diff --git a/scripts/backup_data.sh b/scripts/backup_data.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..5e8a2c1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/backup_data.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Backup and restore BirdNET data
+
+my_dir=$HOME/BirdNET-Pi/scripts
+source /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf
+
+if [ "$EUID" == 0 ]
+  then echo "Please run as a non-root user."
+  exit
+fi
+
+usage() { echo "Usage: $0 -a backup|restore|size -f <backup_file>" 1>&2; exit 1; }
+
+unset -v ACTION
+unset -v ARCHIVE
+unset -v QUIET
+while getopts "a:f:" o; do
+  case "${o}" in
+    a)
+      ACTION=${OPTARG}
+      [ $ACTION == "backup" ] || [ $ACTION == "restore" ] || [ $ACTION == "size" ] || usage
+      ;;
+    f)
+      ARCHIVE=${OPTARG}
+      ;;
+    *)
+      usage
+      ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+[ -z "$ACTION" ] && usage && exit 1
+if [ $ACTION != "size" ]; then
+  [ -z "$ARCHIVE" ] && usage && exit 1
+  [ "$ARCHIVE" == '-' ] && QUIET=1
+fi
+
+MEG=1048576
+
+PHP_SERVICE=$(systemctl list-unit-files -t service --output json --no-pager php*-fpm.service | jq --raw-output '.[0].unit_file')
+[ -z "$PHP_SERVICE" ] || [ "$PHP_SERVICE" == 'null' ] && echo "Could not determine the php service name, this is most likely a bug." && exit 1
+
+log() {
+  [ -z "$QUIET" ] && echo "$1"
+}
+
+backup_check() {
+  if [ "$ARCHIVE" != '-' ]; then
+    [ -f "$ARCHIVE" ] && echo "$ARCHIVE already exists" && exit 1
+    estimated_backup_size
+    available_space_for_backup
+    AVL_MB=$(printf "%1.f" $(bc <<< "$AVAILABLE / $MEG"))
+    EST_MB=$(printf "%1.f" $(bc <<< "$ESTIMATED / $MEG"))
+    log "Estimated space needed: ${EST_MB}M ($ESTIMATED), space available: ${AVL_MB}M ($AVAILABLE)"
+    [ $ESTIMATED -gt $AVAILABLE ] && echo "Not enough space available on $(dirname "$ARCHIVE")"  && exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+backup() {
+  log "Starting backup, this might take a while"
+  CMD='tar --create -f "$ARCHIVE"'
+  for obj in  "${optional[@]}";do
+    [ -f $obj ] && CMD="$CMD -C $(dirname "$obj") $(basename "$obj")"
+  done
+  for obj in  "${required[@]}";do
+    CMD="$CMD -C $(dirname "$obj") $(basename "$obj")"
+  done
+  eval "$CMD"
+  log "Backup done"
+}
+
+estimated_backup_size() {
+  CMD='du -s -c -b '
+  for obj in  "${optional[@]}";do
+    [ -f $obj ] && CMD="$CMD $obj"
+  done
+  for obj in  "${required[@]}";do
+    CMD="$CMD $obj"
+  done
+  ESTIMATED=$(eval "$CMD | grep total | cut -f 1")
+}
+
+available_space_for_backup() {
+  AVAILABLE=$(df --output=avail --block-size=1 "$(dirname "$ARCHIVE")" | grep [[:digit:]])
+}
+
+available_space_for_restore() {
+  AVAILABLE=$(df --output=avail --block-size=1 "$(dirname "/home/$BIRDNET_USER/")" | grep [[:digit:]])
+}
+
+estimated_restore_size() {
+  TMP=$(du -s -c -b "$ARCHIVE" | grep total | cut -f 1)
+  # scale the size up a bit
+  ESTIMATED=$(printf "%1.f" $(bc <<< "$TMP * 1.005"))
+}
+
+restore_check() {
+  [ ! -f "$ARCHIVE" ] && echo "$ARCHIVE" not found && exit 1
+  available_space_for_restore
+  estimated_restore_size
+  AVL_MB=$(printf "%1.f" $(bc <<< "$AVAILABLE / $MEG"))
+  EST_MB=$(printf "%1.f" $(bc <<< "$ESTIMATED / $MEG"))
+  log "Estimated space needed: ${EST_MB}M ($ESTIMATED), space available: ${AVL_MB}M ($AVAILABLE)"
+  [ $ESTIMATED -gt $AVAILABLE ] && echo "Not enough space available on /home/$BIRDNET_USER/"  && exit 1
+  log "Checking backup file"
+  arch_list=$(tar --list --exclude="*/*" -f "$ARCHIVE" | sed 's/\///')
+  for obj in  "${required[@]}";do
+    part2=$(basename "$obj")
+    ! (echo $arch_list | grep -F -q "$part2") && echo corrupted backup file && exit 1
+  done
+}
+
+restore() {
+  log "Starting restore, this might take a while"
+  for obj in  "${required[@]}";do
+    tar --extract -p -f "$ARCHIVE" -C "$(dirname "$obj")" "$(basename "$obj")"
+  done
+  log "Trying to restore optional files"
+  for obj in  "${optional[@]}";do
+    tar --extract --ignore-failed-read -p -f "$ARCHIVE" -C "$(dirname "$obj")" "$(basename "$obj")" || log "$(basename "$obj") not found in backup file, moving on"
+  done
+  log "Fixing up configuration file"
+  CURRENT_BIRDNET_USER="$BIRDNET_USER"
+  source /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf
+  sed -i "s/BIRDNET_USER=.*/BIRDNET_USER=$CURRENT_BIRDNET_USER/" "/home/$CURRENT_BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/birdnet.conf"
+  sed -i "s|/home/$BIRDNET_USER/|/home/$CURRENT_BIRDNET_USER/|g" "/home/$CURRENT_BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/birdnet.conf"
+  if [ "$MODEL" == "BirdNET_GLOBAL_6K_V2.4_Model_FP16" ]; then
+    /home/$CURRENT_BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/scripts/install_language_label_nm.sh -l $DATABASE_LANG
+  else
+    /home/$CURRENT_BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/scripts/install_language_label.sh -l $DATABASE_LANG
+  fi
+  log "Restore done"
+}
+
+required=("/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/birdnet.conf"
+"/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/scripts/birds.db"
+"/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/BirdDB.txt"
+"/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdSongs/Extracted/Charts"
+"/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdSongs/Extracted/By_Date")
+
+# these may or may not exist
+optional=("/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/apprise.txt"
+"/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/scripts/blacklisted_images.txt"
+"/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/scripts/disk_check_exclude.txt"
+"/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/exclude_species_list.txt"
+"/home/$BIRDNET_USER/BirdNET-Pi/include_species_list.txt")
+
+[ $ACTION == "backup" ] && backup_check
+[ $ACTION == "restore" ] && restore_check
+if [ $ACTION == "size" ]; then
+  estimated_backup_size
+  echo $ESTIMATED
+  exit
+fi
+
+log "Stopping services"
+"$my_dir/stop_core_services.sh"
+
+[ $ACTION == "backup" ] && backup
+[ $ACTION == "restore" ] && restore
+
+log "Restarting services"
+"$my_dir/restart_services.sh" &>/dev/null