Backup Format

Backup Format

Konserve creates backups using the .tar archive format. Each backup includes both the actual files/folders and metadata required for full or partial restoration.

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Archive Structure

Each backup is named as:

backup_YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS.tar

The contents of the archive are:

• fingerprint.txt: metadata file mapping UUIDs to original paths
• UUID folders: contain the actual backed-up files and subfolders

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fingerprint.txt

This file contains:

• A fingerprint string
• A section header [Backup Info]
• A list of lines in the format:

<UUID>: <original path>

Example:

ABC12345-6789-4ABC-DEF0-1234567890AB: C:\Users\tom\AppData\Roaming\spicetify

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Files and Folders in the Archive

Individual Files

If a selected path is a file:

• It is added directly as a .UUID.ext entry (extension is preserved)
• Example: ABC12345-6789-4ABC-DEF0-1234567890AB.png

Folders

If a folder is selected:

• A UUID is generated for the folder
• Each file inside the folder is added under a directory named with that UUID
• Original structure is preserved inside that folder using relative paths
• Example:

  ABC12345-6789-4ABC-DEF0-1234567890AB/
      settings.json
      themes/
          dark.json
  

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Backup Flow Summary

1. Each selected file/folder gets a UUID
2. fingerprint.txt is built and written first
3. Files are copied into the archive:
   • Files go directly in as .UUID.ext
   • Folder contents are added under UUID/ structure
4. Progress is updated as each file is processed
5. The .tar file is finalized

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Implementation Notes

• Archives are created using the tar crate
• Metadata such as file permissions and timestamps are preserved via Header::set_metadata
• Each entry uses Header::new_gnu() and set_cksum() to ensure valid structure
• No compression is used by default

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Compatibility

• TAR archives can be opened with 7-Zip, WinRAR, or standard tar utilities
• fingerprint.txt can be viewed manually for inspection or recovery
• The archive is portable and does not require Konserve to extract manually

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Next: Restoration Logic