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BackWPup WP-CLI Commands

This document details the WP-CLI commands for the BackWPup plugin, enabling command-line management of backups, jobs, and logs. All BackWPup commands follow the structure: wp backwpup <command>.

Note: Commands marked with (PRO) are exclusive to BackWPup Pro users.

Command Summary: BackWPup Core Functions

Command Alias Description
wp backwpup backup backups Show BackWPup backup archives. Lists all available backup files with details like size, time, and storage.
wp backwpup backup-download backups-download Download a BackWPup backup archive from a storage. Downloads a specific backup file to your local machine, showing progress.
wp backwpup backup-delete backups-delete Delete BackWPup backup archives on storages. Removes a specified backup file from selected or all storage locations.
wp backwpup backup-decrypt (PRO) decrypt Decrypts a file with BackWPup decryption. Decrypts a previously encrypted backup archive.
wp backwpup backup-encrypt (PRO) encrypt Encrypts a file with BackWPup encryption. Encrypts a local file using the BackWPup encryption method.
wp backwpup job jobs Show BackWPup jobs. Lists all configured backup jobs with their status, type, and cron schedule.
wp backwpup job-activate activate-legacy-job Activate Job (also legacy). Changes the activation type (wpcron, link, disable) for selected job IDs.
wp backwpup job-export (PRO) jobs-export Export BackWPup jobs. Exports one or all job configurations to a JSON file.
wp backwpup job-import (PRO) jobs-import Import BackWPup jobs from Json file. Imports job configurations from a specified JSON file.
wp backwpup kill abort Kills a running BackWPup job. Terminates the currently active backup process.
wp backwpup log logs List BackWPup logs with powerful filters and customizable output formats. Displays a list of all backup logs.
wp backwpup log-show logs-show Show a BackWPup log as plain text (HTML ignored). Outputs the contents of a specific log file to the console.
wp backwpup log-delete logs-delete Delete BackWPup log files (safe, with optional dry-run). Removes log files based on file name or age.
wp backwpup run start Start a BackWPup job. Initiates the backup process for specific job IDs or triggers a “backup now.”
wp backwpup restore (PRO) backup-restore Restore a BackWPup backup from an archive file. Restores your WordPress files and/or database from a backup archive.
wp backwpup status working Shows the status about a running BackWPup job. Displays real-time progress information.
wp backwpup version (none) Show BackWPup Plugin Version. Displays the current installed version of the plugin.

Detailed Command Reference

wp backwpup backup

Description: Show BackWPup backup archives. Filterable and configurable output.

Alias: wp backwpup backups

Options & Fields

  • [--format=<format>]: Render output in a particular format. Options: table (default), json, csv, yaml, count, ids.
  • [--fields=<fields>]: Comma-separated list of fields to show. Default: name, time, size, storage, type.

Examples

# Display a list of backups as a table.

$ wp backwpup backup
+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+-----------+---------+------------------------+
| name                                                       | time                        | size      | storage | type                   |
+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+-----------+---------+------------------------+
| 2025-11-10_13-24-36_SDIUOYJN09_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar    | November 10, 2025 @ 1:24 pm | 278.50 MB | folder  | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-10_13-23-08_FHIUOYK706_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz | November 10, 2025 @ 1:24 pm | 181.57 MB | hidrive | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-10_13-23-08_FHIUOYK706_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz | November 10, 2025 @ 1:23 pm | 181.57 MB | folder  | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-07_09-22-51_U7IUOYKR09_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar    | November 7, 2025 @ 9:22 am  | 278.48 MB | folder  | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-07_09-22-34_DXIUOYMY06_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz | November 7, 2025 @ 9:22 am  | 181.56 MB | folder  | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-07_08-57-28_YHIUOYNL06_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz | November 7, 2025 @ 8:58 am  | 88.00 MB  | hidrive | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-07_08-57-28_YHIUOYNL06_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz | November 7, 2025 @ 8:57 am  | 181.56 MB | folder  | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-07_08-57-11_IDIUOYPB09_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar    | November 7, 2025 @ 8:57 am  | 278.48 MB | folder  | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-07_08-56-03_HLIUOYPE06_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz | November 7, 2025 @ 8:57 am  | 112.00 MB | hidrive | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
| 2025-11-07_08-56-03_HLIUOYPE06_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz | November 7, 2025 @ 8:56 am  | 181.56 MB | folder  | file, dbdump, wpplugin |
+------------------------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+-----------+---------+------------------------+

# Display only filename and storage in json format

$ wp backwpup backup --fields=storage,name --format=json
[{"storage":"folder","name":"2025-11-10_13-24-36_SDIUOYJN09_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar"},{"storage":"hidrive","name":"2025-11-10_13-23-08_FHIUOYK706_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz"},{"storage":"folder","name":"2025-11-10_13-23-08_FHIUOYK706_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz"}]

wp backwpup backup-download

Description: Download a BackWPup backup archive from a storage. Shows progress bar.

Alias: wp backwpup backups-download

Options

  • <file>: Required. Backup archive file name that should be downloaded.
  • [<to_file>]: Optional. Folder or filename to download to. Default: current working directory with the same name.
  • [--storage=<storage>]: Storage where the file will be downloaded from. (Default: use first found storage.)
  • [--yes]: Overwrite a local existing file without prompt.

Examples

# Download a backup archive from first found storage.

$ wp backwpup backup-download 2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO03_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar
Start download from Folder:wp-content/uploads/backwpup/d14761/backups/2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO03_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar to ./2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO03_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar.
Download 2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO03_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar:  80% [====================================================--------] 0:01 / 0:01
Success: Backup file downloaded successfully.

# Download a backup archive from HiDrive

$ wp backwpup backup-download 2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO04_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar --storage=hidrive
Error: Backup file not found in storage hidrive.

wp backwpup backup-delete

Description: Delete BackWPup backup archives on storages.

Alias: wp backwpup backups-delete

Options

  • <file>: Required. Backup archive file name that should be deleted.
  • [--storage=<storage>]: Storage where the file will be deleted from. (Default: all that have this file)
  • [--yes]: Don’t ask for confirmation.

Examples

# Delete backup archive with the given name from all storages

$ wp backwpup backup-delete 2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO04_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar
Confirm: Delete Backup file 2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO04_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar on S3 ?
Success: Backup file 2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO04_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar deleted successfully on S3.

# Delete backup archive with the given name from all storages, without asking for confirmation.

$ wp backwpup backup-delete 2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO06_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar --yes
Success: Backup file 2025-10-23_05-56-19_VPIUOYIO06_FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar deleted successfully on hidrive.

wp backwpup backup-decrypt (PRO)

Description: Decrypts a file with BackWPup decryption.

Alias: wp backwpup decrypt

Options

  • <file>: Required. Path to the file that should be decrypted.
  • [--key=<key>]: The key to use for encryption. Can be a key string or a file path. Default: use the key from the settings.

Examples

# Use the key from the settings.

$ wp backwpup backup-decrypt archiv.tar.gz
Success: Archive has been successfully decrypted.

# Use a specific key from a file.

$ wp backwpup backup-decrypt archiv.zip --key="./id_rsa_backwpup.pub"
Success: Archive has been successfully decrypted.

wp backwpup backup-encrypt (PRO)

Description: Encrypts a file with BackWPup encryption.

Alias: wp backwpup encrypt

Options

  • <file>: Required. Path to the file that should be encrypted.
  • [--key=<key>]: The key to use for encryption. Can be a key string or a file path. Default: use the key from the settings.

Examples

# Use the key from the settings.

$ wp backwpup backup-encrypt archiv.tar.gz
Success: Archive has been successfully encrypted.

# Use a specific key from a file.

$ wp backwpup backup-encrypt archiv.zip --key="./id_rsa_backwpup.pub"
Success: Archive has been successfully encrypted.

wp backwpup job

Description: Show BackWPup jobs. Filterable and configurable output.

Alias: wp backwpup jobs

Options & Fields

  • [--format=<format>]: Render output in a particular format. Options: table (default), json, csv, yaml, count, ids.
  • [--fields=<fields>]: Comma-separated list of fields to show. Default: job_id, name, active_type, type, storages, cron, last_run, last_runtime.

Examples

# Output all jobs as a table

$ wp backwpup job
+--------+------------------+------------------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+----------------------------+--------------+
| job_id | name             | type                   | storages        | active_type | cron      | last_run                   | last_runtime |
+--------+------------------+------------------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+----------------------------+--------------+
| 6      | Files & Database | file, dbdump, wpplugin | folder, hidrive | wpcron      | 0 0 1 * * | November 7, 2025 @ 9:22 am | 47 Seconds   |
| 9      | Files & Database | file, dbdump, wpplugin | folder          | wpcron      | 0 0 1 * * | November 7, 2025 @ 9:22 am | 3 Seconds    |
| 10     | Database         | dbdump                 | folder          | wpcron      | 0 0 1 * * | November 7, 2025 @ 8:51 am |              |
+--------+------------------+------------------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+----------------------------+--------------+

# Outputs only fields job_id and legacy as json

$ wp backwpup job --fields=job_id,legacy --format=json
[{"job_id":6,"legacy":"no"},{"job_id":9,"legacy":"no"},{"job_id":10,"legacy":"no"}]

wp backwpup job-activate

Description: Activate Job (also legacy); Filter by all or selected job IDs.

Alias: wp backwpup activate-legacy-job

Options

  • [--type=<type>]: The active type the job should have. Default: wpcron. Options: wpcron, link, disable.
  • [--job_id=<job_id>]: Comma-separated list of job IDs to activate (default: all jobs).

Examples

# Activate jobs with ID 1, 2 and 3

$ wp backwpup job-activate --job_id=1,2,3
Successes: Job with ID 1 changed to active type wpcron
Successes: Job with ID 2 changed to active type wpcron
Successes: Job with ID 4 changed to active type wpcron

# Deactivate job with ID 3

$ wp backwpup job-activate --job_id=3 --type=disable
Successes: Job with ID 3 deactivated

wp backwpup job-export (PRO)

Description: Export BackWPup jobs.

Alias: wp backwpup jobs-export

Options

  • [<job_id>]: Exports a specific job by ID. If not provided, all will be exported.
  • [--file=<file>]: The file to export to. When not specified, the file will be printed to the console.
  • [--passwords]: Passwords should also be exported. Note: Passwords are then in plaintext in the exported JSON.

Examples

# Export all jobs to ./jobs.json file

$ wp backwpup job-export --file=./jobs.json
Success: Job exported successfully.

# Export job with ID 2 to ./jobs.json file and its passwords (cleartext)

$ wp backwpup job-export 2 --passwords
Success: Job exported successfully.

wp backwpup job-import (PRO)

Description: Import BackWPup jobs from Json file.

Alias: wp backwpup jobs-import

Options

  • [<file>]: The file to import from.
  • [--job_id=<job_id>]: Imports a specific job by ID and overwrites existing. If not provided, all will be imported and appended.

Examples

# Import all jobs from ./jobs.json file.

$ wp backwpup job-import ./jobs.json
Success: Job "Database" with ID 3 imported successfully.
Success: Job "File & Database" with ID 4 imported successfully.

# Import job with ID 2 from ./jobs.json file and overwrite an existing job with ID 2

$ wp backwpup job-import --job_id=2
Success: Job "Database" with ID 2 imported successfully.

wp backwpup kill

Description: Kills a running BackWPup job.

Alias: wp backwpup abort

Examples

# Kill a running job.

$ wp backwpup kill
Success: Job will be terminated.

wp backwpup log

Description: List BackWPup logs with powerful filters and customizable output formats.

Alias: wp backwpup logs

Options

  • [--search=<pattern>]: Free-text filter matching job, name, type, or status.
  • [--job_id=<number>]: Filter logs by job ID.
  • [--type=<types>]: Filter by log type(s), comma-separated. Example: FILE,DBDUMP.
  • [--after=<date>]: Include logs on or after the given date (YYYY-MM-DD).
  • [--orderby=<field>]: Sort by a field. Default: time.

Examples

# View logs as a table (default):

$ wp backwpup log
+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+-----------------------+------------------------+-----------+---------+----------+
| name                                         | time                        | job                   | type                   | size      | runtime | status   |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+-----------------------+------------------------+-----------+---------+----------+
| backwpup_log_440bd7_2025-11-10_13-24-36.html | November 10, 2025 @ 1:24 pm | Files & Database      | file, dbdump, wpplugin | 278.50 MB | 2 s     | O.K.     |
| backwpup_log_e5672b_2025-11-10_13-23-08.html | November 10, 2025 @ 1:23 pm | Files & Database      | file, dbdump, wpplugin | 181.57 MB | 74 s    | 2 ERRORS |
| backwpup_log_e68e31_2025-11-07_09-22-51.html | November 7, 2025 @ 9:22 am  | Files & Database      | file, dbdump, wpplugin | 278.48 MB | 3 s     | O.K.     |
| backwpup_log_05a7f7_2025-11-07_09-22-34.html | November 7, 2025 @ 9:22 am  | Files & Database      | file, dbdump, wpplugin |           | 0 s     | O.K.     |
| backwpup_log_459409_2025-11-07_08-57-28.html | November 7, 2025 @ 8:57 am  | Files & Database      | file, dbdump, wpplugin |           | 0 s     | O.K.     |
| backwpup_log_6f3f67_2025-11-07_08-57-11.html | November 7, 2025 @ 8:57 am  | Files & Database      | file, dbdump, wpplugin | 278.48 MB | 2 s     | O.K.     |
| backwpup_log_fa5f45_2025-11-07_08-56-03.html | November 7, 2025 @ 8:56 am  | Files & Database      | file, dbdump, wpplugin | 181.56 MB | 47 s    | 2 ERRORS |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+-----------------------+------------------------+-----------+---------+----------+

# Filter logs by text:

$ wp backwpup logs --search=backup
+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+------------+------------------------+-----------+---------+--------+
| name                                         | time                        | job        | type                   | size      | runtime | status |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+------------+------------------------+-----------+---------+--------+
| backwpup_log_ac7889_2025-11-01_10-16-28.html | November 1, 2025 @ 10:16 am | Backup Now | file, dbdump, wpplugin | 282.68 MB | 5 s     | O.K.   |
+----------------------------------------------+-----------------------------+------------+------------------------+-----------+---------+--------+

wp backwpup log-show

Description: Show a BackWPup log as plain text (HTML ignored).

Alias: wp backwpup logs-show

Options

  • [<file>]: Basename inside the log folder. Extension optional.
  • [--job_id=<number>]: If no <file> is provided, select the latest log for a given job ID.
  • [--lines=<number>]: Print only the last N lines (tail-like).

Examples

# Show by positional file:

$ wp backwpup log-show backwpup_log_8a8bee_2025-11-03_06-30-29.html
BackWPup log for Files & Database from November 7, 2025 at 8:57 am
[INFO] BackWPup 5.6.0; A project of WP Media
[INFO] WordPress 6.8.3 on https://backwpup-pro.ddev.site/
[INFO] Log Level: Debug
[INFO] BackWPup job: Files & Database; FILE+DBDUMP+WPPLUGIN
[INFO] Runs with user:  (0)

# Show only the last 14 lines:

$ wp backwpup log-show --file=backwpup_log_... --lines=14
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] Archiving Folder: /var/www/html/.ddev/wordpress/wp-includes/sodium_compat/src/Core32/SecretStream/
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] Archiving Folder: /var/www/html/.ddev/wordpress/wp-includes/sodium_compat/src/PHP52/
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] Archiving Folder: /var/www/html/.ddev/wordpress/wp-includes/style-engine/
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] Archiving Folder: /var/www/html/.ddev/wordpress/wp-includes/theme-compat/
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] Archiving Folder: /var/www/html/.ddev/wordpress/wp-includes/widgets/
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] Backup archive created.
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] Archive size is 181.56 MB.
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] 8657 Files with 272.06 MB in Archive.
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] Restart after 8 seconds.
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:36] 1. Trying to encrypt archive …
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:37] Encrypted 181.63 MB of data.
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:37] Archive has been successfully encrypted.
[07-Nov-2025 08:57:37] 1. Try to send backup file to HiDrive …
[07-Nov-2025 08:58:04] Restart after 28 seconds.

wp backwpup log-delete

Description: Delete BackWPup log files (safe, with optional dry-run).

Alias: wp backwpup logs-delete

Options

  • [<file>]: Delete a single file (basename; extension optional).
  • [--older-than=]: Delete logs older than a relative time, e.g., "7 days", "48 hours".
  • [--all]: Delete all logs.
  • [--dry-run]: Show which files would be removed without deleting them.

Examples

# Delete logs older than 30 days.

$ wp backwpup log-delete --older-than="30 days"
11 file(s) deleted.

# Delete all logs, but only simulate.

$ wp backwpup log-delete --all --dry-run
33 file(s) would be deleted (dry-run)

wp backwpup run

Description: Start a BackWPup job.

Alias: wp backwpup start

Options

  • [<job_id>]: The IDs of the jobs to start as a comma-separated list.
  • [--now]: Starts an immediate “backup now” job. (Not working with <job_id>.)
  • [--background]: Starts a backup as a background process. (Works only with one <job_id>.)

Examples

# Start a job with ID 1 in background.

$ wp backwpup run 1 --background
Success: Job "File" runs now in background.

# Start a backup now job.

$ wp backwpup run --now
[INFO] BackWPup 5.6.0; A project of WP Media
...
Job done in 10 seconds.
Successes: Job runs successfully.

wp backwpup restore (PRO)

Description: Restore a BackWPup backup from an archive file (.tar/.tar.gz/.zip).

Alias: wp backwpup backup-restore

Options

  • <file>: Required. Path to the backup archive.
  • [--pre-backup]: Create a safety snapshot (DB export + wp-content copy) before restoring.
  • [--type=<full|db|file>]: What to restore: full (DB + wp-content), db (DB only), file (wp-content only). Default: full.
  • [--yes]: Answer yes to the confirmation prompts (destructive actions).

Examples

# Restore backup from an archive file without prompts.

$ wp backwpup restore ./2025-11-06_05_07_03-20_CXIOYMK_FILE-DBDUMP-WPPLUGIN.tar.gz --yes
...
Success: Restore completed successfully.

# Backup data before overwriting with Restore from a file without prompts.

$ wp backwpup restore --file=/path/to/backup.zip --pre-backup --yes
...
Success: Restore completed successfully.

wp backwpup status

Description: Shows the status about a running BackWPup job. With a progress bar.

Alias: wp backwpup working

Examples

# Display the status of a running job.

$ wp backwpup status
Success: No job running.

wp backwpup version

Description: Show BackWPup Plugin Version.

Alias: (none)

Options

  • [--debug]: Show debug information (Global option).

Examples

# Show BackWPup Plugin Version.

$ wp backwpup version
BackWPup 5.6.0

# Show BackWPup Plugin Version and BackWPup Settings.

$ wp backwpup version --debug
BackWPup 5.6.0
Debug: Document root: /var/www/html/(0.487s)
Debug: Temp folder: /var/www/html/wp-content/uploads/backwpup/d14761/temp/ (0.487s)
Debug: Log folder: /var/www/html/wp-content/uploads/backwpup/d14761/logs/ (0.487s)
Debug: Server:  (0.487s)
Debug: Operating System: Linux (0.487s)
Debug: PHP SAPI: cli (0.487s)
Debug: Current PHP user: root (0.487s)
Debug: Maximum execution time: 0 seconds (0.487s)
Debug: BackWPup maximum script execution time: 30 seconds (0.487s)
Debug: Alternative WP Cron: Off (0.487s)
Debug: Disabled WP Cron: Off (0.487s)
Debug: WP Cron is working: Yes (0.487s)
Debug: CHMOD Dir: 0755 (0.487s)
Debug: Server Time: 10:27 (0.487s)
Debug: Blog Time: 10:27 (0.487s)
Debug: Blog Timezone:  (0.487s)
Debug: Blog Time offset: 0 hours (0.487s)
Debug: Blog language: en-US (0.487s)
Debug: MySQL Client encoding: utf8 (0.487s)
Debug: PHP Memory limit: -1 (0.487s)
Debug: WP memory limit: 40M (0.487s)
Debug: WP maximum memory limit: -1 (0.487s)
Debug: Memory in use: 12.00 MB (0.487s)
Debug: Loaded PHP Extensions: Core, ... (0.487s)

These WP-CLI commands facilitate powerful, automated, and scriptable management of your BackWPup backups. Always use caution with destructive commands (e.g., delete, restore), especially when using the --yes flag.

For additional details on any command or option, use the WP-CLI help command:
wp backwpup <command> --help.