diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0cb20d5..ed2ee58 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -162,6 +162,10 @@ As this will only deploy config files, fail2ban already has to be installed or o
 * `gitea_repo_exclude_vendored`: Exclude vendored files from the index. Default: `true`
 * `gitea_repo_indexer_max_file_size`: Maximum size of files to be indexed (in bytes). Default: `1048576` (1 MB)
 
+### backup on upgrade
+* `gitea_backup_on_upgrade`: Optionally a backup can be created with every update of gitea. Default: `false`
+* `gitea_backup_location`: Where to store the gitea backup if one is created with this role. Default: `{{ gitea_home }}/backups/`
+
 ## Contributing
 Don't hesitate to create a pull request, and when in doubt you can reach me on
 Twitter [@thomas_maurice](https://twitter.com/thomas_maurice).
diff --git a/defaults/main.yml b/defaults/main.yml
index 7f2baba..b8ec61b 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/defaults/main.yml
@@ -87,4 +87,5 @@ gitea_repo_indexer_max_file_size: 1048576
 
 gitea_extra_config: ""
 
+gitea_backup_on_upgrade: false
 gitea_backup_location: "{{ gitea_home }}/backups/"
diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index f687d9f..dfb5a58 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 - name: backup gitea before update
   include_tasks: backup.yml
+  when: gitea_backup_on_upgrade|bool
 
 - name: install or update gitea
   include_tasks: install.yml