Cesivi Server - Export/Import Guide¶

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Complete guide for backing up, migrating, and restoring Cesivi Server data.

Table of Contents¶

Overview
Quick Start
Exporting Storage
Importing Storage
Backup Strategies
Environment Migration
Docker Integration
Troubleshooting

Overview¶

What is Export/Import?¶

The Export/Import feature allows you to package the entire Mock Server storage (@MockData folder) as a single ZIP file for backup, migration, or sharing.

Use Cases¶

Backup - Save state before making changes
Migration - Move data between environments (dev/staging/prod)
Sharing - Share test datasets with team members
Versioning - Maintain multiple data snapshots
Disaster Recovery - Restore from backup after failures

What Gets Exported¶

Site collections and webs
Lists and libraries (metadata)
List items and documents
File content
Users and groups
Permissions
Content types
Site columns

Quick Start¶

Export Current State¶

REST API:

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "filePath": "@MockData/.exports/mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip",
  "fileSize": 15728640,
  "siteCollectionCount": 3,
  "listCount": 25,
  "fileCount": 1234,
  "timestamp": "2025-11-15T10:20:30Z"
}

Import from Backup¶

REST API:

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/import-from-file \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "fileName": "mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip",
    "options": {
      "mode": "Replace",
      "createBackup": true
    }
  }'

Exporting Storage¶

Export Options¶

Full Export (default):

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "includeSiteCollections": true,
    "includeLists": true,
    "includeFiles": true,
    "includeUsers": true,
    "includePermissions": true,
    "includeContentTypes": true,
    "includeSiteColumns": true,
    "compressionLevel": 6
  }'

Metadata-Only Export (no files):

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "includeSiteCollections": true,
    "includeLists": true,
    "includeFiles": false,
    "compressionLevel": 9
  }'

Export Configuration¶

Property	Type	Default	Description
`includeSiteCollections`	bool	`true`	Include all site collections
`includeLists`	bool	`true`	Include all lists/libraries
`includeFiles`	bool	`true`	Include file content
`includeUsers`	bool	`true`	Include users and groups
`includePermissions`	bool	`true`	Include permissions
`includeContentTypes`	bool	`true`	Include content types
`includeSiteColumns`	bool	`true`	Include site columns
`compressionLevel`	int	`6`	Compression (0-9)

Compression Levels¶

0 - No compression (fastest, largest file)
1-5 - Fast compression
6 - Optimal compression (default)
7-9 - Maximum compression (slowest, smallest file)

Export File Location¶

Exports are saved to @MockData/.exports/:

@MockData/
├── .exports/
│   ├── mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip
│   ├── mockdata-export-20251115-143000.zip
│   └── mockdata-export-20251115-160000.zip
└── sites/
    └── ...

The .exports folder is not deleted during Replace imports.

List Available Exports¶

REST API:

curl http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/exports

Response:

[
  {
    "fileName": "mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip",
    "filePath": "C:\\Projects\\@MockData\\.exports\\mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip",
    "fileSize": 15728640,
    "created": "2025-11-15T10:20:30Z"
  },
  {
    "fileName": "mockdata-export-20251115-143000.zip",
    "filePath": "C:\\Projects\\@MockData\\.exports\\mockdata-export-20251115-143000.zip",
    "fileSize": 8388608,
    "created": "2025-11-15T14:30:00Z"
  }
]

Download Export File¶

REST API:

curl http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/exports/mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip \
  -o backup.zip

Importing Storage¶

Import Modes¶

Replace Mode¶

Deletes ALL existing data and extracts ZIP contents.

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/import-from-file \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "fileName": "mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip",
    "options": {
      "mode": "Replace",
      "createBackup": true
    }
  }'

Use When: - Complete environment refresh - Restoring from backup - Starting fresh with new dataset

Important: Creates automatic backup before deletion.

Merge Mode¶

Keeps existing data and adds/updates from ZIP.

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/import-from-file \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "fileName": "mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip",
    "options": {
      "mode": "Merge",
      "createBackup": true,
      "overwriteExisting": false
    }
  }'

Use When: - Adding new data to existing storage - Updating specific items - Incremental updates

Import Options¶

Property	Type	Default	Description
`mode`	string	`Merge`	"Replace" or "Merge"
`createBackup`	bool	`true`	Backup before import
`overwriteExisting`	bool	`false`	Overwrite files in Merge
`validateBeforeImport`	bool	`true`	Validate ZIP structure

Upload External ZIP¶

REST API (multipart/form-data):

curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/import \
  -F "file=@backup.zip" \
  -F "mode=replace" \
  -F "createBackup=true"

Upload Limit: 500 MB (configurable in code)

Import Response¶

{
  "success": true,
  "backupFilePath": "@MockData/.exports/mockdata-export-20251115-102035.zip",
  "siteCollectionCount": 3,
  "listCount": 25,
  "fileCount": 1234,
  "validationErrors": [],
  "warnings": ["Skipped existing file: sites/site1/web.json"],
  "timestamp": "2025-11-15T10:20:45Z"
}

Backup Strategies¶

Strategy 1: Before Major Changes¶

# Create backup
BACKUP=$(curl -s -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}' | jq -r '.filePath')

echo "Backup created: $BACKUP"

# Make your changes...

# If needed, restore
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/import-from-file \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"fileName\": \"$(basename $BACKUP)\", \"options\": {\"mode\": \"Replace\"}}"

Strategy 2: Scheduled Backups¶

PowerShell Script:

# backup-schedule.ps1
$serverUrl = "http://localhost:5000"
$backupPath = "C:\Backups\Cesivi"

# Create daily backup
$date = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd"
$exportResult = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "$serverUrl/_api/admin/storage/export" `
    -Method Post `
    -Body '{}' `
    -ContentType "application/json"

# Download export
$exportFile = $exportResult.filePath.Split('\')[-1]
$downloadUrl = "$serverUrl/_api/admin/storage/exports/$exportFile"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $downloadUrl -OutFile "$backupPath\backup-$date.zip"

Write-Host "Backup saved: $backupPath\backup-$date.zip"

# Cleanup old backups (keep last 7 days)
Get-ChildItem $backupPath -Filter "backup-*.zip" |
    Where-Object { $_.CreationTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7) } |
    Remove-Item

Windows Task Scheduler:

# Run daily at 2 AM
$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "PowerShell.exe" -Argument "-File C:\Scripts\backup-schedule.ps1"
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 2am
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "CesiviBackup" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger

Strategy 3: Version Control Integration¶

# Git workflow
cd @MockData

# Export current state
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}'

# Commit to Git
git add .exports/mockdata-export-*.zip
git commit -m "Backup: $(date +%Y-%m-%d)"
git tag "backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
git push --tags

Environment Migration¶

Development → Staging¶

Step 1: Export from Development

curl -X POST http://dev.mocksharepoint.local/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}' > dev-export.json

EXPORT_FILE=$(jq -r '.filePath' dev-export.json | xargs basename)

curl http://dev.mocksharepoint.local/_api/admin/storage/exports/$EXPORT_FILE \
  -o dev-data.zip

Step 2: Import to Staging

curl -X POST http://staging.mocksharepoint.local/_api/admin/storage/import \
  -F "file=@dev-data.zip" \
  -F "mode=replace" \
  -F "createBackup=true"

Staging → Production¶

With Approval Process:

# 1. Export from staging
$exportResult = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://staging/_api/admin/storage/export" `
    -Method Post -Body '{}' -ContentType "application/json"

# 2. Download and verify
$exportFile = $exportResult.filePath.Split('\')[-1]
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "http://staging/_api/admin/storage/exports/$exportFile" `
    -OutFile "staging-export.zip"

# 3. Manual verification/approval

# 4. Import to production
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://prod/_api/admin/storage/import" `
    -Method Post `
    -Form @{
        file = Get-Item "staging-export.zip"
        mode = "replace"
        createBackup = "true"
    }

Docker Integration¶

Export from Container¶

# Export inside container
docker exec cesivi curl -X POST http://localhost/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}'

# Copy to host
docker cp cesivi:/app/@MockData/.exports/mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip ./

Import to Container¶

# Copy ZIP to container
docker cp ./backup.zip cesivi:/tmp/

# Import from inside container
docker exec cesivi curl -X POST http://localhost/_api/admin/storage/import \
  -F "file=@/tmp/backup.zip" \
  -F "mode=replace"

Docker Volume Persistence¶

docker-compose.yml:

services:
  cesivi:
    image: cesivi:latest
    volumes:
      - ./MockData:/app/@MockData
      - ./exports:/app/@MockData/.exports  # Persistent exports
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"

Backup Script:

# Trigger export via API
docker compose exec cesivi curl -X POST http://localhost/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}'

# Exports automatically saved to ./exports on host
ls -lh ./exports/

Troubleshooting¶

Export Issues¶

Problem: Export file is empty or corrupted

Solutions:

# 1. Check storage statistics
curl http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/statistics

# 2. Try with no compression
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"compressionLevel": 0}'

# 3. Verify disk space
df -h

Problem: Export takes too long

Solutions:

# Use lower compression
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"compressionLevel": 3}'

# Exclude files
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/export \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"includeFiles": false}'

Import Issues¶

Problem: Import fails with validation errors

Solutions:

# Check ZIP integrity
unzip -t backup.zip

# Disable validation (use with caution)
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/import \
  -F "file=@backup.zip" \
  -F "validateBeforeImport=false"

Problem: Files not overwritten in Merge mode

Solution:

# Enable overwrite
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/_api/admin/storage/import \
  -F "file=@backup.zip" \
  -F "mode=merge" \
  -F "overwriteExisting=true"

Problem: Upload size exceeded

Solutions: 1. Increase RequestSizeLimit in StorageManagementController.cs 2. Split large exports 3. Exclude files: "includeFiles": false

Performance Issues¶

Export Performance: - Small dataset (<10 MB): ~1 second - Medium dataset (10-100 MB): ~5-10 seconds - Large dataset (>100 MB): ~30-60 seconds

Import Performance: - Small dataset: ~1-2 seconds - Medium dataset: ~10-20 seconds - Large dataset: ~1-2 minutes

Optimization: - Replace mode is faster than Merge (no existence checks) - Lower compression levels export faster - SSD storage improves performance significantly

API Reference¶

Export Endpoint¶

POST /_api/admin/storage/export

Request Body:

{
  "includeSiteCollections": true,
  "includeLists": true,
  "includeFiles": true,
  "compressionLevel": 6
}

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "filePath": "@MockData/.exports/mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip",
  "fileSize": 15728640,
  "siteCollectionCount": 3,
  "listCount": 25,
  "fileCount": 1234,
  "timestamp": "2025-11-15T10:20:30Z"
}

Import Endpoints¶

POST /_api/admin/storage/import (upload file)

Form Data: - file: ZIP file (multipart/form-data) - mode: "replace" or "merge" - createBackup: true/false - overwriteExisting: true/false

POST /_api/admin/storage/import-from-file (from .exports)

Request Body:

{
  "fileName": "mockdata-export-20251115-102030.zip",
  "options": {
    "mode": "Replace",
    "createBackup": true
  }
}

Management Endpoints¶

GET /_api/admin/storage/exports - List all available exports

GET /_api/admin/storage/exports/{fileName} - Download specific export file

DELETE /_api/admin/storage/exports/{fileName} - Delete export file

GET /_api/admin/storage/statistics - Get current storage statistics

Best Practices¶

Always create backups before Replace imports
Validate exports before deploying to production
Use Merge mode for incremental updates
Use Replace mode for complete environment refresh
Test imports in non-production first
Monitor file sizes to avoid upload limits
Clean up old exports regularly
Document export contents with naming conventions
Version control critical exports
Automate regular backups

Basic Operations - Working with data
Migration Guide - Import from real SharePoint
Docker Guide - Container deployment
API Reference - Complete API docs

Navigation: - ← Usage Guide - Documentation Home

Last Updated: 2025-11-15

Cesivi Server - Export/Import Guide¶

Table of Contents¶

Overview¶

What is Export/Import?¶

Use Cases¶

What Gets Exported¶

Quick Start¶

Export Current State¶

Import from Backup¶

Exporting Storage¶

Export Options¶

Export Configuration¶

Compression Levels¶

Export File Location¶

List Available Exports¶

Download Export File¶

Importing Storage¶

Import Modes¶

Replace Mode¶

Merge Mode¶

Import Options¶

Upload External ZIP¶

Import Response¶

Backup Strategies¶

Strategy 1: Before Major Changes¶

Strategy 2: Scheduled Backups¶

Strategy 3: Version Control Integration¶

Environment Migration¶

Development → Staging¶

Staging → Production¶

Docker Integration¶

Export from Container¶

Import to Container¶

Docker Volume Persistence¶

Troubleshooting¶

Export Issues¶

Import Issues¶

Performance Issues¶

API Reference¶

Export Endpoint¶

Import Endpoints¶

Management Endpoints¶

Best Practices¶

Related Documentation¶