Fulgurite Documentation — Explorer & Restores

Navigation

Browsing a repository and its snapshots

The explorer focuses on one repository, then on a snapshot and a path. This logic keeps navigation precise and preserves the technical context of the displayed content.

You first choose the repository, then the snapshot to explore.
Navigation then proceeds through the snapshot's directory tree.
File search relies on the snapshot_search_index and the snapshot_index_cache table, fed incrementally with each new snapshot. A freshly created snapshot is therefore only searchable once its indexing is complete.
The maximum size of certain displays or extractions may be bounded by the exploration settings.

Diff Analysis

Comparing snapshots or a file between two snapshots

Two types of comparison are already available in the interface.

Snapshot diff

Compares a current snapshot with another.
Differences are filtered by additions, deletions, and modifications.
Useful for understanding the overall evolution of a backed-up system.

File diff

Compares the content of a specific file between two snapshots.
The function extracts content via Restic and then computes the diff at the application layer.
Practical for fine-grained validation before restoring.

Content Export

Downloading files or folders

The explorer allows you to extract content without going through a full restore.

Single file download directly from a snapshot.
Folder download as an archive, with support for tar.gz and zip formats.
The folder is temporarily reconstituted before packaging.
These actions are recorded in the activity logs.

The maximum size of a single file download is bounded by the explore_max_file_size_mb parameter (Settings → Data). For archive downloads, keep in mind that very large directory trees can exhaust server RAM during temporary reconstitution : in that case, prefer a targeted restore instead.

Recovery

Full or partial restores

Fulgurite can restore an entire snapshot or a selection of files. The same repository can be restored locally or remotely, depending on your permissions and the SSH keys available.

Mode	What it does	Fields used
Full local restore	Replays an entire snapshot to a path on the Fulgurite server.	`restore_default_target` and the target path entered in the modal.
Full remote restore	Sends content to a remote machine via SSH.	SSH key, remote path, optional `include` filter.
Partial local restore	Restores only the files or folders selected in the explorer.	Default local path for partial restores.
Partial remote restore	Sends that selection to a remote machine.	SSH key and default remote path for partial restores.

Managed destination vs. original path

Before launching a restore, the RestoreTargetPlanner computes the destination and shows a preview of the resolved path. No free-form path input is accepted.

Managed mode (default)

Places files in a safe subdirectory under the configured root (restore_default_target in Settings).
Resolved path: <root>/<hostname>/<job-name> for backup jobs, or <root>/<hostname>/<repo-name> for direct repository restores.
For remote restores, the destination directory is created via SSH if it does not already exist.
API parameter : destination_mode=managed, append_context_subdir=true.

Original mode (admin only)

Restores to the exact path recorded in the snapshot.
Restricted to the admin role. The UI displays an explicit warning when this mode is selected.
For remote restores, the --delete flag is NOT used to prevent accidental deletions.
API parameter : destination_mode=original.

The resolved destination path (resolved_target) is returned in the API response and recorded in the restore history. Both full and partial restores (file/folder selection) support both modes.

For remote restores, transfer is performed over SSH with rsync. The rsync binary is required for remote synchronizations and restores: there is no automatic fallback to scp. The setup wizard checks for it and can propose installation. Locally only, if rsync is not usable, Fulgurite can copy the extracted tree through PHP.

The full restore modal explicitly warns that the operation will overwrite existing files. This is an important point to keep in mind in production environments.

Trace & Audit

Restore history

The dedicated restores page lets you keep a searchable, paginated record of all recoveries.

Date and time of launch.
Repository, snapshot, and mode used.
Local or remote destination (resolved resolved_target path recorded).
Destination mode used (managed or original).
Any path filter applied.
Initiating user, status, duration, and technical logs.
Page size configurable in Settings.

Each restore is recorded in the restore_runs table and remains viewable from the Restore History tab : even if an operator no longer has access to the explorer, the operation record (author, date, status, destination) remains available for audit.

Sensitive Actions

Tags, snapshot deletion, retention, and integrity checks

The explorer is not just a read-only tool. It also provides access to advanced management actions on snapshots and the repository.

Snapshot tag management.
Snapshot deletion when the appropriate permissions are present.
Repository retention with simulation or application, and storage of the policy in the database.
Repository integrity check.

Deletion and retention actions are permanent from the perspective of the target data. Use the retention simulation mode when available, and restrict these permissions to appropriate profiles.