archive-files

Command line tool for creating encrypted backup archives with configurable file exclusion patterns.

Quick Start

1. Create config: python archive_files.py -c my-config.json
2. Edit paths: Update target_paths and destination_folder
3. Validate: python archive_files.py -v my-config.json
4. Run backup: python archive_files.py my-config.json

Configuration Options

Configuration files support // comments for documentation.

Option	Description	Default
target_paths	Array of files/folders to archive	[""]
destination_folder	Where to move completed archive	""
compression_folder	Temporary folder for compression	""
passphrase	Enables encryption (leave empty to disable)	"password"
encryption_method	"openssl" or "gpg"	"openssl"
archive_prefix	Archive filename prefix	"Backup"
timestamp	Add timestamp to filename	true
compress_level	Compression level (0-9)	9
cleanup	Delete intermediate files	false
follow_symlinks	Include symbolic links	false
ignore_patterns	Array of glob patterns to exclude	[]

Ignore Patterns

Use glob-style patterns to exclude files and directories:

{
  "ignore_patterns": [
    "*.tmp",
    "*.log",
    "__pycache__",
    "node_modules",
    ".git",
    "Library",
    "**/build/**"
  ]
}

Pattern tips:

• For directories: Use Library not Library/
• Cross-platform: Patterns work with both / and \ separators
• Wildcards: * matches files, ** matches directories recursively

Example Configurations

See included example files:

• example-simple.json - Basic backup setup
• example-config.json - Full-featured configuration
• example-unity.json - Unity project with appropriate exclusions

Usage

# Create and customize config
python archive_files.py -c my-backup.json

# Validate configuration
python archive_files.py -v my-backup.json

# Run backup
python archive_files.py my-backup.json

# Decrypt archive
python archive_files.py -d encrypted-file.zip.enc my-backup.json

# Follow symlinks (override config)
python archive_files.py -f my-backup.json

# Dry run (validate config and check for conflicts)
python archive_files.py --dry-run my-backup.json

Requirements

• Python 3
• (Optional) OpenSSL or GPG for encryption