diff --git a/po/POTFILES.in b/po/POTFILES.in
index 0ff3beeb7e4cd82b8115c65277e731f70edef644..48f3f431ec7f2d2450e3e337f05c97d8dd51b523 100644
--- a/po/POTFILES.in
+++ b/po/POTFILES.in
@@ -329,6 +329,7 @@
 @SRCDIR@/src/vz/vz_utils.h
 @SRCDIR@/tests/virpolkittest.c
 @SRCDIR@/tools/libvirt-guests.sh.in
+@SRCDIR@/tools/virsh-backup.c
 @SRCDIR@/tools/virsh-checkpoint.c
 @SRCDIR@/tools/virsh-completer-host.c
 @SRCDIR@/tools/virsh-console.c
diff --git a/tools/Makefile.am b/tools/Makefile.am
index 1a541a398460b0a2fb8d1df605413de3175890e5..d2e2b8614f8997d09f8f8016bd1569d8f756f970 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -232,6 +232,7 @@ virt_login_shell_helper_CFLAGS = \
 
 virsh_SOURCES = \
 		virsh.c virsh.h \
+		virsh-backup.c virsh-backup.h \
 		virsh-checkpoint.c virsh-checkpoint.h \
 		virsh-completer.c virsh-completer.h \
 		virsh-completer-domain.c virsh-completer-domain.h \
diff --git a/tools/virsh-backup.c b/tools/virsh-backup.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..04464c6bff5390a90f23f4da75c57e5317e74eb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/virsh-backup.c
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+/*
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library.  If not, see
+ * <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+#include <config.h>
+#include "virsh-backup.h"
+#include "virsh-util.h"
+
+#include "internal.h"
+#include "virfile.h"
+
+/*
+ * "backup-begin" command
+ */
+static const vshCmdInfo info_backup_begin[] = {
+    {.name = "help",
+     .data = N_("Start a disk backup of a live domain")
+    },
+    {.name = "desc",
+     .data = N_("Use XML to start a full or incremental disk backup of a live "
+                "domain, optionally creating a checkpoint")
+    },
+    {.name = NULL}
+};
+
+static const vshCmdOptDef opts_backup_begin[] = {
+    VIRSH_COMMON_OPT_DOMAIN_FULL(0),
+    {.name = "backupxml",
+     .type = VSH_OT_STRING,
+     .help = N_("domain backup XML"),
+    },
+    {.name = "checkpointxml",
+     .type = VSH_OT_STRING,
+     .help = N_("domain checkpoint XML"),
+    },
+    {.name = "reuse-external",
+     .type = VSH_OT_BOOL,
+     .help = N_("reuse files provided by caller"),
+    },
+    {.name = NULL}
+};
+
+static bool
+cmdBackupBegin(vshControl *ctl,
+               const vshCmd *cmd)
+{
+    g_autoptr(virshDomain) dom = NULL;
+    const char *backup_from = NULL;
+    g_autofree char *backup_buffer = NULL;
+    const char *check_from = NULL;
+    g_autofree char *check_buffer = NULL;
+    unsigned int flags = 0;
+
+    if (vshCommandOptBool(cmd, "reuse-external"))
+        flags |= VIR_DOMAIN_BACKUP_BEGIN_REUSE_EXTERNAL;
+
+    if (!(dom = virshCommandOptDomain(ctl, cmd, NULL)))
+        return false;
+
+    if (vshCommandOptStringReq(ctl, cmd, "backupxml", &backup_from) < 0)
+        return false;
+
+    if (!backup_from) {
+        backup_buffer = g_strdup("<domainbackup/>");
+    } else {
+        if (virFileReadAll(backup_from, VSH_MAX_XML_FILE, &backup_buffer) < 0) {
+            vshSaveLibvirtError();
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (vshCommandOptStringReq(ctl, cmd, "checkpointxml", &check_from) < 0)
+        return false;
+    if (check_from) {
+        if (virFileReadAll(check_from, VSH_MAX_XML_FILE, &check_buffer) < 0) {
+            vshSaveLibvirtError();
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (virDomainBackupBegin(dom, backup_buffer, check_buffer, flags) < 0)
+        return false;
+
+    vshPrint(ctl, _("Backup started\n"));
+    return true;
+}
+
+
+/*
+ * "backup-dumpxml" command
+ */
+static const vshCmdInfo info_backup_dumpxml[] = {
+    {.name = "help",
+     .data = N_("Dump XML for an ongoing domain block backup job")
+    },
+    {.name = "desc",
+     .data = N_("Backup Dump XML")
+    },
+    {.name = NULL}
+};
+
+static const vshCmdOptDef opts_backup_dumpxml[] = {
+    VIRSH_COMMON_OPT_DOMAIN_FULL(0),
+    {.name = NULL}
+};
+
+static bool
+cmdBackupDumpXML(vshControl *ctl,
+                 const vshCmd *cmd)
+{
+    g_autoptr(virshDomain) dom = NULL;
+    g_autofree char *xml = NULL;
+
+    if (!(dom = virshCommandOptDomain(ctl, cmd, NULL)))
+        return false;
+
+    if (!(xml = virDomainBackupGetXMLDesc(dom, 0)))
+        return false;
+
+    vshPrint(ctl, "%s", xml);
+    return true;
+}
+
+
+const vshCmdDef backupCmds[] = {
+    {.name = "backup-begin",
+     .handler = cmdBackupBegin,
+     .opts = opts_backup_begin,
+     .info = info_backup_begin,
+     .flags = 0
+    },
+    {.name = "backup-dumpxml",
+     .handler = cmdBackupDumpXML,
+     .opts = opts_backup_dumpxml,
+     .info = info_backup_dumpxml,
+     .flags = 0
+    },
+    {.name = NULL}
+};
diff --git a/tools/virsh-backup.h b/tools/virsh-backup.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..95c2f5a424de13dea08227564360f819987ca998
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/virsh-backup.h
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+/*
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library.  If not, see
+ * <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include "virsh.h"
+
+extern const vshCmdDef backupCmds[];
diff --git a/tools/virsh.c b/tools/virsh.c
index 8c0e9d960d9d6f5aaa1256163f902bd0c072dfc8..e70711f5d220863d078e831f4d9b0cfbb2dfae74 100644
--- a/tools/virsh.c
+++ b/tools/virsh.c
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 #include "virstring.h"
 #include "virgettext.h"
 
+#include "virsh-backup.h"
 #include "virsh-checkpoint.h"
 #include "virsh-console.h"
 #include "virsh-domain.h"
@@ -831,6 +832,7 @@ static const vshCmdGrp cmdGroups[] = {
     {VIRSH_CMD_GRP_NODEDEV, "nodedev", nodedevCmds},
     {VIRSH_CMD_GRP_SECRET, "secret", secretCmds},
     {VIRSH_CMD_GRP_SNAPSHOT, "snapshot", snapshotCmds},
+    {VIRSH_CMD_GRP_BACKUP, "backup", backupCmds},
     {VIRSH_CMD_GRP_STORAGE_POOL, "pool", storagePoolCmds},
     {VIRSH_CMD_GRP_STORAGE_VOL, "volume", storageVolCmds},
     {VIRSH_CMD_GRP_VIRSH, "virsh", virshCmds},
diff --git a/tools/virsh.h b/tools/virsh.h
index b4e610b2a4122a473176e2d85d918c19013a5db4..d84659124aca0b302398fae574c99b0c0033a45f 100644
--- a/tools/virsh.h
+++ b/tools/virsh.h
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
 #define VIRSH_CMD_GRP_NWFILTER         "Network Filter"
 #define VIRSH_CMD_GRP_SECRET           "Secret"
 #define VIRSH_CMD_GRP_SNAPSHOT         "Snapshot"
+#define VIRSH_CMD_GRP_BACKUP           "Backup"
 #define VIRSH_CMD_GRP_HOST_AND_HV      "Host and Hypervisor"
 #define VIRSH_CMD_GRP_VIRSH            "Virsh itself"
 
diff --git a/tools/virsh.pod b/tools/virsh.pod
index aaf1eba825f4243fe70fc38bd246c3c1206c0212..cf7bc7986d186c10e9c1c081aacc027ef06558dc 100644
--- a/tools/virsh.pod
+++ b/tools/virsh.pod
@@ -1327,6 +1327,37 @@ addresses, currently 'lease' to read DHCP leases, 'agent' to query
 the guest OS via an agent, or 'arp' to get IP from host's arp tables.
 If unspecified, 'lease' is the default.
 
+=item B<backup-begin> I<domain> [I<backupxml>] [I<checkpointxml>]
+[I<--reuse-external>]
+
+Begin a new backup job. If I<backupxml> is omitted, this defaults to a full
+backup using a push model to filenames generated by libvirt; supplying XML
+allows fine-tuning such as requesting an incremental backup relative to an
+earlier checkpoint, controlling which disks participate or which
+filenames are involved, or requesting the use of a pull model backup.
+The B<backup-dumpxml> command shows any resulting values assigned by
+libvirt. For more information on backup XML, see:
+L<https://libvirt.org/formatbackup.html>.
+
+If I<--reuse-external> is used it instructs libvirt to reuse temporary
+and output files provided by the user in I<backupxml>.
+
+If I<checkpointxml> is specified, a second file with a top-level
+element of <domaincheckpoint> is used to create a simultaneous
+checkpoint, for doing a later incremental backup relative to the time
+the backup was created. See B<checkpoint-create> for more details on
+checkpoints.
+
+This command returns as soon as possible, and the backup job runs in
+the background; the progress of a push model backup can be checked
+with B<domjobinfo> or by waiting for an event with B<event> (the
+progress of a pull model backup is under the control of whatever third
+party connects to the NBD export). The job is ended with B<domjobabort>.
+
+=item B<backup-dumpxml> I<domain>
+
+Output XML describing the current backup job.
+
 =item B<domiflist> I<domain> [I<--inactive>]
 
 Print a table showing the brief information of all virtual interfaces