# Backup rails project

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backup-rails-project/188365>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 10, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backup-rails-project/188365 "2010-05-10T23:16:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![davidz101](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@davidz101](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/davidz101)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backup-rails-project/188365/1 "2010-05-10T23:16:04Z")

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I’m using Ubuntu 10.04

But i need to restore the system, stuff isn’t working right after the  
update

so I need to backup my rails project.

Would a copy and paste onto a flashdrive work? What about all my  
migrated database tables?

What is the best way to back up a rails project? Can i just copy and  
paste everything? Would that save it? Thanks

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**Author:** ![davidz101](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@davidz101](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/davidz101)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backup-rails-project/188365/2 "2010-05-10T23:23:05Z")

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On 10 May 2010 22:14, David Z. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> What is the best way to back up a rails project? Can i just copy and  
> paste everything? Would that save it? Thanks

That will save the sources, but it would be much better to have the  
sources in a version control system such as git, then you just need to  
backup the repository.

You also need to dump the contents of the database, which depends on  
the db type.

After backing up make sure you can restore it and that it runs (and  
tests pass) before erasing the originals.

Colin

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**Author:** ![davidz101](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@davidz101](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/davidz101)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backup-rails-project/188365/3 "2010-05-10T23:59:58Z")

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If I did copy and paste my project folder into a flash drive, and then  
after the restore i paste it back on the harddrive, would it still  
work though? can i just run a rake db:migrate and then everything will  
get migrated? or no?

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**Author:** ![davidz101](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@davidz101](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/davidz101)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/backup-rails-project/188365/4 "2010-05-11T03:57:40Z")

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On May 10, 2:58 pm, David Z. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> If I did copy and paste my project folder into a flash drive, and then  
> after the restore i paste it back on the harddrive, would it still  
> work though? can i just run a rake db:migrate and then everything will  
> get migrated? or no?

What’s your database? With mysql, use mysqldump. This will give you a  
file  
that will allow restoring the database later. See for example,  
[How to Back Up and Restore a MySQL Database](http://www.webcheatsheet.com/SQL/mysql_backup_restore.php) for more  
details.

For other database, search the Internet: “Backup Restore ”

By the way, make sure you know which gems, including versions, your  
system has currently as well : “gem list --local”

Stephan