Documentation
📘 Commands
export

export

rfswift export

Export containers or images to compressed archive files for backup or transfer.

Synopsis 

# Export container
rfswift export container -c CONTAINER_NAME -o OUTPUT_FILE.tar.gz

# Export image
rfswift export image -i IMAGE_NAME -o OUTPUT_FILE.tar.gz

The export command creates compressed tar.gz archives of containers or images, preserving all data, configuration, and metadata. This is the recommended method for creating portable backups.

Options

Export Container

Flag Description Required Example
-c, --container STRING Container to export Yes -c my_container
-o, --output STRING Output filename Yes -o backup.tar.gz

Export Image

Flag Description Required Example
-i, --images STRINGS Image(s) to export (can specify multiple) Yes -i sdr_full
-o, --output STRING Output filename Yes -o backup.tar.gz

Examples

Export Containers

Basic container export:

rfswift export container -c my_sdr_container -o sdr_backup.tar.gz

Export with descriptive filename:

rfswift export container -c client_assessment \
  -o client_assessment_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz

Export to specific directory:

rfswift export container -c important_work \
  -o ~/backups/containers/important_work_backup.tar.gz

Export before removal:

# Create backup before deleting
rfswift export container -c old_container -o archives/old_container_final.tar.gz
rfswift remove -c old_container

Export Images

Basic image export:

rfswift export image -i sdr_full -o sdr_full_image.tar.gz

Export custom image:

rfswift export image -i my_custom_sdr:v1.0 -o custom_sdr_v1.tar.gz

What Gets Exported

Container Export

When exporting a container:

Content Included? Notes
Container filesystem ✅ Yes All files and modifications
Installed packages ✅ Yes Everything in container
Configuration files ✅ Yes Modified configs
Running processes ❌ No Only filesystem
Mounted volumes ❌ No Volume data not included
Container metadata ⚠️ Limited Basic info only
Network config ❌ No Not preserved
Port bindings ❌ No Not preserved

Important: Export captures filesystem only, not Docker metadata like port bindings or network configuration.

Image Export

When exporting an image:

Content Included? Notes
Image layers ✅ Yes All filesystem layers
Image metadata ✅ Yes Tags, labels, etc.
Build history ✅ Yes Layer history
Configuration ✅ Yes Default settings

File Size Considerations

Typical Export Sizes

Container Type Uncompressed Compressed (tar.gz) Compression Ratio
Minimal (base only) 500 MB 150-200 MB ~3:1
SDR with tools 2-3 GB 700 MB - 1 GB ~3:1
Full SDR stack 5-8 GB 1.5-2.5 GB ~3:1
With large data 20+ GB 5-10 GB ~2-3:1

Minimizing Export Size

Before exporting, clean up:

rfswift exec -c my_container

# Remove package caches
apt-get clean
rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Remove temporary files
rm -rf /tmp/*
rm -rf /root/.cache/*

# Remove unnecessary logs
truncate -s 0 /var/log/*.log

# Remove development files if not needed
apt-get remove -y build-essential
apt-get autoremove -y

exit

# Now export will be smaller
rfswift export container -c my_container -o clean_backup.tar.gz

Troubleshooting

Container/Image Not Found

Error: Error: No such container/image: name

Solutions:

# List containers
rfswift last

# List images
rfswift images local

Permission Denied

Error: Permission denied when writing output file

Solutions:

# Check output directory permissions
ls -ld ~/backups/

# Create directory if needed
mkdir -p ~/backups/containers

# Set correct permissions
chmod 755 ~/backups/containers

# Or use sudo
sudo rfswift export container -c container -o /backup/file.tar.gz

Related Commands

  • import - Import exported containers/images
  • commit - Create images from containers
  • download - Download images from registry
  • remove - Remove containers after export
💾
Backup Strategy: Export creates compressed, portable backups. For production environments, schedule regular automated exports to multiple locations (local, NAS, offsite).
Volume Data Not Included: Exports only include the container filesystem, not mounted volumes. Back up volume data separately using standard file backup tools.
Compression: Export automatically compresses to tar.gz format, typically achieving 3:1 compression ratio. This saves significant storage space compared to uncompressed backups.
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