Hey everyone! I'm currently using EndeavourOS but I'm considering switching to CachyOS. Backing up apps on Android is a breeze—I can quickly back up around 50 apps in about 10-15 minutes using a tool called DataBackup. Restoring them on a new device is equally easy with the same tool. I'm wondering, is there a similar method for doing this on Linux? Would using Flatpak simplify the backup process? Are there any distributions that make backing up applications easier, perhaps an immutable distro with container support? Thanks in advance for your help!
2 Answers
Applications usually save their configuration files in a few different spots. The most common place is your home directory, particularly in hidden folders like `~/.config`. If you're using Flatpak, you can find its data in `~/.var/app`, and this can also be transferred between systems. Don't forget to check `/etc` for any system-wide changes if your apps utilize those!
It depends on whether you're looking to back up just the app list or the whole configuration as well. If it's just the app list, you might want to look into Nix, or you can probably write a script to install everything automatically. However, if you want to back up everything related to your apps, you're looking to save configurations, then check out your home directory (look for hidden files under `~/.config`). Some applications also store their data in `/etc` or `/opt`.
Thanks for the quick response! I'm definitely looking to back up everything related to the apps so I don't need to redo any setup on a new machine.