Plakar Ptar

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plakar ptar creates portable .ptar archives from data sources.

Syntax

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$ plakar ptar [options] -o output.ptar [sources]

Required Arguments

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Argument Description
-o path Output file path for the .ptar archive
sources At least one: -k location for Kloset Store or filesystem path

Options

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Option Type Default Description
-k location string - Include a Kloset Store (path or alias)
-plaintext flag false Disable encryption
-overwrite flag false Allow overwriting existing files

Source Types

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Source Type Syntax Example
Filesystem path /path or ./path /home/user/Documents
Kloset Store (path) -k /path -k $HOME/backups
Kloset Store (alias) -k @alias -k @s3-backups
Remote protocols Plugin-dependent sftp://, s3://, ipfs://

Examples

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# Single directory
$ plakar ptar -o documents.ptar /home/user/Documents

# Multiple paths
$ plakar ptar -o important.ptar /home/user/Documents /home/user/Pictures

# From Kloset Store
$ plakar ptar -o backup.ptar -k $HOME/backups

# From multiple stores
$ plakar ptar -o combined.ptar -k $HOME/backups -k @s3-backups

# Mixed sources
$ plakar ptar -o comprehensive.ptar -k $HOME/backups /home/user/NewDocs

# Plaintext archive
$ plakar ptar -plaintext -o unencrypted.ptar -k $HOME/backups

# Overwrite existing
$ plakar ptar -overwrite -o existing.ptar -k $HOME/backups

Environment Variables

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Variable Description
PLAKAR_PASSPHRASE Passphrase for archive encryption (avoids interactive prompt)

Exit Codes

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Code Meaning
0 Success
1 Error (file exists without -overwrite, invalid source, etc.)

plakar at … (Ptar Operations)

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Access Ptar files as read-only Kloset Stores.

Syntax

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$ plakar at archive.ptar <command>

Supported Commands

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Command Description
ls [snapshot-id] List snapshots or files in a snapshot
check Verify cryptographic integrity
restore -to destination [snapshot-id] Restore snapshot contents
info Display archive metadata

plakar at … ls

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List snapshots or snapshot contents.

Syntax

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$ plakar at archive.ptar ls [snapshot-id]

Arguments

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Argument Required Description
snapshot-id No If omitted, lists all snapshots; if provided, lists files in that snapshot

Examples

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# List all snapshots
$ plakar at backup.ptar ls

# List files in specific snapshot
$ plakar at backup.ptar ls df42124a

Output Format

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Snapshots:

<timestamp> <snapshot-id> <size> <duration> <path>

Files:

<timestamp> <permissions> <user> <group> <size> <filename>

plakar at … check

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Verify archive integrity.

Syntax

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$ plakar at archive.ptar check

Examples

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$ plakar at backup.ptar check

Output

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info: <snapshot-id>: ✓ <path>

plakar at … restore

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Restore snapshot contents to filesystem or Kloset Store.

Syntax

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$ plakar at archive.ptar restore -to destination [snapshot-id]

Arguments

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Argument Required Description
-to path Yes Destination directory or Kloset Store alias (e.g., @alias)
snapshot-id No Snapshot to restore; defaults to first snapshot if omitted

Examples

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# Restore to local directory
$ plakar at backup.ptar restore -to $HOME/restored-backups df42124a

# Restore to configured store
$ plakar at backup.ptar restore -to @new-location df42124a

# Restore first snapshot (no ID specified)
$ plakar at backup.ptar restore -to $HOME/restored

plakar at … info

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Display archive metadata.

Syntax

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$ plakar at archive.ptar info

Examples

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$ plakar at backup.ptar info

Passphrase Handling

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Interactive Mode

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If PLAKAR_PASSPHRASE is not set, prompts appear:

Creating archive:

repository passphrase:
repository passphrase (confirm):

Accessing archive:

repository passphrase:

Different source/destination:

source repository passphrase:
repository passphrase:
repository passphrase (confirm):

Non-interactive Mode

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Set PLAKAR_PASSPHRASE environment variable to avoid prompts:

$ export PLAKAR_PASSPHRASE="your-secure-passphrase"
$ plakar ptar -o backup.ptar -k $HOME/backups

File Format Properties

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Property Value
Read-only Yes (archives cannot be modified after creation)
Self-contained Yes (includes all metadata and data)
Portable Yes (single file can be moved/copied freely)
Encrypted by default Yes (unless -plaintext specified)
Tamper-evident Yes (cryptographic verification via check)

Further Reading

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For a deeper dive into the philosophy and technical design of the format, check out the following posts on the Plakar blog:

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