diff --git a/backup.sh b/backup.sh
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+++ b/backup.sh
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+#!/bin/bash
+
+# --- Configuration ---
+# The root directory where your docker-compose.yml and data folders are located
+BACKUP_SOURCE_DIR="$(pwd)"
+
+# The target directory for the backup tarball (must exist on the host)
+BACKUP_TARGET_DIR="$(pwd)/backup"
+
+# The name of the backup file (without extension)
+BACKUP_NAME="mealie_backup"
+
+# Data volumes specified in your docker-compose.yml
+DATA_VOLUMES=(
+  "mealie-data"
+  "mealie-pgdata"
+)
+
+# Configuration file
+CONFIG_FILE="docker-compose.yml"
+
+# --- Script Logic ---
+TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
+TARBALL_FILENAME="${BACKUP_NAME}_${TIMESTAMP}.tar.gz"
+FULL_TARBALL_PATH="${BACKUP_TARGET_DIR}/${TARBALL_FILENAME}"
+TEMP_DIR="mealie_backup_content"
+
+echo "Starting Mealie backup at ${TIMESTAMP}..."
+echo "----------------------------------------"
+
+# 1. 🛑 STOP CONTAINERS for Data Integrity
+echo "1. Stopping Mealie services to ensure data consistency..."
+# Stop the services gracefully using the docker-compose file
+docker compose -f "${CONFIG_FILE}" stop mealie postgres
+
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "❌ Error: Could not stop one or more services. Aborting backup." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "Services successfully stopped."
+echo "---"
+
+# 2. Create a temporary directory to structure the backup content
+echo "2. Creating temporary structure: ${TEMP_DIR}/"
+mkdir -p "${TEMP_DIR}"
+
+# 3. Copy the configuration file and data volumes
+echo "   Copying configuration file: ${CONFIG_FILE}"
+cp "${CONFIG_FILE}" "${TEMP_DIR}/"
+
+for volume in "${DATA_VOLUMES[@]}"; do
+  SOURCE_PATH="${BACKUP_SOURCE_DIR}/${volume}"
+  if [ -d "${SOURCE_PATH}" ]; then
+    echo "   Copying data volume: ${volume}/"
+    # Using 'cp -r' to copy the entire data folder
+    cp -r "${SOURCE_PATH}" "${TEMP_DIR}/"
+  else
+    echo "Warning: Data volume ${volume} not found! Skipping." >&2
+  fi
+done
+echo "---"
+
+# 4. Create the target directory and the compressed tarball
+mkdir -p "${BACKUP_TARGET_DIR}"
+echo "3. Creating tarball: ${FULL_TARBALL_PATH}"
+tar -czf "${FULL_TARBALL_PATH}" "${TEMP_DIR}"
+
+# 5. Cleanup the temporary directory
+echo "4. Cleaning up temporary files."
+rm -rf "${TEMP_DIR}"
+echo "---"
+
+# 6. ✅ RESTART CONTAINERS
+echo "5. Restarting Mealie services with 'docker compose up -d'..."
+docker compose -f "${CONFIG_FILE}" up -d mealie postgres
+
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "⚠️ Warning: Services may not have restarted correctly. Check logs manually." >&2
+else
+  echo "✅ Services restarted successfully."
+fi
+echo "---"
+
+# 7. Verification and final output
+if [ -f "${FULL_TARBALL_PATH}" ]; then
+  SIZE=$(du -h "${FULL_TARBALL_PATH}" | awk '{print $1}')
+  echo "🎉 **Backup Successful!** File saved to: ${FULL_TARBALL_PATH} (${SIZE})"
+else
+  echo "❌ **Backup Failed!** Tarball was not created." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
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