restorepath

Restorepath is a term used in data management to describe the operation of reconstructing a file or directory to an earlier state, while preserving or re-establishing its path within a file system or archive. It is commonly used in backup, versioning, and disaster recovery workflows to recover data with attention to the original location or a user-defined mapping.

Contexts and use

In backup and archival systems, restorepath enables bringing back a specific file or folder to its historical location, typically preserving metadata such as permissions, timestamps, and symlinks. In snapshot- or image-based environments, a restorepath operation may recreate the directory tree as it existed at a chosen point in time. In version control and data migration tasks, restorepath can refer to reinstating a path after renames, moves, or restructures, or translating an old path to a new one in order to maintain continuity.

How it works

Tools that support restorepath usually require a reference to a historical state (a backup, snapshot, or version history), and a target location for restoration. Optional path translation rules may be provided to map the restored content to a different destination. When a path has moved or been renamed, the restorepath process may either recreate the original path or apply the user-specified mapping to place the data in a new location.

Usage notes

Restorepath workflows must consider consistency across related files, the correctness of metadata, and the handling of hard links and symbolic links. Conflicts may arise if the target path already exists or if the historical state depends on prior system configuration.

See also

Backup and restore, snapshot, version control, disaster recovery, data migration.