partclone

Clone partition to image file

$ sudo partclone.ext4 -c -s /dev/sdXY -o [path/to/backup.img]

$ sudo partclone.ext4 -r -s [path/to/backup.img] -o /dev/sdXY

$ sudo partclone.btrfs -c -s /dev/sdXY -o [path/to/backup.img]

$ partclone.ext4 -h

partclone.fstype [-c|-r|-b] [-s source] [-o output] [options]

partclone creates and restores partition images while skipping empty blocks, resulting in smaller backup files and faster operations compared to raw disk imaging. Each filesystem type has its own binary that understands the filesystem structure.
The tool reads only used blocks from the source filesystem, making backups significantly smaller than the partition size. This is especially beneficial for partially filled partitions.

-c, --clone

Clone partition to image file

Restore partition from image file

Device to device clone

Source device or image file

Output device or image file

Write log to file

Skip filesystem check before clone

partclone.ext4

Clone ext4 filesystems

Clone btrfs filesystems

Clone NTFS filesystems

Clone FAT32 filesystems

Clone XFS filesystems

Raw block copy (any filesystem)

Source partition should be unmounted during cloning. Filesystem-specific binary must match the partition type. Restored partitions may need fsck. Image files are not directly mountable.

partclone was developed as an efficient alternative to dd for partition backup. By understanding filesystem metadata, it achieves compression without needing external tools, making it popular for system backup and deployment scenarios.

dd(1), clonezilla(1), fsarchiver(1)