How to Use Ghettovcb to Backup VMware ESXi VMs Step-by-Step

What is Ghettovcb Backup?

GhettoVCB is a popular, free, open-source backup script designed by William Lam to create backups of VMware ESXi virtual machines.  It runs directly on ESXi Shell, requires no vCenter, and works with ESXi free edition. Ghettovcb.

It will create a snapshot of your VM, and use vmkstools to clone the VMDK(s) to the backup destination. After a successful copy, the snapshot will be automatically deleted.

► Key features and advantages of ESXi backup using Ghettovcb script:

• Online Backup: Back up running VMware ESXi VMs without powering off VMs.
• Schedule backup: Support automated backup using cron jobs
• Free: It is open-source, free, and no vCenter is required. Works directly on ESXi Shell.
• Multiple backing destinations: Support backup VMware to Local datastore, NFS, SAN, CIFS (via mount).
• Configurable retention policy: Old backups will be deleted according to the rotation count.

► Limits of Ghettovcb:

• Full backups only: ghettoVCB does not support native incremental or differential backups. Each run copies all allocated blocks.
• Resource impact: Snapshot and cloning consume CPU and disk I/O on the ESXi host.
• No GUI: Entirely command‑line driven. Requires comfort with SSH, bash, and text files.
• No application‑aware processing: It does not quiesce databases like VSS on Windows. For consistent backups of running databases, consider shutting down the VM or using database‑specific tools.

► Best Use Cases:

GhettoVCB is particularly suitable for:

• Homelab users testing VMware environments
• Small businesses without dedicated backup budgets
• IT admins managing standalone ESXi hosts
• Developers needing quick and simple VM backup automation

In the next section, we will walk you through the whole ghettovcb process, from installation and scripts. In addition, we will introduce a comprehensive backup solution that offers better backup strategy (such as incremental and differential backup)

How to Backup VMware ESXi VMs with GhettoVCB scripts

In this section, you will know how to install ghettoVCB and set up VMware ESXI VMs backups step by step.

Prerequisites:✎

SSH access to your ESXi host (enable via vSphere Client: Host → Services → SSH → Start).

A datastore with enough free space to store backups.

(Optional) An NFS or CIFS share for off‑host backups.

Part 1. Download

From the official GitHub repository: https://github.com/lamw/ghettoVCB to Download ghettoVCB.

Part 2. Install ghettoVCB

►Manual Installation (Script Upload)

1. SSH into your ESXi host as root.

2. Create a directory on a datastore (e.g., /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/scripts):

mkdir -p /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/scripts

3. Upload ghettoVCB.sh to that directory using SCP or by copying from a USB.

4. Make it executable:

chmod +x /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/scripts/ghettoVCB.sh

5. Run a test:

cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/scripts
./ghettoVCB.sh -h

►VIB Installation

For ESXi 5.0 and above, the VIB package installs ghettoVCB persistently:

1. Download the offline bundle (VIB) from the GitHub releases.

2. Place it on a datastore or serve it via HTTP.

3. Install using ESXCLI:

esxcli software vib install -v /path/to/lamw-ghettoVCB.vib

4. After installation, the script is available at /opt/ghettoVCB/ghettoVCB.sh.

Part 3. Backup Configuration

ghettoVCB uses a global configuration file (default: /etc/ghettoVCB/ghettoVCB.conf). Below are the most important parameters to customize:

For users backing up VMs to Unraid or external NAS, you will also need to configure persistent NFS mounts directly within the ESXi host to ensure the backup destination remains accessible after reboots.

Part 4. Scripts to run ghettoVCB backup

Once configured, you can run backup tasks directly from the ESXi SSH shell with simple, intuitive commands.

► Backup a Single VM

./ghettoVCB.sh -m "MyVM"

► Backup Multiple VMs from a List File

1. Create a list file (one VM name per line), e.g., /backup/vm_list.txt

2. Run the command:

./ghettoVCB.sh -f /backup/vm_list.txt

► Backup All Running VMs

./ghettoVCB.sh -a

Use a Custom Configuration File

./ghettoVCB.sh -c /path/to/my_backup.conf -m "MyVM"

► Exclude Specific VMs

Create an exclude list file and use -e:

./ghettoVCB.sh -a -e /backup/exclude_list.txt

► Validate Backup Configuration with Dry-Run Test

The Dry-Run test provides a quick summary of details on whether a given set VMs will be backed up. Before creating an actual backup, you can run the following command to validate:

~ # ./ghettoVCB.sh -f vms_to_backup -d dryrun

► Debug Mode

If backups fail, always start with debug output:

./ghettoVCB.sh -d debug -m "MyVM"

Debug logs show exact vmkfstools commands and snapshot operations.

★Backup Strategy Tips: 

Don’t store backups on the same datastore as production VMs. Use a separate local disk, NFS share or SAN LUN. NFS is ideal. Because ghettoVCB works great with NFS targets (like UnRAID, Synology, or FreeNAS). The ENABLE_NON_PERSISTENT_NFS option makes it easy. 

Perform 3-2-1 backup strategy. Keep at least 3 rotation copies for critical VMs. For large VMs (1TB+), consider reducing rotation to 1 or 2 if space is tight.

 Use thin format for backup to save space. Restoring as thin keeps the disk flexible. And Use thick only if you need guaranteed performance on restore. 

Keep your ESXi host and backup destination on separate VLANs if possible for security.

Part 6. Automate ghettoVCB Backup with Cron Scheduling

One of the most requested features for ghettoVCB backup is automated, scheduled backups. ESXi supports cron jobs to run backup scripts daily, weekly, or on custom schedules.

1. Edit the ESXi crontab for root:

vi /var/spool/cron/crontabs/root

2. Add a backup schedule. For example, backup all running VMs every day at 2 AM.

0 2 * * * /opt/ghettoVCB/ghettoVCB.sh -a -c /etc/ghettoVCB/ghettoVCB.conf

3. Make Cron persist Across Reboots

Add the following line to /etc/rc.local (or use the VIB’s built‑in persistence):

/bin/kill $(cat /var/run/crond.pid) 2>/dev/null
/usr/lib/vmware/busybox/bin/busybox crond

Better yet, install the ghettoVCB VIB – it includes a startup script that restores cron jobs.

4. Log Management: ghettoVCB writes logs to the backup destination by default. You can also set a global log file in the config:

LOG_DIR=/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/logs

To email logs, configure sendmail on ESXi (complex) or use a script that mails after cron.

Part 7. Restoring from ghettoVCB Backup 

ghettoVCB provides ghettoVCB-restore.sh. to restore ghettoVCB backup.

►Basic restore command:

./ghettoVCB-restore.sh -p /backup/path/MyVM

This command will:

• Locate the most recent backup of the VM.
• Register the VM (if not already registered) or prompt for overwrite.
• Restore VMDKs to the original datastore (configurable).

►Manual Restore (Alternative)

If you prefer manual control:

1. Browse the backup directory. You’ll find a folder like MyVM-2025-03-15_02-00-01/ containing .vmdk and .vmx files.

2. Copy the .vmx and .vmdk files to your desired datastore using cp or mv.

3. Register the VM via vSphere Client: Create / Register VM → Register an existing virtual machine.

4. Power on and verify.

★Note:

1. Network adapters may need reconfiguration (MAC address changes, IP settings).

2. If restoring to a different ESXi host, you may need to re‑acknowledge storage.

3. For thin‑to‑thick conversion, restore using vmkfstools -i manually.

GhettoVCB Common Issues & Troubleshooting

If you encounter a problem when perform ghettoVCB’s commands, there are common issues and solutions.

1. SSH / Permission Denied

Ensure you’re logging in as root and SSH is enabled. Some ESXi builds restrict root SSH – enable via DCUI or advanced settings.

2. Orphaned Snapshots After Backup

If ghettoVCB is interrupted, a snapshot may remain. Check with:

vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms
vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.get <vmid>\

Remove it manually:

vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.removeall <vmid>

3. “Insufficient space” on Backup Volume

Solution: Increase VM_BACKUP_ROTATION_COUNT to keep fewer copies, or add more storage. Use du -sh /backup/* to see which VMs consume most space.

4. Backup Fails – “Failed to create snapshot”

• Check VM disk consistency.
• Ensure the VM has no existing snapshot (some VMs with large, long‑running snapshots may timeout).
• Increase SNAPSHOT_TIMEOUT.

5. Backup Destination Not Writable

For NFS shares, confirm they are mounted correctly:

esxcli storage nfs list

If using ENABLE_NON_PERSISTENT_NFS, verify credentials and path.

6. Debug Mode Doesn’t Show Enough

Set DEBUG_LOG=1 inside the script or run with -d debug. For even deeper vmkfstools logging, modify the script to add -v 10 to the vmkfstools cloning line (advanced users only).

Alternative Backup Solution for Enterprise Environment

ghettoVCB is a good solution for home labs, small deployments, and budget‑conscious environments. It has served the VMware community faithfully for over a decade. However, as your virtual environment grows from a handful of VMs to dozens or hundreds, you may require incremental backup, better backup and restore performance, and anti-ransomware protection.

Here we would like to introduce an enterprise backup and recovery solution – i2Backup. It offers reliable, agentless, scalable, and secure data protection for VMware VMs across physical, virtual, and cloud environments. You can easily create backup schedules for all VMware VMs from one console without installing an agent on guest VMs.

• Great Compatibility: i2Backup supports VMware ESXi 5/5.1/5.5/6/6.5/6.7/7/8, including free and licensed ESXi hosts.
• Incremental and Differential: i2Backup supports multiple backup strategies – full backup, incremental backup, incremental-forever, and differential backup.
• Visual interface: Offer a web-based B/S graphical interface with centralized management for better VMware backup management.
• Flexible Recovery: i2Backup supports instant recovery and granular recovery for different restore demands.
• High Security: i2Backup supports encrypting your backup data with the AES standard algorithm and supports immutable backup that prevents backup from being altered, deleted, or encrypted.

i2Backup and ghettoVCB comparison:

You can click the download button below to get a 60-day free trial:

Conclusion

In this article, we provide the step-by-step ghettoVCB backup for VMware ESXi virtual machines. It is a great method for free ESXi users, home labs, and small businesses.

However, ghettoVCB is not an enterprise backup solution with incremental forever, deduplication, and centralized management. If you need a professional and robust backup solution, Info2Soft’s i2Backup. Besides VMware, i2Backup also supports backing up Hyper-V, OpenStack, and other virtual machines.