Simple File Backup

Create a timestamped backup copy of a file in the same directory. Use when the user wants to save a copy of a file before making changes.

File Backup

Create a timestamped backup copy of any file with a single command.

Usage

cp <FILE_PATH> <FILE_PATH>.bak.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

Arguments:

#	Name	Description
1	FILE_PATH	Path to the file to back up

Example

cp /home/user/config.yaml /home/user/config.yaml.bak.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

Output:

(no output on success)

The backup file is created as: ORIGINAL_NAME.bak.YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS

Example: config.yaml → config.yaml.bak.20260328_143022

Success / Failure

• Success: No output, exit code 0. Backup file created in same directory.
• Failure: Error message from cp (exit code non-zero, e.g. file not found)

Verify Backup

To confirm the backup was created:

ls -la <FILE_PATH>.bak.*