Archivst Desktop Technical Details

BackupSet JSON Configuration

Archivst Desktop stores backup configuration under your user profile. This JSON is used to persist folder selections, restore state, and schedule metadata.

File locations

• Default: %APPDATA%\ArchivstDesktop\defaultset.json
• Debug: %APPDATA%\ArchivstDesktop\debug.defaultset.json
• Backup copy: defaultset.json.backup (periodic recovery copy)

Core structure

{
  "ScheduleEnabled": true,
  "TotalFiles": 15234,
  "TotalBytes": 52428800,
  "LastBackup": "2024-01-15T14:30:00Z",
  "Folders": [
    {
      "Name": "Documents",
      "Path": "C:\\Users\\YourName\\Documents",
      "IsCloud": true,
      "IsEncrypted": true,
      "FilesConditions": {
        "Wildcard": {
          "Exclude": ["*.tmp", "*.log"]
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "Hydration": {
    "Documents/photo.jpg": "Hydrated"
  }
}

Warning: close Archivst Desktop before editing JSON manually and validate syntax before restart.

File deduplication

Deduplication compares content hashes to avoid uploading duplicate data unnecessarily.

• Hash index: %APPDATA%\ArchivstDesktop\fileDetail\[FOLDER_ID]\hash_index.txt
• Mode Copy: keep duplicate files as separate stored copies.
• Mode Ignore: skip files with identical content already stored.
• Safety threshold: move-heavy scans can be stopped to prevent accidental mass change handling.

Settings file and DateTime metadata

Application-level settings are stored separately from BackupSet JSON.

• User settings: %APPDATA%\ArchivstDesktop\appsettings.json
• Important fields: thread counts, upload throttling, environment domains, dark mode, schedule polling.
• Date handling: timestamps are stored in UTC and presented in local time in UI.

Version metadata tracks DateStored, LastModified, and destination-specific identifiers used by point-in-time restore.

Image compression and sizing options

Image processing can reduce storage and transfer costs for photo-heavy folders.

• AutoCompressImages: enables per-folder compression.
• AutoCompressQuality: 0-100 quality scale (typical 80-90).
• AutoCompressMaxRes: maximum output resolution; preserves aspect ratio.
• AutoCompressIgnoreSize: skip small files already near optimal size.
• FallbackCompressionFailure: upload original file if conversion fails.

For quality-sensitive workflows, enable verification settings and test with a small sample set before broad rollout.