GitHub Backupper

An automated backup tool that organizes documents (txt, docx, pptx, md, etc.) into a folder hierarchy and uploads them to GitHub.

Features

• Smart Folder Hierarchy: Organizes backups by date → year → month → week → file type
• Multiple File Types: Supports .txt, .docx, .doc, .pptx, .ppt, .md, .pdf, .xlsx, .xls, .csv, .json, .xml
• GitHub Integration: Automatic upload to GitHub via SSH
• Size Limitation Handling: Logs files over 25MB with detailed information
• Exclusion Support: Respects path exclusion patterns from exlude_paths.txt
• Detailed Logging: Generates exclusion logs for monitoring

Folder Structure

[Backup Root]/
└── [YYYY-MM-DD] (Backup Date)
    └── YYYY (Year)
        └── MM (Month)
            └── W##(Week)
                ├── docx/
                │   └── [files]
                ├── txt/
                │   └── [files]
                ├── md/
                │   └── [files]
                └── [other extensions]/
                    └── [files]

Setup Instructions

1. Configure Source Directory

Edit main.py and update the source_directory:

source_directory = "C:\\Your\\Source\\Path"  # Change this

2. Configure Exclusions

Edit exlude_paths.txt to specify directories/patterns to exclude:

C:\Windows
C:\Program Files
C:\Users\*\node_modules
.git
__pycache__

Note: Patterns are case-insensitive and matched as substrings.

3. Setup GitHub Repository

1. Create a new GitHub repository for backups
2. Copy the SSH URL (e.g., git@github.com:username/backups.git)

4. Setup SSH Key

Windows:

# Generate SSH key (if you don't have one)
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_rsa"

# Add public key to GitHub
# 1. Copy contents of C:\Users\YourUsername\.ssh\id_rsa.pub
# 2. Go to GitHub Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key
# 3. Paste and save

Mac/Linux:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa
# Then add the public key to GitHub

5. Configure Backup Settings

Edit backup_config.txt:

GITHUB_REPO_URL=git@github.com:your-username/your-backup-repo.git
SSH_KEY_PATH=C:\Users\YourUsername\.ssh\id_rsa
COMMIT_MESSAGE=Auto backup from GitHub Backupper - {date}

Fields:

• GITHUB_REPO_URL: SSH URL of your GitHub repository
• SSH_KEY_PATH: Full path to your SSH private key
• COMMIT_MESSAGE: Commit message (supports {date} placeholder)

Usage

Basic Backup (Local Only)

cd code
python main.py

When prompted, enter no to skip GitHub upload.

Full Backup with GitHub Upload

cd code
python main.py

When prompted, enter yes to upload to GitHub.

Direct GitHub Upload (if backups already exist)

cd code
python -c "from github_uploader import upload_backup_to_github; upload_backup_to_github('path/to/backups')"

Output Files

backup_excluded.log

Generated after each backup run, lists all files that were excluded due to size:

================================================================================
BACKUP EXCLUDED FILES LOG - 2025-04-20 15:30:45
================================================================================

The following files were EXCLUDED from backup due to exceeding 25MB size limit:

Total excluded files: 2

1. File: C:\Users\test1\Desktop\large_video.mp4
   Size: 150.5 MB
   Would be located: Backup folder structure would apply

2. File: C:\Users\test1\Documents\archive.zip
   Size: 35.2 MB
   Would be located: Backup folder structure would apply

Size Limitations

• Maximum file size for GitHub upload: 25 MB (GitHub LFS required for larger files)
• Files exceeding this limit are:
  • ✅ Listed in backup_excluded.log
  • ✅ Not copied to backup folder
  • ✅ Show exact size in MB

Handling Large Files

For files over 25MB, you have two options:

1. Use Git LFS (Recommended for GitHub):

   git lfs install
   git lfs track "*.mp4"  # or your large file extension

2. Add to exclusion list in exlude_paths.txt

Module Files

main.py

Main backup orchestrator that:

• Finds all supported files
• Creates folder hierarchy
• Handles exclusions
• Logs oversized files
• Prompts for GitHub upload

github_uploader.py

Handles GitHub operations:

• SSH key configuration
• Git repository initialization
• Commit and push operations
• Error handling

backup_config.txt

Configuration file with:

• GitHub repository URL
• SSH key path
• Custom commit messages

exlude_paths.txt

List of paths/patterns to exclude from backup

Troubleshooting

SSH Key Not Found

• Verify the path in backup_config.txt is correct
• Windows path should use backslashes or forward slashes: C:\Users\name\.ssh\id_rsa

Git Remote Error

• Ensure SSH key is added to GitHub account
• Test SSH connection: ssh -i path/to/key git@github.com

Files Not Backing Up

• Check exlude_paths.txt for matching patterns
• Verify files have supported extensions
• Check permissions on source files

GitHub Upload Fails

• Verify repository is empty or compatible
• Check network connectivity
• Review Git error messages in console

File Type Support

Extension	Supported
.txt	✅
.docx	✅
.doc	✅
.pptx	✅
.ppt	✅
.md	✅
.pdf	✅
.xlsx	✅
.xls	✅
.csv	✅
.json	✅
.xml	✅