Command line syntax | Plakar | The Open Standard for Backup and Restore

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Last reviewed: 2026-02-23 / Plakar v1.1.0

General syntax

Every Plakar invocation follows this pattern:

plakar [OPTIONS] [at REPOSITORY] COMMAND [COMMAND_OPTIONS]...

Component	Required	Description
`OPTIONS`	No	Global options that apply to all commands (see below)
`at REPOSITORY`	No	Target repository; defaults to `$PLAKAR_REPOSITORY` or `~/.plakar` if omitted
`COMMAND`	Yes	The operation to perform (e.g. `backup`, `restore`, `check`)
`COMMAND_OPTIONS`	No	Options and arguments specific to the command (documented under each command reference)

A few examples to make the structure concrete:

# Simplest form: just a command
plakar version

# Operating on a repository
plakar at /backup ls

# Global option + repository + command + command options
plakar -time at /backup ls -tag daily-backups

Global options

Global options appear before the at clause and apply to every command. Options that come after the command are command-specific and are documented in each command reference page.

Option	Description
`-concurrency int`	Limit the number of concurrent operations (default: -1)
`-config string`	Configuration directory (default: `~/.config/plakar`)
`-cpu int`	Limit the number of usable CPU cores
`-disable-security-check`	Disable update check
`-enable-security-check`	Enable update check
`-keyfile string`	Use passphrase from key file when prompted
`-profile-cpu string`	Profile CPU usage
`-profile-mem string`	Profile memory usage
`-quiet`	No output except errors
`-silent`	No output at all
`-stdio`	Use stdio user interface
`-time`	Display command execution time
`-trace string`	Display trace logs, comma-separated (`all`, `trace`, `repository`, `snapshot`, `server`)

Option order matters

Options must appear in the correct position. Global options go before at, command options go after the command.

# Correct: -tag is a command option for ls
plakar -time at /backup ls -tag daily-backups

# Wrong: -tag is placed before the command — plakar sees it as the command name
plakar -time at /backup -tag daily-backups ls
# → command not found: -tag

A misplaced option will either be ignored or cause an error. When something doesn’t work as expected, check option placement first.

Getting help

Plakar has built-in help at every level.

# Show global usage, all options and available commands
plakar -h
plakar help

# Show the manual page for a specific command
plakar help <command>

The built-in help is always in sync with the version of Plakar you have installed, making it the most reliable reference for available options and commands.

Environment variables

Variable	Description
`PLAKAR_PASSPHRASE`	Supply the encryption passphrase non-interactively
`PLAKAR_REPOSITORY`	Set the default repository path
`PLAKAR_TOKEN`	Token-based authentication for non-interactive environments
`PLAKAR_UI_TOKEN`	Set a custom access token for the web UI

`PLAKAR_PASSPHRASE`

When creating or opening an encrypted repository, Plakar prompts for a passphrase. Setting PLAKAR_PASSPHRASE provides it automatically, which is useful in scripts, CI pipelines, or any non-interactive context where a terminal prompt isn’t available.

`PLAKAR_REPOSITORY`

Sets the default repository location so you don’t need to specify at REPOSITORY on every command. When omitted and no at clause is provided, Plakar falls back to ~/.plakar.

`PLAKAR_TOKEN`

Used for authentication in CI pipelines, remote servers, or automated jobs where interactive login isn’t possible. Generate a token on a machine where you can run plakar login followed by plakar token create, then set PLAKAR_TOKEN to the resulting value on the target system. Plakar automatically picks it up for authentication. You can also run plakar login -env to persist the token from the environment into Plakar’s local configuration file.

`PLAKAR_UI_TOKEN`

By default, the web UI generates a random access token on each start, which you must retrieve from the service logs. Setting PLAKAR_UI_TOKEN lets you define a stable, known token so you can bookmark the UI URL or script access without inspecting logs every time the service restarts.