diff --git a/config/gitlab.yml.example b/config/gitlab.yml.example
index 12c28675..473be138 100644
--- a/config/gitlab.yml.example
+++ b/config/gitlab.yml.example
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ email:
 # Like default project limit for user etc
 app: 
   default_projects_limit: 10 
+  # backup_path: "/vol/backups"   # default: Rails.root + backups/
+  # backup_keep_time: 7.days      # default: 0 (forever)
 
 
 # 
diff --git a/lib/tasks/gitlab/backup.rake b/lib/tasks/gitlab/backup.rake
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3735d5b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/tasks/gitlab/backup.rake
@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+require 'active_record/fixtures'
+
+# load config
+GITLAB_OPTS = YAML.load_file("#{Rails.root}/config/gitlab.yml")['app']
+
+# backup path options
+backup_path = GITLAB_OPTS['backup_path'].nil? ? "backups/" : GITLAB_OPTS['backup_path']     # set default path if not specified in settings.
+backup_path = /^\//.match(backup_path) ? backup_path : File.join(Rails.root + backup_path)  # check for absolut or relative path.
+FileUtils.mkdir_p(backup_path) until Dir.exists?(backup_path)
+
+# keep last n backups
+backup_keep_time = GITLAB_OPTS['backup_keep_time'].nil? ? 0 : eval(GITLAB_OPTS['backup_keep_time'])
+
+backup_path_repo = File.join(backup_path, "repositories")
+backup_path_db   = File.join(backup_path, "db")
+
+namespace :gitlab do
+  namespace :app do
+
+    # Create backup of gitlab system
+    desc "GITLAB | Create a backup of the gitlab system"
+    task :backup_create => :environment do
+
+      Dir.chdir(backup_path)
+
+      Rake::Task["gitlab:app:db_dump"].invoke
+      Rake::Task["gitlab:app:repo_dump"].invoke
+
+      # saving additional informations
+      s = Hash.new
+      s["db_version"]         = "#{ActiveRecord::Migrator.current_version}"
+      s["backup_created_at"]  = "#{Time.now}"
+      s["gitlab_version"]     = %x{git rev-parse HEAD}.gsub(/\n/,"")
+      s["tar_version"]        = %x{tar --version | head -1}.gsub(/\n/,"")
+
+      File.open("#{backup_path}/backup_information.yml", "w+") do |file|
+        file << s.to_yaml.gsub(/^---\n/,'')
+      end
+
+      # create archive
+      print "Creating backup archive: #{Time.now.to_i}_gitlab_backup.tar "
+      if Kernel.system("tar -cf #{Time.now.to_i}_gitlab_backup.tar repositories/ db/ backup_information.yml")
+        puts "[DONE]".green
+      else
+        puts "[FAILED]".red
+      end
+
+      # cleanup: remove tmp files
+      print "Deletion of tmp directories..."
+      if Kernel.system("rm -rf repositories/ db/ backup_information.yml")
+        puts "[DONE]".green
+      else
+        puts "[FAILED]".red
+      end
+
+      # delete backups
+      print "Deleting old backups... "
+      if backup_keep_time > 0
+        file_list = Dir.glob("*_gitlab_backup.tar").map { |f| f.split(/_/).first.to_i }
+        file_list.sort.each do |timestamp|
+          if Time.at(timestamp) < (Time.now - backup_keep_time)
+            %x{rm #{timestamp}_gitlab_backup.tar}
+          end
+        end
+        puts "[DONE]".green
+      else
+        puts "[SKIPPING]".yellow
+      end
+
+    end
+
+
+    desc "GITLAB | Restore a previously created backup"
+    task :backup_restore => :environment do
+
+      Dir.chdir(backup_path)
+
+      file_list = Dir.glob("*_gitlab_backup.tar").each.map { |f| f.split(/_/).first.to_i }
+      puts "no backup found" if file_list.count == 0
+      if file_list.count > 1 && ENV["BACKUP"].nil?
+        puts "Found more than one backup, please specify which one you want to restore:"
+        puts "rake gitlab:app:backup_restore BACKUP=timestamp_of_backup"
+        exit 1;
+      end
+
+      tar_file = ENV["BACKUP"].nil? ? File.join(file_list.first.to_s + "_gitlab_backup.tar") : File.join(ENV["BACKUP"] + "_gitlab_backup.tar")
+
+      if ! File.exists?(tar_file)
+        puts "The specified backup doesn't exist!"
+      end
+
+      print "Unpacking backup... "
+      if ! Kernel.system("tar -xf #{tar_file}")
+        puts "[FAILED]".red
+        exit 1
+      else
+        puts "[DONE]".green
+      end
+
+      settings = YAML.load_file("backup_information.yml")
+      ENV["VERSION"] = "#{settings["db_version"]}" if settings["db_version"].to_i > 0
+
+      # restoring mismatching backups can lead to unexpected problems
+      if settings["gitlab_version"] != %x{git rev-parse HEAD}.gsub(/\n/,"")
+        puts "gitlab_version mismatch:".red
+        puts "  Your current HEAD differs from the HEAD in the backup!".red
+        puts "  Please switch to the following revision and try again:".red
+        puts "  revision: #{settings["gitlab_version"]}".red
+        exit 1
+      end
+
+      Rake::Task["gitlab:app:db_restore"].invoke
+      Rake::Task["gitlab:app:repo_restore"].invoke
+
+      # cleanup: remove tmp files
+      print "Deletion of tmp directories..."
+      if Kernel.system("rm -rf repositories/ db/ backup_information.yml")
+        puts "[DONE]".green
+      else
+        puts "[FAILED]".red
+      end
+
+    end
+
+
+    ################################################################################
+    ################################# invoked tasks ################################
+
+    ################################# REPOSITORIES #################################
+
+    task :repo_dump => :environment do
+      FileUtils.mkdir_p(backup_path_repo) until Dir.exists?(backup_path_repo)
+      puts "Dumping repositories:"
+      project = Project.all.map { |n| [n.name,n.path_to_repo] }
+      project << ["gitolite-admin.git", File.join(File.dirname(project.first.second), "gitolite-admin.git")]
+      project.each do |project|
+        print "- Dumping repository #{project.first}... "
+        if Kernel.system("cd #{project.second} > /dev/null 2>&1 && git bundle create #{backup_path_repo}/#{project.first}.bundle --all > /dev/null 2>&1")
+          puts "[DONE]".green
+        else
+          puts "[FAILED]".red
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    task :repo_restore => :environment do
+      puts "Restoring repositories:"
+      project = Project.all.map { |n| [n.name,n.path_to_repo] }
+      project << ["gitolite-admin.git", File.join(File.dirname(project.first.second), "gitolite-admin.git")]
+      project.each do |project|
+        print "- Restoring repository #{project.first}... "
+        FileUtils.rm_rf(project.second) if File.dirname(project.second) # delet old stuff
+        if Kernel.system("cd #{File.dirname(project.second)} > /dev/null 2>&1 && git clone --bare #{backup_path_repo}/#{project.first}.bundle #{project.first}.git > /dev/null 2>&1")
+          puts "[DONE]".green
+        else
+          puts "[FAILED]".red
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    ###################################### DB ######################################
+
+    task :db_dump => :environment do
+      FileUtils.mkdir_p(backup_path_db) until Dir.exists?(backup_path_db)
+      puts "Dumping database tables:"
+      ActiveRecord::Base.connection.tables.each do |tbl|
+        print "- Dumping table #{tbl}... "
+        count = 1
+        File.open(File.join(backup_path_db, tbl + ".yml"), "w+") do |file|
+          ActiveRecord::Base.connection.select_all("SELECT * FROM #{tbl}").each do |line|
+            line.delete_if{|k,v| v.blank?}
+            output = {tbl + '_' + count.to_s => line}
+            file << output.to_yaml.gsub(/^---\n/,'') + "\n"
+            count += 1
+          end
+          puts "[DONE]".green
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+    task :db_restore=> :environment do
+      puts "Restoring database tables:"
+      Rake::Task["db:reset"].invoke
+      Dir.glob(File.join(backup_path_db, "*.yml") ).each do |dir|
+        fixture_file = File.basename(dir, ".*" )
+        print "- Loading fixture #{fixture_file}..."
+        if File.size(dir) > 0
+          ActiveRecord::Fixtures.create_fixtures(backup_path_db, fixture_file)
+          puts "[DONE]".green
+        else
+          puts "[SKIPPING]".yellow
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
+  end # namespace end: app
+end # namespace end: gitlab