DataFrugal™

What is DataFrugal?

DataFrugal is a cloud backup and data control platform designed for engineering, infrastructure, and operations teams.

It provides a structured, policy-driven control plane for protecting, retaining, and accessing data stored on secure object storage backends — without exposing raw storage SDKs or requiring teams to manage low-level cloud primitives.

DataFrugal can be used independently or integrated into existing application and system workflows through APIs, the df-agent, and a centralized web interface.

Common use cases include Database backups, VM backups, log archival, compliance snapshots, and long-term data retention. Across these scenarios, DataFrugal provides:

• Usage-aligned pricing based on protected data volume, not per-user licenses or individual API calls
• Centralized visibility and control using metadata-based insights, without inspecting or processing data content
• Policy-driven versioning and retention for reliable recovery and governance
• Enterprise-grade security controls including encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access, and network restrictions
• Large object support for handling individual objects up to 5 TB through platform-managed transfers

With a role-aware UI for operational visibility and REST APIs plus command-line tooling for automation, DataFrugal enables teams to manage backup and retention workflows efficiently — without turning storage management into an application concern.

Key Features & Benefits

• Unified Visibility Across Protected Data: Centralized, metadata-based visibility into protected data across systems, services, and automated workflows — without inspecting data content.
• Usage-Aligned Pricing Model: Pricing scales with the volume of data protected rather than per-user licenses or individual API calls.
• Enterprise-Grade Security Controls: Encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access control, organization- scoped boundaries, and network-level restrictions.
• Role-Aware Administrative Control: Centralized management of users, roles, ownership, and usage visibility through a single policy-driven control plane.
• Secure, Controlled Access Across Environments: Browser-based UI for operational visibility combined with APIs and df-agent support for automation and system-level workflows.
• Policy-Driven Versioning and Retention: Automatic retention of historical object versions based on defined policies, enabling reliable recovery and governance.
• Metadata-Based Search and Discovery: Search and organize protected data using indexed metadata, labels, and source context — without content inspection.
• Built-In Data Protection and Access Controls: Preventive controls that restrict external sharing and reduce exposure through architectural enforcement rather than reactive monitoring.
• Large Object Support: Reliable handling of individual objects up to 5 TB through platform-managed transfers, without exposing underlying storage SDKs.

Getting Started

Welcome to DataFrugal — a cloud backup and data control platform designed for engineering, infrastructure, and operations teams.

This section helps you set up your organization, configure access, and integrate DataFrugal into your environment using the web UI, APIs, or the df-agent.

Getting Started with DataFrugal

DataFrugal supports multiple onboarding paths depending on how your organization manages identity, billing, and cloud infrastructure. All onboarding flows result in a policy-governed environment for protecting and retaining data.

1. Organization-Based Onboarding (Recommended)

An administrator creates an organization, selects a subscription plan, and configures the preferred storage backend and region.

Additional users and service identities can be added using role-based access controls, with permissions scoped according to organizational policies.

This onboarding model is recommended for production workloads, compliance requirements, and long-term data retention.

2. API and Automation-First Onboarding

Infrastructure teams integrating DataFrugal into existing systems can onboard once and extend usage through APIs and the df-agent.

This approach is commonly used for CI/CD pipelines, scheduled backups, and system-generated data workflows.

3. Azure Marketplace Subscription

Organizations running workloads on Microsoft Azure can subscribe to DataFrugal via the Azure Marketplace to align billing with existing cloud accounts.

Subscribing through the marketplace ensures unified billing and avoids duplicate charges across platforms.

For step-by-step setup instructions, see the Getting Started Guide. Additional details are available in the FAQs, or contact support@datafrugal.com.

How to Set Up Your DataFrugal Environment

DataFrugal onboarding is organization-first and designed for production-grade backup, retention, and governed data access.

The setup process establishes an organization, assigns roles, configures the storage backend and region, and enables access through the UI, APIs, or df-agent.

Overview of the Setup Flow

1. Create a DataFrugal account using your organization’s identity provider (email/password, Google, or Microsoft login).
2. Accept the platform terms and receive a default role based on organizational policy.
3. Create or join an organization. Existing organizations may invite users or service identities using role-based access controls.
4. Select a subscription plan aligned with your data protection needs. Usage-based charges apply based on protected data volume.
5. Choose the preferred storage backend and region (for example: Mumbai, Singapore, Virginia).
6. Complete the organization setup and billing configuration.
7. Access the DataFrugal dashboard to begin protecting data using the UI, REST APIs, or df-agent.

Automation & System Integration

For infrastructure-driven workflows, DataFrugal can be integrated using REST APIs or the df-agent without additional UI interaction. This approach is commonly used for scheduled backups, CI/CD pipelines, and system-generated data.

Detailed examples are available in the API documentation and df-agent guide.

For billing-related onboarding via Microsoft Azure, organizations may subscribe through the Azure Marketplace to align charges with existing Azure accounts.

Understanding the Dashboard

Main Dashboard View

The Main Dashboard serves as the default landing view where users can manage their files and folders. This central interface allows you to perform core actions related to file storage, such as uploading, organizing, and performing quick actions on your documents.

• Upload files by dragging and dropping them directly
• Create new folders to organize your data
• Use quick actions like Rename, Move, Delete, Share, and Refresh
• Search for files or filter them by type, name, or modification date

This view provides full access to storage functionalities, enabling users to manage and interact with their private data effectively.

Shared Items View

The Shared view displays all folders that others have shared with you. This section helps you collaborate with teammates or external users by keeping all shared resources in one accessible location.

• View items shared with your account
• Use actions like Refresh, Download, Clone, and View Details
• Identify the sharer via “Shared by” column

Only shared folders appear here. If no files are shared yet, this view will remain empty until someone shares a folder with you.

Restore Items View

The Restore dashboard displays all previously deleted items—folders or files that can still be viewed or acted upon. This view helps retrieve deleted content without immediately restoring it.

• Browse all deleted folders and files.
• Use Refresh to sync the latest deleted records.
• Download deleted files before permanent removal..
• View Details of any deleted item.
• Use search and filter tools to quickly locate deleted data.

This interface is helpful for reviewing deleted items without restoring them, giving you visibility and control over what's been removed from your drive.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

DataFrugal uses a role-based access control (RBAC) model to ensure users and service identities can only access data and operations required for their responsibilities.

Roles define permissions across data access, administration, billing, and operational visibility. Dashboards and available actions are automatically scoped based on assigned roles.

Supported Roles

• Admin – Manages organizational configuration, access policies, users, and data governance. Limited access to billing.
• Member – Performs operational tasks and accesses permitted data and reports. No administrative or billing privileges.
• Billing – Manages subscriptions, invoices, and usage reporting. No access to data governance or user administration.

Administrative Capabilities

Admin Role

The Admin role governs organizational setup and access policies. Admins are responsible for defining who can access data and how it can be used.

• Organization Management – Configure organization details, ownership, and access boundaries.
• Role & Policy Management – Assign roles, define access scopes, and manage RBAC policies.
• Access Delegation – Grant scoped access to users or service identities for controlled data access.
• Security Controls – Manage IP allowlists, access restrictions, and governance settings.

Member Capabilities

The Member role is designed for operational users and systems that interact with protected data within defined access scopes.

• Data Operations – Upload, download, and access data within assigned permissions.
• Operational Visibility – View reports and dashboards relevant to assigned data and workflows.

Billing Capabilities

The Billing role is scoped to financial and usage oversight without access to operational data or administrative controls.

• Subscription Management – View and manage active plans and billing methods.
• Invoice & Payment Access – View invoices and payment history.
• Usage Reporting – Access usage and cost-related reports for financial tracking.

Quickstart Guide - API Access

Jumpstart your integration with DataFrugal using our developer-friendly REST API. Visit the API Access section for essential curl examples to help you get up and running quickly. Learn how to create folders, upload files using Multipart Upload, and automate key operations in your data pipeline—all through simple and secure API calls.

Usage Overview

DataFrugal provides secure, controlled mechanisms for uploading, downloading, accessing, and duplicating data using both the web interface and automation-friendly tooling.

The platform is designed to support operational workflows for engineering and infrastructure teams while remaining intuitive for users who prefer a visual interface.

Common cURL Actions

DataFrugal provides pre-generated cURL templates for common operations such as uploads, downloads, and authenticated access. These commands can be copied directly from the UI for scripting and automation.

Clone

Clone creates an independent copy of a file that has been shared with you, allowing you to take ownership and manage it within your own workspace.

When a clone is created, a new object is generated under the current user’s ownership and becomes visible in their dashboard. The cloned data is no longer dependent on the original owner’s access permissions.

Clone is designed for controlled duplication within the same environment and does not perform cross-region, cross-vault, or infrastructure-level replication.

df-agent (Command-Line Agent)

df-agent is a Linux-compatible CLI tool that interacts with DataFrugal using authenticated APIs. It is designed for automation, system-to-system workflows, and scheduled backup operations.

• Supports object-level operations such as upload, download, delete, and controlled access delegation
• Enables secure service-to-service access where one system or service account grants another scoped read or write access
• Designed for CI/CD pipelines, scheduled jobs, and infrastructure automation
• Uses secure HTTPS-based API authentication with configurable credentials
• Built-in help available via ./df-agent --help

REST API Access

DataFrugal exposes a RESTful API for integrating backup, retention, and controlled data access workflows into applications and systems.

• Endpoints for object operations, metadata management, and access delegation
• Supports scoped access between services using role- and policy-based controls
• Interactive Swagger UI for exploration and testing
• Secure token-based authentication
• Designed for automation and system-to-system integration

Identity Provider Integration

DataFrugal integrates with external identity providers for authentication, allowing organizations to manage access using existing identity systems.

• Supports Google and Microsoft OAuth-based authentication
• Organization-scoped and role-based access boundaries
• Suitable for both human users and service identities

Backup Tool Integration

DataFrugal can be integrated with external backup and scheduling tools by invoking APIs or df-agent as part of existing workflows.

• Commonly used with tools such as Bacula for orchestrated backups
• Enables secure, HTTPS-based data transfer between systems
• Supports controlled access where downstream systems can read protected data without broad permissions

Security and Access Controls

• Role- and policy-based access delegation for users and service accounts
• Network-level restrictions such as IP allowlists
• Encryption at rest and in transit using industry standards
• Support for customer-managed encryption key configurations where applicable