Settings

Frost keeps its settings in config.toml, in its config folder. You can change them with frost init, frost config set or frost config edit, or in any text editor.

#Reading and changing settings

Command	Does
`frost config`	Prints every setting. Credentials are masked unless you add `--show-secrets`
`frost config get <key>`	Prints one setting. Lists print one item per line
`frost config set <key> <value...>`	Changes one setting and shows what changed
`frost config edit [editor]`	Opens `config.toml` in an editor

For example:

frost config get schedule.every
frost config set schedule.every 6h
frost config set paths ~/Documents ~/Pictures

A list takes one value per item, and set replaces the whole list.
true and false turn settings on and off.
Changing a schedule setting updates the scheduled job straight away. On macOS and Windows, a change made while a scheduled backup runs is applied as soon as that backup finishes, so it isn't stopped.
Changing where your storage is makes Frost check the new location before saving it. See Moving your backups.

#Editing the file

frost config edit

Frost opens a copy of config.toml in the editor you name, or in $VISUAL or $EDITOR, or else in nano, vim or vi. On Windows the fallback is Notepad. When you close the editor, Frost lists what you changed and saves the copy once you type yes.

If the file doesn't parse, Frost points out the problem and offers to open it again, so a typo can't break your scheduled backups. Unknown settings count as errors, so a misspelled name can't slip through unnoticed.

#Editing it yourself

You can also open config.toml in any text editor and save it. Frost reads it every time it runs, so most changes apply from the next run. Two kinds of change need one more step, which Frost takes the next time you run any Frost command:

A changed schedule updates the scheduled job, and Frost says "config.toml changed. Scheduled job updated". On Linux, the next scheduled backup does this too. A change made while a scheduled backup runs waits for it, as with frost config set.
A changed storage location gets the same checks as frost config edit, the first time Frost uses it. Any problem shows as a warning.

Nothing checks the file before you save it. If it doesn't parse, Frost commands say so until you fix it.

#All settings

Key	Default	Meaning
`paths`		The folders to back up
`exclude`	`.DS_Store`, `Thumbs.db`, `.tmp`, `.swp`, `node_modules`, `.cache`	Names and patterns to skip. See Excluding files
`schedule.enabled`	`true`	Back up automatically
`schedule.every`	`daily`	`hourly`, `2h`, `3h`, `4h`, `6h`, `8h`, `12h`, `daily` or `weekly`
`schedule.time`	`15:00`	The time backups run, on a 24-hour clock. See Automatic backups
`schedule.day`	`sunday`	The day weekly backups run, `sunday` to `saturday`
`schedule.catch_up`	`true`	Back up once your computer is back after missing a backup. `false` skips missed backups
`verify.sample`	`20`	How many chunks the spot check downloads. `0` turns it off
`update.auto`	`true`	Install new releases after scheduled backups. `false` only tells you about them
`storage.backend`		`permafrost`, `s3`, `sftp` for Self-hosted storage, or `local` for a local drive
`storage.sftp.host`		Your server's SSH address, like `me@nas.local`, or a `Host` from your SSH config
`storage.sftp.port`	`0`	The server's SSH port. `0` uses the port from your SSH config, or 22
`storage.sftp.path`	`frost`	The folder on the server. A relative path starts in your home folder there
`storage.local.path`		The full path of the folder on a drive
`storage.permafrost.url`		Leave blank for the default server, `https://permafrost.wihiaawb.com`. Otherwise an `https://` address, or `http://` for a server on your own computer
`storage.permafrost.token`		Your Permafrost access key
`storage.s3.endpoint`		Like `s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com`. A full `https://` address also works, and an `http://` one turns off TLS
`storage.s3.region`		Leave blank if your server or provider doesn't use one
`storage.s3.bucket`		The bucket's name. It must already exist
`storage.s3.prefix`	`frost`	The folder inside the bucket that holds your backups. Empty for the top of the bucket
`storage.s3.access_key_id`		Your access key ID
`storage.s3.secret_access_key`		Your secret access key
`storage.s3.insecure`	`false`	Use plain HTTP when the endpoint has no scheme. Only for local testing

#Environment variables

Variable	Takes the place of
`FROST_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID` or `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`	`storage.s3.access_key_id`
`FROST_S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY` or `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`	`storage.s3.secret_access_key`
`FROST_PERMAFROST_TOKEN`	`storage.permafrost.token`
`FROST_CONFIG_DIR`	The config folder, like `--config-dir`
`FROST_CACHE_DIR`	The cache folder

Frost never writes values from the environment into config.toml. Scheduled backups don't see the variables you set in your shell, so they still need credentials in config.toml.