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export-db

Export the BackItUp SQLite database file to a specified location.

Usage

backitup export-db <output-path> [OPTIONS]

Arguments

Argument Description
<output-path> Path where the database backup will be saved

Options

Option Short Description
--config <path> -c Path to config file (default: ./backitup.config.yaml)
--verbose -v Verbose output
--help -h Show help message

Description

The export-db command creates a copy of the BackItUp SQLite database file. The database stores:

  • Backup records (IDs, timestamps, sizes, checksums)
  • File counts and metadata
  • Storage locations (local paths, S3 keys)
  • Deletion logs for cleanup tracking

This is useful for:

  • Backup history preservation — Keep your backup metadata safe
  • Migration — Move BackItUp to a new machine while retaining history
  • Disaster recovery — Restore backup tracking after data loss
  • Snapshots — Create checkpoints before major changes

Examples

Basic Usage

# Export to a specific file
backitup export-db ./backitup-db-backup.sqlite

# Export with timestamp in filename
backitup export-db /backups/db/backitup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sqlite

With Custom Config

# Use a specific config file
backitup export-db ~/backup.sqlite -c /etc/backitup/config.yaml

Automated Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
# backup-everything.sh

# Export the database first
backitup export-db /backups/meta/backitup-db-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).sqlite

# Then run the regular backup
backitup backup -s daily

Periodic Database Backup with Cron

# Add to crontab: crontab -e
# Export database daily at midnight
0 0 * * * /usr/local/bin/backitup export-db /backups/db/backitup-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).sqlite

Output

On success, the command displays a summary:

◆  export-db
│
●  Database exported
│
│  ╭─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│  │               Export Summary                            │
│  ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  │  Source:  /home/user/.local/share/backitup/backitup.db  │
│  │  Output:  /backups/backitup-db-backup.sqlite            │
│  │  Size:    156 KB                                        │
│  ╰─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
│
◇  Database export complete!

Notes

  • The command copies the database file as-is; no data transformation is performed
  • If the database doesn't exist yet (no backups created), the command will fail with an informative message
  • The output directory is created automatically if it doesn't exist
  • Existing files at the output path will be overwritten

See Also