Linux: is there any software to export all configs and the list of installed packages?

Question

linux

Hello, my question may seem too obvious or stupid to you, but I honestly googled for a couple of days and did not find anything suitable or similar.
There are many options for how to make a backup/migration, ranging from packing files into an archive, custom rsync and hard disk imaging.
I beg you, give me a tip, maybe some package can do the following ...
Relatively speaking, there is a server on ubuntu, a site, a web server, a proxy, a database, all sorts of localization packages, locales, etc. are spinning on it. There are also users who have few files in their home directory.
The task is to make a very rude and crookedly speaking "cast of the state." But not the entire hard drive, and not the entire system, but only a backup of user files, various configs from /etc/ whose modification date differs from the installation date, and a list of installed packages (so as not to pull .deb with you).
It would be very convenient when cloning a server, immediately after installing the system, upload the archive and the generated .sh script that will install packages from the repository, replace configs, create users and upload user files.
I understand that it is possible to write such a script with pens, and each time edit indicating what exactly needs to be taken, but my gut tells me that a similar solution is floating somewhere on the surface.
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

IMHO, you're mixing flies with meatballs.
A backup of user files is just a backup, and nothing more. Here he has nothing at all.
And installed programs with their configs are the easiest to clone preventively. That is, initially install and configure them through a system that allows you to repeat the same settings and settings an arbitrary number of times. Ansible for example.
And by copying with the "foot in the door" method, you will most likely ensure that the disk is not mounted due to a change in UUID, the network does not rise, etc.

Answer 2

Maybe look towards container technologies? Lxc, docker, etc. It is just made for the quick deployment of a configured server.

Answer 3

rdiff-backup www.nongnu.org/rdiff-backup