Where Does Duplicity Keep Its Cache and Keys?
Duplicity local cache and signature folders on Linux and macOS, plus where remote backup chains live.
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Duplicity keeps remote backup chains with a local cache for speed. The cache lives in ~/.cache/duplicity with one folder per backend URL. It holds signatures and manifests that make incrementals fast. Deleting it only slows the next run.
Actual backup volumes live on the remote backend, S3, SFTP, or local disk, as difftar and sigtar sets. Keys live in ~/.gnupg outside Duplicity. Back up the keys and backend credentials. The cache can be skipped since it rebuilds from the backend. Keys plus backend URL restore everything.
Where Duplicity stores this, by platform
~/.cache/duplicity
Per backend signature cache with hashed folder names. Safe to delete with Duplicity idle. Respects XDG_CACHE_HOME when set on Linux.
~/.gnupg
GPG keys that encrypt the remote chains. Back up with backend URLs and passphrases. Without these the remote volumes are unreadable.
Frequently asked questions
can i delete the Duplicity cache safely
Delete ~/.cache/duplicity with duplicity idle. The cache holds signatures that speed up incrementals. Duplicity refetches them from the backend on the next run. Never delete the remote backend to clear cache.
what do i need to restore a Duplicity backup
Back up ~/.gnupg with the backend URL and passphrase. The cache in ~/.cache/duplicity speeds restores but rebuilds. Keys plus backend URL are the real restore requirements.
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