Contents

Chapter 1

Features

This chapter covers the core features and capabilities of Backup Automation.

Features

  • Full and incremental backups: Archive directories to timestamped tar.gz files
  • Rotation policies: Keep last N backups, or delete backups older than N days
  • Integrity verification: SHA-256 checksums for every backup file
  • Restore from backup: Extract any backup to a target directory
  • Manifest tracking: JSON manifest of all backups with metadata
  • Dry run mode: Preview what would be backed up without creating files
  • Size reporting: Track backup sizes over time
  • Multiple backup sources in a single config
  • Python stdlib only — zero dependencies

Quick Start

bash
# Run a backup using the example config
python src/backup_tool.py backup --config examples/backup_config.json

# Dry run — preview what would be backed up
python src/backup_tool.py backup --config examples/backup_config.json --dry-run

# List all existing backups
python src/backup_tool.py list --config examples/backup_config.json

# Verify backup integrity (check checksums)
python src/backup_tool.py verify --config examples/backup_config.json

# Restore from a specific backup
python src/backup_tool.py restore --config examples/backup_config.json --backup-id 20260314-100000 --target ./restored/

# Apply rotation policy (delete old backups)
python src/backup_tool.py rotate --config examples/backup_config.json
Chapter 2

Configuration Reference

Follow this guide to get Backup Automation up and running in your environment.

Configuration Reference

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
backup_namestringYesName for this backup job
sourcesarrayYesDirectories/files to back up
destinationstringYesDirectory to store backups
rotationobjectNoRotation policy: keep_count or keep_days
exclude_patternsarrayNoGlob patterns to exclude (e.g., *.pyc, __pycache__)
compressionstringNoCompression: gzip (default) or none
verify_afterboolNoVerify checksums immediately after backup (default: true)

CLI Reference

CommandDescription
backupRun a backup job
listList existing backups
verifyVerify backup integrity
restoreRestore from a backup
rotateApply rotation policy
FlagDescription
--config, -cPath to the JSON backup config (required)
--dry-runPreview without creating backups
--backup-idSpecific backup ID for restore/verify
--targetTarget directory for restore
--format, -fOutput format: text or json
--verbose, -vEnable verbose logging
Chapter 3
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