Is "dd" a reliable tool to make an SSD image? I want to back up my SSD using the Linux `dd` command, but I'm not sure how reliable that method will be. I think I read somewhere that `dd` does not check for or report errors, so obviously if true then it will be a deal breaker. This will be the command: `sudo dd status=progress bs=512K if=/dev/nvme0n1 of=/media/d/ssd.img` So please explain how reliable the `dd` command can be for said use case. And, are there any more reliable and/or easier alternative?

TLDR: Use `ddrescue`

It supports resume/continue capabilities, has automatic logs, and tons of other options. More at the ddrescue home page.

Example syntax:


ddrescue /dev/sde yourimagename.image sde.log


IF you want to (given your comment mentioning restoring) restore the image from the command above onto another drive of the same exact size:


ddrescue -f yourimagehere.image /dev/sde restore.logfile


Furthermore, _it is_ faster than dd is -- at least it does look like it is when comparing speed of `ddrescue` and `dd` \+ `pv`.