Commands

Frost has eight commands. frost -h lists them all, with every flag.

#Global flags

These work with every command:

Flag Does
--config-dir <dir> Uses a different config folder
-h, --help Shows help, with every command and flag
-v, --version Shows Frost's version. Put it before any command

#frost init

Sets up Frost: what to back up, where, and how often. Run it again to review or change your settings. See Setting up Frost.

frost init

#frost backup

Backs up now. See Backing up.

frost backup [--dry-run] [--path <dir>] [--exclude <pattern>] [--no-verify]
Flag Does
-n, --dry-run Shows what would be uploaded, without uploading anything
--path <dir> Backs up this folder instead of your usual ones. Repeatable
--exclude <pattern> Also skips files matching this pattern. Repeatable
--no-verify Skips the spot check after the backup

#frost restore

Gets files back from a snapshot. With nothing after it, it opens the snapshot browser. See Restoring files.

frost restore [snapshot] [paths...] --beside | --to <dir> | --overwrite
Flag Does
--beside Restores into a new folder next to the originals
--to <dir> Restores into a new folder inside this folder
--overwrite Restores over the originals, replacing what's there. Asks first
-y, --yes Doesn't ask before overwriting

#frost status

Shows recent snapshots, the schedule and the health of your backups. See Checking your backups.

frost status [--verify] [--all]
Flag Does
--verify Runs a fresh check first
-a, --all Lists every snapshot, not just the latest 10

#frost browse

Opens the snapshot browser. See The snapshot browser.

frost browse

#frost config

Reads or changes settings without running setup again. See Settings.

frost config [--show-secrets]
frost config get <key> [--show-secrets]
frost config set <key> <value...>
frost config edit [editor]
Flag Does
--show-secrets Prints credentials in full instead of masking them

#frost key

Shows, checks or imports your recovery phrase. See Your recovery phrase.

frost key show
frost key verify
frost key import

#frost update

Updates Frost to the latest release. See Updating Frost.

frost update [--check]
Flag Does
--check Only says whether there's a newer release

#Exit codes

Frost exits with 0 when a command succeeds, and 1 on any error. That includes a backup or a frost status --verify whose check finds a problem, so scripts can test the result:

frost status --verify || echo "Frost check failed" >&2