File Backup#

Create a timestamped backup copy of any file with a single command.

Usage#

bash

cp <FILE_PATH> <FILE_PATH>.bak.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

Arguments:

#NameDescription1FILE_PATHPath to the file to back up

Example#

bash

cp /home/user/config.yaml /home/user/config.yaml.bak.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

Output:

text

(no output on success)

The backup file is created as: ORIGINAL_NAME.bak.YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS

Example: config.yaml → config.yaml.bak.20260328_143022

Success / Failure#

• Success: No output, exit code 0. Backup file created in same directory.
• Failure: Error message from cp (exit code non-zero, e.g. file not found)

Verify Backup#

To confirm the backup was created:

bash

ls -la <FILE_PATH>.bak.*