Knowledge Center

Complete setup guides and documentation for Life Boat Backup

Life Boat Backup Overview

What Life Boat Backup Does

  • Automatically backs up Google Drive files
  • Saves Slack messages and files
  • Stores everything in your own AWS S3 bucket
  • Runs nightly backups automatically
  • Only backs up new or changed data

Getting Started

  1. 1Set up your AWS S3 bucket
  2. 2Connect Google Drive
  3. 3Connect Slack workspace
  4. 4Run your first backup

Why Life Boat Backup?

Your data stays in YOUR bucket. We never store your files - they go directly from Google Drive/Slack to your S3 storage. You own and control everything.

AWS S3 Setup Guide

Before You Start

You'll need an AWS account. If you don't have one, sign up at aws.amazon.com

Step 1: Create an S3 Bucket

  1. 1. Go to the AWS S3 Console
  2. 2. Click "Create bucket"
  3. 3. Choose a unique bucket name (e.g., "mycompany-lifeboat-backup")
  4. 4. Select your preferred region (e.g., US East (N. Virginia) us-east-1)
  5. 5. Keep all other settings as default
  6. 6. Click "Create bucket"

Step 2: Create IAM User

  1. 1. Go to the AWS IAM Console
  2. 2. Click "Users" in the left sidebar
  3. 3. Click "Add users"
  4. 4. Enter username: "lifeboat-backup-user"
  5. 5. Select "Programmatic access"
  6. 6. Click "Next: Permissions"
  7. 7. Click "Attach existing policies directly"
  8. 8. Search for and select "AmazonS3FullAccess"
  9. 9. Click "Next" until you reach "Create user"
  10. 10. IMPORTANT: Copy the Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

Step 3: Configure in Life Boat Backup

  1. 1. Go to your S3 Setup page
  2. 2. Enter your AWS credentials:
    • • Access Key ID (from Step 2)
    • • Secret Access Key (from Step 2)
    • • Bucket Name (from Step 1)
    • • Region (from Step 1)
  3. 3. Click "Save and Test"
  4. 4. You should see "S3 credentials validated successfully!"

Security Best Practice

Create a dedicated IAM user just for Life Boat Backup instead of using your root AWS credentials. This limits access and improves security.

Google Drive Connection

Connecting Your Google Drive

  1. 1. Go to your Connections page
  2. 2. Click "Connect" next to Google Drive
  3. 3. Sign in with your Google account
  4. 4. Grant permission to read your Drive files
  5. 5. You'll be redirected back with a green "Connected" status

What Gets Backed Up

  • All files in your Google Drive
  • Folder structure is preserved
  • Only new or modified files after first backup
  • File version history is maintained

Privacy Note

Life Boat Backup only requests read-only access to your Google Drive. We cannot modify, delete, or share your files. Your data streams directly to your S3 bucket.

Slack Workspace Connection

Connecting Your Slack Workspace

  1. 1. Go to your Connections page
  2. 2. Click "Connect" next to Slack
  3. 3. Choose your Slack workspace
  4. 4. Grant Life Boat Backup the requested permissions
  5. 5. You'll be redirected back with a green "Connected" status

What Gets Backed Up

  • Public channel messages (last 24 hours)
  • Private channels you're a member of
  • Direct messages
  • Files and attachments
  • Message threads and replies

Required Slack Permissions

Life Boat Backup requests these permissions to back up your workspace:

  • channels:history - Read public channel messages
  • groups:history - Read private channel messages
  • im:history - Read direct messages
  • mpim:history - Read group direct messages
  • files:read - Download shared files

Admin Approval

Some Slack workspaces require admin approval for new apps. If you see a pending approval message, ask your Slack admin to approve Life Boat Backup.