Inspect Backup

WP Staging CLI provides commands to inspect backup files without extracting them. This is useful for verifying backup contents, checking backup metadata, and understanding what’s inside a backup before extraction.

Available Inspection Commands

View Backup Header

The header contains basic information about the backup format:

wpstaging dump-header backup.wpstg

Or use the short alias:

wpstaging dh backup.wpstg

Example output:

Backup Header Information
-------------------------
Format Version: v2
Compression: gzip
Created By: WP STAGING Pro 5.x

This helps you verify:

• The backup file is valid
• The format version (v1 or v2)
• What tool created the backup

View Backup Metadata

The metadata contains detailed information about the backup and the source site:

wpstaging dump-metadata backup.wpstg

Or use the short alias:

wpstaging dm backup.wpstg

Example output:

Backup Metadata
---------------
Site URL: https://example.com
Site Name: My WordPress Site
WordPress Version: 6.4.2
PHP Version: 8.1.27
Database Prefix: wp_
Backup Date: 2024-01-15 14:30:00 UTC
Backup Size: 1.2 GB
Files Count: 15,432
Is Multisite: No

This information is useful for:

• Verifying you have the correct backup
• Checking the original site URL before restoration
• Understanding the WordPress and PHP versions used
• Knowing the database prefix for configuration

View File Index

The file index shows all files included in the backup:

wpstaging dump-index backup.wpstg

Or use the short alias:

wpstaging di backup.wpstg

Example output:

File Index
----------
wp-config.php
wp-content/themes/twentytwentyfour/style.css
wp-content/themes/twentytwentyfour/functions.php
wp-content/plugins/wp-staging-pro/wp-staging-pro.php
wp-content/uploads/2024/01/image.jpg
...
Total: 15,432 files

View Detailed Index Data

For more detailed information including file sizes and offsets, use the --data flag:

wpstaging dump-index --data backup.wpstg

Example output:

File Index (Detailed)
---------------------
Path                                          Size        Offset      Chunks
wp-config.php                                 3,245       1024        1
wp-content/themes/twentytwentyfour/style.css  45,678      4,269       1
wp-content/uploads/2024/01/large-image.jpg    5,234,567   50,000      3
...

The detailed view shows:

• Path: File path relative to WordPress root
• Size: Original file size in bytes
• Offset: Position in the backup file
• Chunks: Number of data chunks (large files are split)

Use Cases

Verify Backup Before Restoration

Before restoring a backup, check its contents:

# Check it's the right site
wpstaging dm backup.wpstg

# Verify specific files are included
wpstaging di backup.wpstg | grep wp-config.php
wpstaging di backup.wpstg | grep "my-custom-plugin"

Identify Backup Date and Source

When you have multiple backup files and need to identify them:

# Check each backup's metadata
wpstaging dm backup-2024-01-15.wpstg
wpstaging dm backup-2024-01-20.wpstg

Check for Specific Files

Verify that specific files are included before extraction:

# Check if database file is included
wpstaging di backup.wpstg | grep "\.sql"

# Check for specific plugin
wpstaging di backup.wpstg | grep "woocommerce"

# Check for uploads
wpstaging di backup.wpstg | grep "wp-content/uploads" | head -20

Troubleshoot Backup Issues

If extraction fails, use these commands to diagnose:

# Verify backup is valid
wpstaging dh backup.wpstg

# Check if metadata is readable
wpstaging dm backup.wpstg

# Verify file index is intact
wpstaging di backup.wpstg

Output Directory Option

All inspection commands support the --outputdir flag for temporary files:

wpstaging dump-metadata --outputdir=/tmp/wpstaging backup.wpstg

Understanding Backup Structure

WP Staging backups use a proprietary format with these components:

• Header: Version identifier and format information
• Metadata: PHP serialized backup information (creation date, site info, etc.)
• File Index: Compressed list of files with paths, sizes, and chunk offsets
• File Data: Chunked and compressed file contents

The inspection commands parse these sections without extracting the full backup, making them fast even for large backups.

Next Steps

• Extract Backup Files – Extract the backup contents
• Restore WordPress from Backup – Full site restoration
• Create a Local Copy of WordPress Site – Docker-based local environment