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Synopsis

fishnet backup [--output PATH]
Creates a backup copy of the encrypted credential vault. The backup file remains encrypted and can be restored using fishnet restore.

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Arguments

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--output
string
Path where the backup file should be written. If not specified, uses the default backup directory with a timestamp.

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Examples

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Create backup with default location

fishnet backup
Output: 
Backup written to ~/.local/share/fishnet/backups/vault-20260303-143015.db.bak

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Create backup at custom location

fishnet backup --output ~/my-backups/fishnet-vault.db.bak
Output: 
Backup written to ~/my-backups/fishnet-vault.db.bak

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Create backup before risky operation

fishnet backup
fishnet remove-key production

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Behavior

  • Locates the credential vault database file
  • Copies the encrypted database to the backup location
  • Creates parent directories if they don’t exist
  • Sets file permissions to owner-only (mode 0600)
  • Does not require the master password (file is already encrypted)

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Default backup location

Linux: 
~/.local/share/fishnet/backups/vault-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.db.bak
macOS: 
~/Library/Application Support/Fishnet/backups/vault-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.db.bak
The timestamp format is: YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS (e.g., 20260303-143015)

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Error messages

Vault not found: 
vault database not found at ~/.local/share/fishnet/vault.db
The vault database does not exist. Run fishnet init first. Failed to create backup directory: 
failed to create backup dir: Permission denied
Cannot create the parent directory for the backup file. Failed to copy: 
failed to copy vault backup: <error>
Could not copy the vault file to the backup location.

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Exit codes

  • 0 - Backup created successfully
  • 1 - Error occurred (vault not found, permission denied, etc.)

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Security notes

  • Backup files are encrypted with the same master password as the original vault
  • Store backups in a secure location (encrypted disk, secure cloud storage, etc.)
  • Backup files have owner-only permissions (0600) to prevent unauthorized access
  • Consider keeping multiple backups with different timestamps

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