diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 3e78d8e..9750d07 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -38,3 +38,9 @@ postgres
 
 mongo
 mongo-volume
+
+# backup files created by backup.sh
+mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz
+
+# backups directory for mongo-volume tarballs
+/backups/
diff --git a/backup.sh b/backup.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..6783abc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backup.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Configuration
+MONGO_SERVICE="utility-bills-tracker_mongo"
+
+# scale down mongo service while we copy its volume
+docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=0
+
+# timestamp for filename
+TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M")
+
+# backup directory and retention (can be overridden via env)
+BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-backups}"
+KEEP="${KEEP:-7}"
+
+mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
+
+BACKUP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/mongo-volume-backup-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"
+
+sudo tar -czvpf "$BACKUP_FILE" mongo-volume
+
+# rotate old backups: keep only the newest $KEEP files
+if [ "$KEEP" -gt 0 ]; then
+  # gather files sorted newest-first
+  mapfile -t files < <(ls -1t "$BACKUP_DIR"/mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null || true)
+  if [ "${#files[@]}" -gt "$KEEP" ]; then
+    for f in "${files[@]:$KEEP}"; do
+      echo "Removing old backup: $f"
+      rm -f -- "$f"
+    done
+  fi
+fi
+
+# bring mongo service back up
+docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=1
diff --git a/restore.sh b/restore.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..095e711
--- /dev/null
+++ b/restore.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Configuration
+MONGO_SERVICE="utility-bills-tracker_mongo"
+
+# Parse command line options
+DO_PRE_BACKUP=""
+
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
+  case $1 in
+    --do-pre-backup=*)
+      DO_PRE_BACKUP="${1#*=}"
+      shift
+      ;;
+    *)
+      TIMESTAMP="$1"
+      shift
+      ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+# Usage: ./restore.sh [options] <timestamp>
+# Example: ./restore.sh 2025-08-24-14-30
+# Options: --do-pre-backup=true/false (skip interactive prompt)
+
+if [ -z "${TIMESTAMP:-}" ]; then
+  echo "Usage: $0 [options] <timestamp>"
+  echo "Example: $0 2025-08-24-14-30"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Options:"
+  echo "  --do-pre-backup=true    Skip interactive prompt, create pre-restore backup"
+  echo "  --do-pre-backup=false   Skip interactive prompt, no pre-restore backup"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Available backups:"
+  ls -1t backups/mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null | sed 's/.*mongo-volume-backup-\(.*\)\.tar\.gz/  \1/' || echo "  No backups found"
+  exit 1
+fi
+BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-backups}"
+BACKUP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/mongo-volume-backup-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"
+
+# Check if backup file exists
+if [ ! -f "$BACKUP_FILE" ]; then
+  echo "Error: Backup file '$BACKUP_FILE' not found"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Available backups:"
+  ls -1t "$BACKUP_DIR"/mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null | sed 's/.*mongo-volume-backup-\(.*\)\.tar\.gz/  \1/' || echo "  No backups found"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Restoring from backup: $BACKUP_FILE"
+echo "WARNING: This will replace the current mongo-volume data!"
+read -p "Are you sure you want to continue? (y/N): " -n 1 -r
+echo
+if [[ ! $REPLY =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
+  echo "Restore cancelled"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Scale down mongo service
+echo "Scaling down mongo service..."
+docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=0
+
+# Handle pre-restore backup
+CREATE_PRE_BACKUP=true
+if [ "$DO_PRE_BACKUP" = "false" ]; then
+  CREATE_PRE_BACKUP=false
+elif [ "$DO_PRE_BACKUP" = "true" ]; then
+  CREATE_PRE_BACKUP=true
+elif [ -z "$DO_PRE_BACKUP" ]; then
+  # Ask user interactively
+  read -p "Create pre-restore safety backup? (Y/n): " -n 1 -r
+  echo
+  if [[ $REPLY =~ ^[Nn]$ ]]; then
+    CREATE_PRE_BACKUP=false
+  fi
+else
+  echo "Error: --do-pre-backup must be 'true' or 'false'"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Create pre-restore backup if requested
+if [ "$CREATE_PRE_BACKUP" = true ]; then
+  SAFETY_BACKUP="$BACKUP_DIR/mongo-volume-pre-restore-$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M).tar.gz"
+  echo "Creating safety backup: $SAFETY_BACKUP"
+  sudo tar -czf "$SAFETY_BACKUP" mongo-volume 2>/dev/null || true
+else
+  echo "Skipping pre-restore backup"
+  SAFETY_BACKUP=""
+fi
+
+# Remove current volume
+echo "Removing current mongo-volume..."
+sudo rm -rf mongo-volume
+
+# Extract backup
+echo "Extracting backup..."
+sudo tar -xzf "$BACKUP_FILE"
+
+# Set proper permissions
+echo "Setting permissions..."
+sudo chown -R 999:999 mongo-volume
+
+# Scale mongo service back up
+echo "Scaling mongo service back up..."
+docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=1
+
+echo "Restore completed successfully!"
+if [ -n "$SAFETY_BACKUP" ]; then
+  echo "Safety backup saved as: $SAFETY_BACKUP"
+fi