Real world: quickest start

Quick Example: Basic Usage

zpaqfranz offers several operating modes, but for those in a hurry, here’s a simple example. Suppose you want to back up the folder C:\dati to D:\thebackup.zpaq. You would use the following command:

zpaqfranz a d:\thebackup.zpaq c:\dati

Explanation:

• The command a stands for add.
• It has two parameters:
  1. The name of the archive (D:\thebackup.zpaq in this case).
  2. The folder you want to back up (C:\dati).

That's it. No additional setup is needed. I recommend running a test on your computer to get familiar with the process.

What Happens?

During the first run, zpaqfranz will scan the folder C:\dati, enumerate the files, and archive them one by one into the .zpaq file—just like you would with tools like 7z, RAR, or tar. During this phase, the files are compressed (though the compression process is more complex, which we’ll skip for now), and they will take up a certain amount of space in the archive.

Subsequent Runs

Now, let’s modify the folder C:\dati. You might add new files, delete some, or change existing documents. After making changes, run the exact same command again:

zpaqfranz a d:\thebackup.zpaq c:\dati

"Magically," the .zpaq archive will be updated, but this time the process will be much faster, and the increase in file size will be minimal. Try it out yourself and see the difference.

Automating Backups

As you can imagine, the fact that the command remains the same every time makes it very easy to automate the backup process. For example, you can use crontab on Unix-like systems, or the Task Scheduler on Windows to run the command at regular intervals.

Today's Lesson: The ADD Command

To summarize the key point: to perform a backup with zpaqfranz, you’ll use the a command (which stands for "add"). The syntax is simple:

zpaqfranz a <archive_name.zpaq> <source_folder>

• a: The operation to add files to the archive.
• <archive_name.zpaq>: The name and location of the .zpaq archive.
• <source_folder>: The folder (or folders) you want to back up.

And that’s it! You can specify one or more folders, separated by spaces, and they will all be added to the specified archive.