Back up all apps and settings, not just core Jolla apps.

answered 2015-11-03 18:01:15 +0200

drcouzelis
5165 ●27 ●36 ●35

Here is how I make a complete backup of my settings and in-app data. It's a solution that requires some technical knowledge and would never be included in an app store, but it works.

I made a script called "create-backup" that I keep in "/home/nemo/bin":

# A script to backup all settings and in-app data in Sailfish OS
# Run as the regular "nemo" user (NOT "devel-su")
# The backup is saved to "/home/nemo/sdcard/Backup"
# Create that directory or change the destination

# Begin the backup process

# Start in the user's home directory 
cd /home/nemo

# Create a unique filename based on the current date and time
# For example: "backup-20150616-125634.tar.gz"
FILENAME=backup-$(date +"%Y%m%d-%H%M%S").tar.gz

# Create the backup
# The "time" command will show how long the process took when it finishes
# "c" to "create" a packaged file
# "z" to "zip" (gzip) the file
# "--exclude" is used to skip directories that you either don't have access to
#             or are automatically recreated (add or remove lines as you see fit)
# ".??*" is the list of files that are being backed up - this is a little "trick"
#        that means "all files that begin with a period"
time tar \
    -cz \
    -f /home/nemo/sdcard/Backup/${FILENAME} \
    --exclude=".cache" \
    --exclude="Cache" \
    --exclude=".qmf" \
    --exclude=".config/signond" \
    --exclude=".local/share/system/privileged" \
    .??*

# Show a confirmation if the backup was successful
if [ $? -eq ]; then
    echo
    echo "File saved to ~/sdcard/Backup :"
    echo
    cd /home/nemo/sdcard/Backup
    ls -lh ${FILENAME}
    echo
fi

The script can be run any time, either from the Terminal application or through SSH. It only takes a minute or so to run and creates backups that are about 30 MB in size. I have used this backup to successfully wipe and restore the data on my phone. To restore the settings, I just used SSH to copy the files back onto the phone.

I also use the built-in backup software, but also create these personal backups every so often to make sure I really grab everything, just in case.