diff --git a/src/backups.js b/src/backups.js
index 30c518cc4..97b24c00f 100644
--- a/src/backups.js
+++ b/src/backups.js
@@ -149,10 +149,11 @@ function getRestoreUrl(backupId, callback) {
             var obj = {
                 id: backupId,
                 url: result.url,
-                backupKey: backupConfig.key
+                backupKey: backupConfig.key,
+                sha1: result.sha1 || null       // not supported by all backends
             };
 
-            debug('getRestoreUrl: id:%s url:%s backupKey:%s', obj.id, obj.url, obj.backupKey);
+            debug('getRestoreUrl: id:%s url:%s backupKey:%s sha1:%s', obj.id, obj.url, obj.backupKey, obj.sha1);
 
             callback(null, obj);
         });
diff --git a/src/storage/filesystem.js b/src/storage/filesystem.js
index f48570a68..aea76e683 100644
--- a/src/storage/filesystem.js
+++ b/src/storage/filesystem.js
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@ exports = module.exports = {
 var assert = require('assert'),
     async = require('async'),
     BackupsError = require('../backups.js').BackupsError,
+    checksum = require('checksum'),
     fs = require('fs'),
     path = require('path'),
     safe = require('safetydance'),
-    shell = require('../shell.js');
+    shell = require('../shell.js'),
+    util = require('util');
 
 var FALLBACK_BACKUP_FOLDER = '/var/backups';
 var RMBACKUP_CMD = path.join(__dirname, '../scripts/rmbackup.sh');
@@ -61,7 +63,11 @@ function getRestoreUrl(apiConfig, filename, callback) {
     var backupFolder = apiConfig.backupFolder || FALLBACK_BACKUP_FOLDER;
     var restoreUrl = 'file://' + path.join(backupFolder, filename);
 
-    callback(null, { url: restoreUrl });
+    checksum.file(path.join(backupFolder, filename), function (error, result) {
+        if (error) return callback(new BackupsError(BackupsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, util.format('Failed to calculate checksum:', error)));
+
+        callback(null, { url: restoreUrl, sha1: result });
+    });
 }
 
 function getAppRestoreConfig(apiConfig, backupId, callback) {
diff --git a/src/storage/interface.js b/src/storage/interface.js
index d4f5be913..6e3fb0696 100644
--- a/src/storage/interface.js
+++ b/src/storage/interface.js
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ function getRestoreUrl(apiConfig, filename, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof filename, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    // Result: { url: <restoreUrl> }
+    // Result: { url: <restoreUrl>, sha1: <optional> }
     // The resulting url must work with curl as it is passed into start.sh and restoreapp.sh
 
     callback(new Error('not implemented'));