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Command: fx backup

Create timestamped backups of files and directories with optional compression.

Overview

fx backup creates timestamped backups of files or directories. Backups are created in the same directory as the source with a timestamp appended to the filename/directory name. Supports compression for directory backups.

Key Features: - 📅 Automatic timestamp generation - 🗜️ Optional compression for directories - 📁 File and directory backup support - 🔄 Consistent naming convention - 💾 Same-directory backup creation

Usage

fx backup [OPTIONS] path

Parameters

Parameter Type Required Description
path path Yes File or directory to backup
--compress flag No Compress directory backup as .tar.xz
--timestamp-format string No Custom timestamp format (strftime)

Examples

Basic Usage

Backup a file:

fx backup file.txt

Output: 

Backup created: file_20260110_143022.txt

Backup a directory:

fx backup mydir/

Output: 

Backup created: mydir_20260110_143022/

Compressed Backups

Compress directory backup:

fx backup mydir/ --compress

Output: 

Backup created: mydir_20260110_143022.tar.xz

Custom Timestamp Format

Use custom timestamp format:

# Default format (YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS)
fx backup file.txt

# Custom format (YYYY-MM-DD)
fx backup file.txt --timestamp-format "%Y-%m-%d"

# Custom format (YYYYMMDD)
fx backup file.txt --timestamp-format "%Y%m%d"

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Pre-Update Backup

Backup before making changes:

# Backup project directory
fx backup project_dir/

# Make changes...
# If needed, restore from backup
cp project_dir_20260110_143022/ project_dir/

Scenario 2: Code Refactoring

Backup before refactoring:

# Backup current version
fx backup src/

# Refactor code...
# Test refactored code
pytest

# If tests fail, restore
cp src_20260110_143022/ src/

Scenario 3: Configuration Backup

Backup configuration files:

# Backup config directory
fx backup ~/.config/myapp/

# Make configuration changes...
# If issues occur, restore
cp ~/.config/myapp_20260110_143022/ ~/.config/myapp/

Scenario 4: Data Migration

Backup before data migration:

# Backup data directory with compression
fx backup ~/data/ --compress

# Perform data migration
python migrate_data.py

# Verify migration
# If needed, restore from backup
tar -xf data_20260110_143022.tar.xz

Scenario 5: Daily Backup Routine

Create daily backups:

# Backup today's work
fx backup ~/workspace/

# Compress to save space
fx backup ~/workspace/ --compress

Tips and Tricks

Combining with Other Commands

# Find and backup files
fx ff important.txt | xargs fx backup

# Backup multiple directories
for dir in src/ tests/ docs/; do
  fx backup "$dir"
done

Automated Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
# Daily backup script

# Create compressed backup
timestamp=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
backup_file="project_${timestamp}.tar.xz"

# Backup project
fx backup . --compress

# Copy to remote storage (optional)
# cp project_${timestamp}.tar.xz /backup/remote/

Backup with Verification

#!/bin/bash
# Backup and verify

# Create backup
backup_name=$(fx backup mydir/ | grep -o "mydir_[^ ]*")

# Verify backup exists
if [ -e "$backup_name" ]; then
  echo "Backup verified: $backup_name"
else
  echo "Backup failed!"
  exit 1
fi

Selective Backup

# Backup specific file types
fx backup $(fx ff .py) --timestamp-format "%Y%m%d"

# Backup multiple specific files
fx backup file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

Backup Rotation

# Keep last N backups
# Find and remove old backups (keep last 5)
find . -maxdepth 1 -name "project_*" -type d | \
  sort -r | \
  tail -n +6 | \
  xargs rm -rf

Default Timestamp Format

The default timestamp format is: %Y%m%d_%H%MSS

Example output: file_20260110_143022.txt

Breakdown: - %Y - Year (2026) - %m - Month (01) - %d - Day (10) - %H - Hour (14) - %M - Minute (30) - %S - Second (22)

Compression Details

  • Format: .tar.xz (tar archive with xz compression)
  • Supported: Only for directories (not single files)
  • Speed: Slower than uncompressed but saves significant space
  • Restoration: Use tar -xf filename.tar.xz

Example:

# Create compressed backup
fx backup mydir/ --compress

# Restore compressed backup
tar -xf mydir_20260110_143022.tar.xz

Backup Location

Backups are created in the same directory as the source:

# Source: /home/user/project/file.txt
# Backup: /home/user/project/file_20260110_143022.txt

# Source: /home/user/project/mydir/
# Backup: /home/user/project/mydir_20260110_143022/

Performance Notes

  • Large files: Fast for single files, depends on size for directories
  • Compression: Adds time overhead but saves space
  • Disk I/O: Requires read and write operations
  • Network storage: Not supported directly (use copy/backup tools)

Common Issues

Permission Denied

# Check permissions
ls -la file.txt

# Make file readable/writable (if allowed)
chmod +r file.txt
chmod +w file.txt

# Use sudo if necessary (not recommended)
sudo fx backup /protected/path

Disk Space Issues

# Check available space
df -h

# Use compression to save space
fx backup large_dir/ --compress

# Check backup size
du -sh backup_20260110_143022/

Backup Already Exists

# If backup name conflicts, new timestamp is generated
fx backup file.txt
# Creates: file_20260110_143022.txt

fx backup file.txt
# Creates: file_20260110_143023.txt (different timestamp)

Compression Failures

# If compression fails, try without compression
fx backup mydir/  # Without --compress

# Check for sufficient disk space
df -h

# Check for xz compression support
which xz

Timestamp Format Errors

# Valid formats
fx backup file.txt --timestamp-format "%Y-%m-%d"
fx backup file.txt --timestamp-format "%Y%m%d"

# Invalid formats (may cause errors)
fx backup file.txt --timestamp-format "invalid"  # ❌

Best Practices

Always Backup Before Changes

# Before any destructive operation
fx backup important_file_or_directory/

# Then perform operation
fx replace "old" "new" *.py
fx organize ~/Downloads/

Use Compression for Large Directories

# Large directories - use compression
fx backup large_project/ --compress

# Small files - no compression needed
fx backup file.txt

Regular Backup Schedule

# Add to cron for automated backups
# Example: Daily backup at 2 AM
# 0 2 * * * fx backup ~/workspace/ --compress

Verify Backups

# Test restore on a copy
cp backup_20260110_143022.tar.xz backup_test.tar.xz
tar -xf backup_test.tar.xz

# Verify contents
ls -la backup_test/

Organize Backups

# Create separate backup directory
mkdir -p ~/backups

# Copy backups to centralized location
cp project_* ~/backups/

# Clean up old backups (keep last 10)
ls -t ~/backups/project_* | tail -n +11 | xargs rm -rf

See Also

Always backup before making changes! 💾