diff --git a/restore.sh b/restore.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25eae4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/restore.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Copyright (c) 2025 hazzuk
+
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+
+# exit on any error
+set -e
+
+# check if running as root
+if [ "$EUID" -ne 0 ]; then
+    echo "Error, please run as root!"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# notes
+# ---
+# - we assume backups are in the current directory
+# - we assume this is a fresh restore, and the container(s) does not exist
+# - we assume this is a fresh restore, and the volume(s) does not exist
+# - we assume docker stack dir is /home/user/docker/stackname
+# - later, we should assume backups are stored in ~/backups/stack_name
+# - script should ask if user wants to backup compose.yaml (might be using git)
+# - Or potentially could avoid restoring compose.yaml
+
+# variables
+# ---
+
+stack_name="null"
+echo "Please provide the stack name (e.g. zitadel):"
+read -r stack_name
+
+echo "Please provide the docker compose directory path (e.g. /home/user/docker):"
+read -r docker_dir
+stack_dir=$docker_dir/"$stack_name"
+echo "[Stack directory: $stack_dir]"
+
+# script
+# ---
+
+main() {
+    read -r -p "Press Enter to restore the directory (or Ctrl+C to exit):"
+    # restore directory backup
+    restore_directory
+
+    # # recreate stack
+    # restore_stack
+
+    read -r -p "Press Enter to restore volumes (or Ctrl+C to exit):"
+    # restore volume backups
+    restore_volumes
+
+    echo "Backupdate restore complete."
+}
+
+restore_directory() {
+    local dir_backup_file
+
+    echo "### DIRECTORY RESTORE ###"
+
+    # check directory exists
+    if [ ! -d "$stack_dir" ]; then
+        echo "$stack_dir does not exist. Creating it."
+        mkdir -p "$stack_dir"
+    # check directory empty
+    elif [ "$(ls -A "$stack_dir")" ]; then
+        echo "Error: $stack_dir exists and is not empty."
+        exit 1
+    else
+        echo "$stack_dir already exists (but is empty), continuing."
+    fi
+
+    # find directory backup
+    echo "Locating directory backup..."
+    dir_backup_file=$(find "." -name "d-*.tar.gz" -print -quit) # assume only one directory backup exists
+    echo "Detected directory backup:"
+    echo "- $dir_backup_file"
+
+    # check directory backup exists
+    if [ -z "$dir_backup_file" ]; then
+        echo "Error: No directory backup found in $stack_dir."
+        exit 1
+    fi
+
+    echo "Starting directory restore..."
+    # extract directory backup
+    tar -xzf "$dir_backup_file" -C "$stack_dir" # -xvzf: extract, gzip, filename. -C: extract to directory
+    echo "[Directory '$stack_name' restored]"
+    tree -L 1 -n --noreport "$stack_dir"
+}
+
+# restore_stack() {
+#     # this approach creates the container and volumes
+#     echo "Restoring Docker stack..."
+
+#     echo "This assumes your container and volumes do not exist."
+#     read -r -p "Press Enter to continue or Ctrl+C to exit:"
+
+#     echo "- Creating Docker stack..."
+#     docker compose -f "$stack_dir/compose.yaml" up -d
+
+#     echo "- Stopping Docker stack..."
+#     docker compose -f "$stack_dir/compose.yaml" down
+
+#     echo "- List of Docker volumes:"
+#     docker volume ls
+# }
+
+restore_volumes() {
+    local vol_backup_paths=()
+    local vol_backup_files=()
+    local vol_names=()
+
+    echo "### VOLUME RESTORE ###"
+
+    # find volume backups
+    echo "Locating volume backups..."
+    while IFS= read -r file; do
+        vol_backup_paths+=( "$file" )
+    done < <(find . -type f -name 'v-*.tar.gz' -print)
+
+    # clear file paths
+    for file in "${vol_backup_paths[@]}"; do
+        # remove anything before, but not including the last "/"
+        vol_backup_files+=( "/${file##*/}" )
+    done
+
+    echo "Detected volume backups:"
+    for file in "${vol_backup_files[@]}"; do
+        echo "- ...$file"
+    done
+
+    # get volume names
+    # v-caddy_config-20250331-230416.tar.gz -> caddy_config
+    for file in "${vol_backup_files[@]}"; do
+        # remove everything up to and including "/v-"
+        vol_name="${file#*\/v-}"
+        # extract everything before the first dash "-"
+        vol_name="${vol_name%%-*}"
+        vol_names+=( "$vol_name" )
+    done
+
+    echo "Docker volume names:"
+    for name in "${vol_names[@]}"; do
+        echo "- $name"
+    done
+
+    echo "Please confirm the values above are correct."
+    read -r -p "Press Enter to continue (or Ctrl+C to exit):"
+
+    # check volumes exist
+    # remove each volume if it exists
+
+    # restore each volumes
+    echo "Starting volume restore"
+    local i=0
+    for file in "${vol_backup_files[@]}"; do
+        # create volume
+        # ONLY DO THIS IF THE VOLUME DOESN'T EXIST
+        # DO NOT RUN restore_stack()
+        # com.docker.compose.project	alpine
+        # com.docker.compose.version	2.29.7 (not used)
+        # com.docker.compose.volume 	alpine_data
+        echo "Creating volume..."
+        echo "- ($stack_name) $(
+            docker volume create \
+                --label com.docker.compose.project="$stack_name" \
+                --label com.docker.compose.volume="${vol_names[$i]}" \
+                "${vol_names[$i]}"
+        )"
+
+        # restore volume
+        # run busybox container to extract volume backup
+        # -v: bind mount volume to container
+        # -v: bind mount backup dir to container
+        echo "Restoring volume..."
+        docker run --rm \
+            -v "${vol_names[$i]}":/volume_data \
+            -v .:/backup \
+            busybox tar xzf /backup"$file" -C /volume_data
+        echo "[Volume '${vol_names[$i]}' restored]"
+        i=$((i + 1))
+    done
+}
+
+main