> V1.1.0 > References > Command line syntax
Version v1.1.0

Beta Version

You're viewing documentation for version v1.1.0. Beta versions are subject to changes and may not represent the final stable release. Do not use in production environments.

Command line syntax

Last reviewed: 2026-02-03 / Plakar v1.1.0

Plakar exposes several types of commands, depending on the resources they operate on (stores, sources, and/or destinations).

General Syntax

plakar [at <store>] <command> [options] [arguments]
ComponentRequiredDescription
at <store>NoSpecifies target Kloset Store; defaults to ~/.plakar if omitted
<command>YesThe operation to perform
[options]NoCommand-specific flags (must precede arguments)
[arguments]VariesPaths, snapshot IDs, or other command inputs

Store Specification

Syntax

plakar at <store-location> <command> [options] [arguments]

Location Types

TypeSyntaxExample
Filesystem path/path/to/storeplakar at /backup/kloset ls
Alias@alias-nameplakar at @s3-backup ls
SFTPsftp://host/pathplakar at sftp://server/backup ls
S3s3://bucket/pathplakar at s3://mybucket/store ls
Default(omit at)plakar ls (uses ~/.plakar)

Store Aliases

Aliases are configured with plakar store add:

plakar store add <alias> <location> [key=value ...]

Parameters:

ParameterRequiredDescription
<alias>YesName for the alias (used with @)
<location>YesStore location (path or URI)
key=valueNoProtocol-specific parameters

Common Parameters:

KeyUsed ForExample
passphraseEncrypted storespassphrase='secret'
access_keyS3 storesaccess_key=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
secret_access_keyS3 storessecret_access_key=wJalrXUtnFEMI
use_tlsS3/SFTPuse_tls=false

Example:

plakar store add backup s3://mybucket/store \
  access_key=minioadmin \
  secret_access_key=minioadmin \
  use_tls=false

Source Specification

Sources are locations to back up from.

Syntax

plakar at <store> backup [options] <source>

Location Types

TypeSyntaxExample
Filesystem path/path or ./pathplakar backup /home/user/docs
Alias@alias-nameplakar backup @myfiles
SFTPsftp://host/pathplakar backup sftp://server/data
S3s3://bucket/pathplakar backup s3://bucket/folder

Source Aliases

Aliases are configured with plakar source add:

plakar source add <alias> <location> [key=value ...]

Example:

plakar source add mybucket s3://localhost:9000/data \
  access_key=minioadmin \
  secret_access_key=minioadmin \
  use_tls=false

Destination Specification

Destinations are locations to restore to.

Syntax

plakar at <store> restore -to <destination> <snapshot-id>

Location Types

TypeSyntaxExample
Filesystem path/path or ./pathplakar restore -to /restore/dir abc123
Alias@alias-nameplakar restore -to @target abc123
SFTPsftp://host/pathplakar restore -to sftp://server/restore abc123
S3s3://bucket/pathplakar restore -to s3://bucket/restore abc123

Destination Aliases

Aliases are configured with plakar destination add:

plakar destination add <alias> <location> [key=value ...]

Example:

plakar destination add target s3://localhost:9000/restore \
  access_key=minioadmin \
  secret_access_key=minioadmin \
  use_tls=false

Argument Order

Order matters in plakar commands. Options must precede arguments.

Pattern:

plakar [at <store>] <command> [options] <arguments>

Examples:

StatusCommand
Correctplakar at /store backup -check /path
Incorrectplakar at /store backup /path -check

Common Commands

Store Operations

CommandSyntaxDescription
createplakar at <store> createInitialize new Kloset Store
lsplakar at <store> ls [snapshot-id]List snapshots or snapshot contents
checkplakar at <store> check [snapshot-id]Verify integrity
infoplakar at <store> infoDisplay store metadata

Backup Operations

CommandSyntaxDescription
backupplakar at <store> backup [options] <source>Create snapshot
pushplakar at <store> push [options] <source>Scheduled backup (same as backup)

Restore Operations

CommandSyntaxDescription
restoreplakar at <store> restore -to <dest> <snapshot-id>Restore snapshot
catplakar at <store> cat <snapshot-id>:<path>Output file contents

Configuration

CommandSyntaxDescription
store addplakar store add <alias> <location> [params]Add store alias
source addplakar source add <alias> <location> [params]Add source alias
destination addplakar destination add <alias> <location> [params]Add destination alias

Help System

Quick Help

Display command usage:

plakar <command> -h
plakar <command> --help

Output:

Usage: <command> [OPTIONS] arguments

OPTIONS:
  ...

Manual Pages

Display detailed documentation:

plakar help <command>

Output includes:

  • Full command description
  • All options with explanations
  • Examples
  • Related commands (SEE ALSO section)

Example:

# View backup command manual
plakar help backup

# View related source configuration manual
plakar help source

Special Syntax

Snapshot References

SyntaxDescription
snapshot-idFull snapshot ID (e.g., eb66133a)
snapshot-id:pathFile within snapshot (e.g., eb66133a:/etc/config)

Alias References

All aliases use @ prefix:

TypeSyntax
Store alias@store-name
Source alias@source-name
Destination alias@dest-name

Found a bug or mistake in the documentation? Create an issue on GitHub