, and Enter keys to navigate the menu. There's also a detailed explanation of each option or setting, so you have a clear idea before selecting anything. It can also automatically recognize and mount external storage drives, eliminating the need for manual setup. I connected it to the SATA SSD enclosure, and the tool immediately recognized it, listing it under the "Available Drives" section.

A myriad of options

Total control

Clonezilla may not be visually appealing, but it is as feature-rich as you would expect from a cloning tool. From the start-up page, you can choose to clone the entire system, a disk, or a partition. For basic users like me, it's enough. However, there's also provision for remote backups and server backups, which have their uses in multiple-device scenarios.

If you don't want to spend minutes configuring the tool and need a system image quickly, you can opt for the automated option. After that, select the drive and complete a brief setup to finalize the image creation. It doesn't require any technical expertise and will take varying amounts of time, depending on the source and target drive types.

For advanced users, a manual option is available that lets you select everything from compression type to image creation, post-image operations, and checks, among other options. There's also a command-line option, but I skipped it because Whiptail menus are available.

You can also encrypt the created image, making it irrecoverable unless you remember and provide the passphrase. I don't use encryption in a personal capacity, but it's nice to have the option. You can apply or remove encryption using the Clonezilla menu later on. The ability to save the created image or clone it to a local disk or to an NFS, Samba, or SSH server is much appreciated.

I’m also amazed by the compression mechanism, which reduced a test Ubuntu installation of 20GB to less than 9GB. You can choose other compression mechanisms that may offer greater storage space savings.

Multiple checks and logging

Figure out what went wrong

I used Clonezilla on one of my old laptops with an HDD that's on its last legs. Its vitals are bad, and Clonezilla correctly detected a problem, displaying it on the screen while attempting to create a backup image. Similarly, it can even verify the created system image for errors after the job completes, ensuring that you can restore it when needed.

You can configure Clonezilla to create a log file of the system image creation process before it starts. By doing so, you can save all activities and errors to a log file for later analysis. It's not for everyone, as the tool will create a proper system image on each try, but it is useful if something goes wrong.

Perfect system images and cloning

On MX Linux, there’s a built-in system image creation utility, but you can’t use it if your system fails to boot. Clonezilla is a well-designed, free tool that simplifies disk cloning. You don’t need to run any commands, and the tool can save the clone to any location, remote or local.

It’s not flawless, as it cannot manage incremental backups like the Windows legacy backup tool; however, at least you can clone the disk whenever needed. Stay away from the advanced mode unless you know what you’re doing, and you’ll be fine.