Backup & Restore

Backing up your Homebrew configuration is useful when:

• Setting up a new Mac
• Reinstalling macOS
• Syncing packages across multiple Macs
• Sharing your development environment setup
• Keeping a record of your installed software

Quick Backup

1. Click File → Export Package List in the menu bar
2. Choose a location to save the backup file
3. Click Save

Backup Options

When creating a backup, you can choose what to include:

Tappie supports multiple backup formats:

Brewfile (Recommended)

The standard Homebrew bundle format:

tap "homebrew/bundle"
tap "homebrew/cask-fonts"

brew "git"
brew "node"
brew "python"

cask "visual-studio-code"
cask "google-chrome"
cask "slack"

Benefits:

• Compatible with brew bundle command
• Human-readable and editable
• Version control friendly

JSON Format

Structured data format with additional metadata:

{
  "created": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "homebrew_version": "4.2.0",
  "formulae": ["git", "node", "python"],
  "casks": ["visual-studio-code", "google-chrome"],
  "taps": ["homebrew/cask-fonts"]
}

Plain Text

Simple list of package names, one per line.

Using Tappie

1. Click File → Import Package List
2. Select your backup file
3. Review the packages that will be installed
4. Click Install All to begin restoration

Review Before Installing

Before restoring, Tappie shows you:

• Packages that will be installed (not currently on your system)
• Packages that are already installed (will be skipped)
• Packages that are no longer available
• Estimated download size

Using Command Line

You can also restore a Brewfile using the terminal:

brew bundle install --file=~/path/to/Brewfile

Set up automatic backups in Tappie settings:

1. Open Settings (Cmd+,)
2. Go to the Backup tab
3. Enable Automatic Backups
4. Choose backup frequency (daily, weekly, monthly)
5. Select backup location

Backup Retention

Configure how many backups to keep:

• Keep all - Never delete old backups
• Keep last N - Keep only the most recent N backups
• Keep for X days - Delete backups older than X days

Store backups in cloud services by setting the backup location to:

• iCloud Drive - ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/
• Dropbox - ~/Dropbox/
• Google Drive - ~/Google Drive/
• OneDrive - ~/OneDrive/

Version Control

Store your Brewfile in a git repository:

1. Create a dotfiles repository
2. Add your Brewfile to the repo
3. Commit changes whenever you add/remove packages
4. Clone on new machines to restore

Regular Backups

• Enable automatic weekly backups
• Create a manual backup before major system changes
• Keep backups in cloud storage for redundancy

Testing Restores

• Periodically test your backup by restoring on a fresh system
• Use a virtual machine for testing if needed
• Verify critical packages are included

Package Not Found During Restore

If a package in your backup no longer exists:

• The package may have been renamed - search for alternatives
• The tap may need to be added first
• The package may have been removed from Homebrew

Version Conflicts

If specific versions are unavailable:

• Tappie will install the latest available version
• Use brew pin to prevent unwanted upgrades
• Consider using version managers for languages (nvm, pyenv, etc.)