A fast and simple CLI tool for backing up files and folders with automatic timestamping.

Quick File Backup is a lightweight Python utility that allows you to quickly backup important files and directories to a designated location. Each backup is automatically timestamped, making it easy to track and manage multiple backup versions.

• ✅ Backup individual files or entire directories
• ✅ Automatic timestamp-based backup folders (YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS)
• ✅ Human-readable file size display
• ✅ Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• ✅ Error handling with clear user feedback
• ✅ Preserves file metadata (timestamps, permissions)
• ✅ Simple and intuitive command-line interface

1. Clone this repository or download the script
2. Ensure you have Python 3.6 or higher installed
3. No additional dependencies required (uses only standard library)

python quick_file_backup.py <source> [destination]

Backup a single file (creates backups folder in current directory):

python quick_file_backup.py myfile.txt

Backup a single file to a specific location:

python quick_file_backup.py myfile.txt /path/to/backups

Backup an entire folder:

python quick_file_backup.py myfolder

Backup to a custom destination:

python quick_file_backup.py important_folder /external/drive/backups

1. The script creates a timestamped backup directory (e.g., backup_20231018_143022)
2. Copies the source file or directory to this backup location
3. Preserves original file metadata
4. Reports the operation status and backup size

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Quick File Backup Tool
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Backup location: backups/backup_20231018_143022

✓ Backed up: myfile.txt (2.45 MB)

✓ Backup completed successfully!
Location: backups/backup_20231018_143022

• Python 3.6+
• Standard library modules:
  • os
  • shutil
  • sys
  • datetime
  • pathlib

This project is part of the 100 Lines of Python Code challenge. Contributions should follow the repository's contributing guidelines.

This project addresses issue #1014 from the 100LinesOfPythonCode repository.

This project follows the license of the parent repository.

• Use absolute paths for critical backups
• Regular backups help prevent data loss
• Consider automating with cron jobs or scheduled tasks
• Test restore procedures periodically