borg list with prefix

Understanding borg list with Prefix: A Comprehensive Guide

When managing backups with BorgBackup, users often need to list archive contents based on specific criteria. Using the borg list command with a prefix allows for focused searches within repositories, enhancing efficiency in managing and retrieving data.

What is BorgBackup?

BorgBackup, or simply Borg, is a powerful deduplicating backup tool designed to efficiently back up data while minimizing storage requirements. It handles data deduplication and compression, promising a robust solution for personal and enterprise-level backup strategies.

The borg list Command

The borg list command is a crucial feature of BorgBackup. This command enables users to view the contents of a specified repository or archive. The syntax for the command is straightforward:

borg list [options] [repository::archive]

• repository: The location of your backup repository.
• archive: Optional, specifies which archive to list.

Using Prefixes in borg list

To narrow down your listing to archives that start with a certain string, BorgBackup provides the --prefix option. This is particularly useful when you have multiple archives and need to filter based on naming conventions.

Syntax

Here’s how you would use the command with a prefix:

borg list --prefix PREFIX [repository::archive]

• PREFIX: Replace this with the specific string that the archive names begin with.

For example, if you want to list all archives starting with "2023_backup", you would run:

borg list --prefix 2023_backup /path/to/repository

This command will return a list of all archives in /path/to/repository that start with "2023_backup".

Examples of borg list with Prefix

1. Basic Listing with Prefix:

   borg list --prefix daily /mnt/backups::my_backups
   

   This command lists all archives in the my_backups repository that begin with "daily".

2. Combining with Other Options: In addition to using --prefix, you can also sort or filter your lists further. The command can include multiple options like --sort, enabling you to get the list in a specific order.

   borg list --prefix weekly --sort time /mnt/backups::my_backups
   

   Here, the list includes only weekly archives sorted by timestamp.

Conclusion

Using the borg list command with a prefix is an efficient way to manage and locate specific backups in a Borg repository. By filtering archive names with the --prefix option, users can streamline their backup management process, ensuring that they retrieve necessary data quickly and effectively. Whether you are running a small personal backup or managing extensive enterprise data, leveraging these commands can significantly improve your workflow.

For more detailed commands and options, you can refer to the BorgBackup Documentation and the Ubuntu Manpage.