Backup Utility (.NET 8.0)

Backup Utility is a console app that copies files from multiple source directories to a common target directory.

The app is written as a .NET 8.0 console app rather than a service in order to remain portable between Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Typical cloud backup services only allow you to sync a single directory. Backup Utility can be used to selectively copy multiple source directories to the target directory of your chosen cloud provider. It may also be used to backup files to your own network or USB drive.

Multiple configuration files can be configured with different target directories if you need to backup to multiple cloud drives.

Certain file types or directories may be excluded in order to save space on the target drive. For example, in a developer environment, build type folders (such as bin and obj) can be excluded as these may take up unnecessary space and are easily recreated by rebuilding a project/solution.

Supported configuration files are in YAML format.

You are welcome to use/update this software under the terms of the MIT license.

Microsoft .NET in a Nutshell

Microsoft .NET has gone through a rebranding where .NET Core is now simply known as .NET, and .NET 5.0+ is essentially an update to .NET Core 3.1. Microsoft jumped ahead to v5.0 when rebranding in order to avoid confusion with the Windows only .NET Framework 4.8 (which is now end of life).

Requirements

Executing the app requires .NET 8.0 Runtime to be installed.

Config files (YAML) can be edited using any text editor. See section Creating a Default Config below for creating a default/starter config file.

To build the project you will need the .NET 8.0 SDK.

For development and debugging you will need an IDE:

• Visual Studio is a fully-featured IDE with built-in support for C# and comes pre-packaged with the .NET 8.0 SDK in VS2022 (newer versions may require optional install). Versions of Visual Studio are available for both Windows and Mac.
• Visual Studio Code is a more light-weight code editor that supports development via installation of a C# extension. Visual Studio Code is cross-platform with versions available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Building

Building the app project will create a cross-platform DLL in either the debug or release directory, depending on your build options.

You can either build the app from within the IDE menu (if supported) or by running an SDK command from the terminal when the solution or project file is in the current directory.

Debug (default build):

$ dotnet build

or

$ dotnet build -c debug

Release:

$ dotnet build -c release

Publishing

Once the .NET SDK has been installed, you can publish the app via Visual Studio or the command line. This enables you to create an OS specific executable should you wish to do so.

To publish via the command line, browse to the BackupUtilityCore project directory and run one of the following commands, depending on your target OS:

Cross-Platform DLL:

$ dotnet publish -c release

Windows Executable:

$ dotnet publish -c release -r win-x64

Mac Executable:

$ dotnet publish -c release -r osx-x64

Linux Executable:

$ dotnet publish -c release -r linux-x64

For further options, refer to the .NET publishing documentation.

Usage

The portable version of the app (backuputil.dll) can be executed on either Windows, macOS, or Linux.

To execute the portable version, open a terminal window and change to the directory containing the app.

The portable app (backuputil.dll) can be executed via the .NET framework using the following command:

$ dotnet backuputil.dll [option] [<filename>]

Alternatively, if the project has been published to target the local platform, the publish directory will also contain a native bootstrap file for executing the app.

The specific command line to run the executable with vary depending on the OS:

Windows:

$ backuputil [option] [<filename>]

Mac / Linux:

$ ./backuputil [option] [<filename>]

Help

Help info can be displayed in the console using the --help, -h, or -? option:

Examples:

$ dotnet backuputil.dll --help

$ dotnet backuputil.dll -h

$ dotnet backuputil.dll -?

Version

Version info can be displayed in the console using the --version or -v option:

Examples:

$ dotnet backuputil.dll --version

$ dotnet backuputil.dll -v

Creating a Default Config

A default YAML configuration file can be created using either the --create or -c option followed by a config name.
The config file path is considered relative to the current directory unless the full path is provided.

Examples:

$ dotnet backuputil.dll --create config1.yaml

$ dotnet backuputil.dll -c config1.yaml

$ dotnet backuputil.dll -c C:\Configs\config1.yaml

Running a Backup

The name of the backup configuration file to be run should be provided as a command line argument after either the --run or -r option.
The config file path is considered relative to the current directory unless the full path is provided.

Examples:

$ dotnet backuputil.dll --run config1.yaml

$ dotnet backuputil.dll -r config1.yaml

$ dotnet backuputil.dll -r /Users/freedom35/Configs/config1.yaml

Note: For frequent use, you can also run the app via a shortcut or automated script with your configuration file specified in the shortcut settings or script as a command line arg.

Configuration Settings

The following settings can be configured within the YAML configuration file. Most settings are required to be defined within the configuration file. If any critical setting is missing, or the value is inappropriate, then the settings will not validate and the backup will not be run and the app will exit with an error.

backup_type

Determines the type of backup to execute (see table below).

Setting is required.

Types	Description
copy	Copies the contents of the source directory to the target directory. Any files later deleted from the source directory, will remain in the target directory.
sync	Keeps the target directory in-sync with the source directory. Files deleted from the source directory will also be deleted from the target directory.
isolated	Creates isolated backups within the target directory. I.e. Each time a backup is run, a new/separate backup copy is created.

Example config entries:

backup_type: copy

backup_type: sync

target_dir

Defines the path of the root target backup directory, where the backup will take place.

Setting is required: Must have a target directory in order to back-up.

Example config entries:

target_dir: C:\Backups

target_dir: /Users/freedom35/Backups

source_dirs

Determines the list of source directories that will be backed up.

Setting is required: Must have at least one source directory to back-up.

Example config entries:

source_dirs:
 - C:\Users\freedom35\Projects
 - C:\Users\freedom35\Documents\Specs

source_dirs:
 - /Users/freedom35/Projects
 - /Users/freedom35/Documents/Specs

max_isolation_days

Integer value determining the max number of days to keep existing backups.
This setting is only used when isolated is configured as the backup type.

Set to zero for no max limit (default value).

Example config entries:

max_isolation_days: 0

max_isolation_days: 30

ignore_hidden_files

Determines whether hidden files and folders are ignored during a backup run.

Default Value: true

Example config entries:

ignore_hidden_files: true

ignore_hidden_files: false

excluded_dirs

Determines the list of directories (or sub-directories) that will be excluded from the backup.

These directories will not be copied or synced. This can be useful when saving on target storage space.

Default Value: None

Example config entries:

excluded_dirs:
 - obj
 - bin
 - _sgbak
 - .vs

excluded_dirs: []

excluded_types

Determines the list of file types/extensions that will be excluded from the backup.

Files with these extensions will not be copied or synced. This can be useful when saving on target storage space.

Default Value: None

Example config entries:

excluded_types:
 - dll
 - pdb
 - zip

excluded_types: []