Restore

Learn how to restore GitHub repository backups using Cloudback, including the restore application, cross-account restore, source restrictions, and what gets restored.

Cloudback can restore your GitHub repository data from any backup archive. This includes the full Git repository, issues, pull requests, releases, labels, milestones, projects, and more. You can restore to the same account, a different account, or even from a non-GitHub backup (GitLab) via Cross-Platform Restore.

Overview

Restoring a GitHub repository involves:

1. Installing the Cloudback Restore Application (separate from the backup app)

2. Selecting the target account and repository name

3. Executing the restore — Cloudback creates the repository, pushes the code, and restores all metadata

Prerequisites

• A successful backup archive (from GitHub or GitLab)

• A target GitHub account (personal or organization) to restore into

• The Cloudback Restore Application installed on the target account

Restore Application

Cloudback uses two separate GitHub Apps following the principle of least privilege:

• Backup App (read-only) — installed during setup, used for daily backups

• Restore App (read-write) — installed separately, only when you need to restore

Installing the Restore Application

1. Go to the Cloudback Restore Application installation page.

2. Select the target GitHub account (organization or user).

3. Grant the requested permissions — read and write access to code and metadata.

Security Tip: The Restore Application is only needed for the duration of the restore. Consider uninstalling it from your target account once the restore is complete.

Step-by-Step Restore Process

Step 1: Initiate Restore

1. Navigate to your repository in the Cloudback dashboard

2. Open the Backups tab and find the backup you want to restore

3. Click the Restore button

Alternatively, select one or more repositories on the dashboard and click Restore in the toolbar to start a Bulk Restore.

Step 2: Select Target

1. Select the target GitHub account (personal or organization)

2. Enter the new repository name

3. Choose repository visibility (public or private)

4. Click Next

Step 3: Execute Restore

Click Restore to begin. The process runs in the background — you can close the page and return later. A notification will appear when the restore completes.

What Gets Restored

Entity	Details
Repository	All branches, tags, refs via git push --mirror, plus LFS objects
Issues	Title, body, state, labels, milestone, assignee, issue types, sub-issues
Issue Comments	Body, author, dates
Pull Requests	Unmerged PRs with title, body, state, labels, milestone, branches
Commit Comments	Comments on specific commits
Milestones	Title, description, state, due date
Labels	Name, color, description
Releases	Tag, name, body, assets (uploaded files)
Projects	ProjectV2 in current backups; classic projects from older archives
Collaborators	Repository collaborator invitations
Webhooks	Webhook URLs and configuration
Repository Settings	Description, homepage, merge methods, topics

Not Restored

• Merged pull requests — skipped during restore (the commits are already in the repository history)

• Wiki pages — not restored

• GitHub Actions workflows — restored as files in the repository, but workflow run history is not restored

Cross-Account Restore

You can restore backups to a different GitHub account than the one that created the backup. This is useful for:

• Migrating repositories between organizations

• Disaster recovery to a standby account

• Restoring data to an account that doesn't have Cloudback installed

• Restoring between GitHub Enterprise Managed User (EMU) and non-EMU accounts

The process is the same as a standard restore — just select a different target account in Step 2. The Restore Application must be installed on the target account.

Restricting Allowed Source Accounts (Optional)

By default, Cloudback allows restores from any source account. To restrict which source accounts can restore to your organization, create a GitHub Actions organization variable:

1. Navigate to the GitHub settings for your target organization

2. Go to Security > Secrets and variables > Actions

3. Click the Variables tab → New organization variable

4. Enter:

   • Name: CLOUDBACK_ALLOWED_RESTORE_SOURCE

   • Value: Source account name(s), each prefixed with the platform. Separate multiple entries with commas.

     • GitHub source: github:source-org-1

     • GitLab source: gitlab:source-group-1

     • Mixed example: github:source-org-1,gitlab:source-group-2

   • Repository access: Can be left as "Public repositories"

5. Click Add variable

Note: This variable is only checked for organization targets. Personal account targets skip this check. Organization owners also bypass this check — they can restore from any source without setting the variable.

Learn More

• Restoring a Backup — General restore documentation

• Bulk Restore — Restoring multiple repositories at once

• Cross-Platform Restore — GitHub ↔ GitLab bidirectional restore

• GitHub Backup Contents — What data is in each backup

• Known Issues — Troubleshooting restore errors