Extracting Backups on the Command Line on Linux, MacOS or Windows

wp-staging-cli is a powerful, high-performance command-line tool designed to process WP Staging backup files from the command line on each major operating system.

With this tool, users can extract, normalize, and inspect the contents of .wpstg backup files created by the WP Staging plugin. This standalone extractor is programmed in Go, ensuring exceptional speed and efficiency, and operates independently of WordPress.

Note: The cli tool has been renamed from wpstg-extractor to wp-staging-cli. This article refers to the new name, and you will have to adjust the commands.

The command line tool `wp-staging-cli` is part of the WP Staging Developer and Agency plan and can be downloaded from GitHub.

Key Features

  • Extract Backup Files and Database: Access all contents of .wpstg backup files.
  • Database Normalization: Normalize database files within the backup.
  • Metadata Dumping: Extract and display metadata from the backup file.
  • Index and Header Dumping: Retrieve index and header information from the backup file.

Performance Benchmark

wp-staging-cli is exceptionally fast. For instance, it can extract a 20GB backup in under 36 seconds on an AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 7840U with a fast SSD running Ubuntu 22.04.

Installation

Step 1: Download Excutables

  1. Download the Windows, Linux, and Mac OS executable files from here.
  2. Extract the zip file and select the appropriate binary for your operating system from the build folder.
  3. (Optional) Move the wp-staging-cli binary to a directory in your PATH for easy access. For example, on Linux:
ShellScript
mv wp-staging-cli /usr/local/bin/

Usage Instructions

To run wp-staging-cli, use the following command:

ShellScript
wp-staging-cli [options] <backupfile.wpstg>
Arguments
  • <backupfile.wpstg>: Path to the WP Staging backup file to be processed. This argument is mandatory.

Command options and arguments can be used in any order.

  • Options can have a single ‘-‘ or a double ‘–‘ hyphen prefix.
  • Options with values can be set with or without ‘=’.

Options

ShellScript
  -l,  --license=<licensekey>   : WP Staging Pro License Key. Required for accessing the backup file.
  -o,  --outputdir=<directory>  : Specify the output directory where processed files will be stored. Default is "./wpstgbackup".
  -v,  --version                : Display wp-staging-cli version number.
  -s,  --slowdown-cpu           : Slow down CPU usage during the iteration process.
  -q,  --quiet                  : Suppress the extracted list output.

  -n,  --normalizedb            : Perform database file normalization.
  -dp, --dbprefix=<dbprefix>    : Specify a new DB prefix to use with `--normalizedb`.
  -su, --siteurl=<siteurl>      : Specify a new Site URL to use with `--normalizedb`.

  -dm, --dump-metadata          : Display backup metadata from the backup file.
  -di, --dump-index             : Display backup index information from the backup file.
  -dh, --dump-header            : Display backup header information from the backup file.

  -or, --only-rootpath          : Extract the contents of the root path directory.
  -ow, --only-wpcontent         : Extract the contents of the 'wp-content' directory.
  -op, --only-plugins           : Extract the contents of the 'plugins' directory within 'wp-content'.
  -ot, --only-themes            : Extract the contents of the 'themes' directory within 'wp-content'.
  -om, --only-muplugins         : Extract the contents of the 'mu-plugins' directory within 'wp-content'.
  -ol, --only-languages         : Extract the contents of the 'languages' directory within 'wp-content'.
  -od, --only-dbfile            : Extract the database file only.
  -of, --only-file=<string>     : Extract the contents of files matching the specified string.

Examples:

ShellScript
wp-staging-cli --license=WPSTGPRO_LICENSE --outputdir=./wpstgbackup backup.wpstg
wp-staging-cli --license=WPSTGPRO_LICENSE --normalizedb --dbprefix=newprefix --siteurl=https://example.com backup.wpstg

With short options:

ShellScript
wp-staging-cli -l WPSTGPRO_LICENSE -o ./wpstgbackup backup.wpstg
wp-staging-cli -l WPSTGPRO_LICENSE -n -dp newprefix -su https://example.com backup.wpstg
Setting the License Key via Environment Variable

The standalone extractor requires an active WP Staging Pro license. (Agency or Developer Plan)
For convenience, you can set the license key using an environment variable:

On Unix-based systems:

ShellScript
export WPSTGPRO_LICENSE=WPSTGPRO_LICENSE_KEY

At Windows command prompt:

PowerShell
set WPSTGPRO_LICENSE=WPSTGPRO_LICENSE_KEY

Contributing to wp-staging-cli

We welcome contributions to wp-staging-cli! If you have suggestions, bug reports, or want to contribute code, open an issue on the GitHub repository.

Updated on August 6, 2024