{"id":333,"date":"2026-10-13T15:51:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T15:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/2013\/04\/24\/buildforge-exporting-projects-using-bfexport\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T15:51:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T15:51:19","slug":"buildforge-exporting-projects-using-bfexport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/buildforge-exporting-projects-using-bfexport\/","title":{"rendered":"BuildForge bfexport: How to Export Projects and Snapshots to XML"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The bfexport<\/strong> command is BuildForge\u2019s CLI utility for exporting project data to XML. It is useful when you need a backup before changes, want to move project definitions, or need a portable project snapshot for later import.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally published on 2013-04-24; fully revised and updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This revision is based on the original post on DevOpsSchool<\/a> and keeps its command intent while improving structure and readability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"buildforge-exporting-project-bfexport\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Where bfexport runs and what it exports<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The original guide places bfexport<\/strong> in the BuildForge Home Dir \u2013 Platform<\/strong> location. The command exports project-related data in XML format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Use -l<\/strong> to list available projects and their UUIDs.<\/li>
  • Use -f<\/strong> to write export output to a file.<\/li>
  • The generated file is intended for later import workflows.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Command syntax<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To display syntax help, run bfexport<\/strong> with no options.<\/p>\n\n\n

    .\/bfexport\nUsage: bfexport -l\nor:\nbfexport [-c comment] [-f filename] [-g] [-s] [-L] [-n] <Project<\/span> name<\/span> or<\/span> UUID<\/span>><\/span> <Version<\/span> name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
    The original option list also includes -C<\/strong> for server collectors, with a note that it requires -s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Option reference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    Option<\/th>Purpose<\/th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    -l<\/td>List all projects and project UUIDs<\/td>Discovery step before export<\/td><\/tr>
    -c<\/td>Add a comment to output XML<\/td>Useful for change context or audit notes<\/td><\/tr>
    -f<\/td>Write output to a file<\/td>Required when generating a file for import<\/td><\/tr>
    -g<\/td>Include group users<\/td>Expands export scope<\/td><\/tr>
    -s<\/td>Include all servers<\/td>Needed for server-related export data<\/td><\/tr>
    -C<\/td>Include server collectors<\/td>Requires -s<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    -L<\/td>Include LDAP configuration<\/td>Use only when you need directory config in export<\/td><\/tr>
    -n<\/td>Include template notifications<\/td>Includes notification settings from templates<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    Command patterns compared<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    Pattern<\/th>What it does<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    bfexport -l<\/td>Lists projects and UUIDs<\/td>bfexport -l<\/td><\/tr>
    bfexport -f file project<\/td>Exports default snapshot for a project<\/td>bfexport -f helloworld test_project<\/td><\/tr>
    bfexport -f file project snapshot<\/td>Exports one named snapshot<\/td>bfexport -f helloworld test_project snapshot_1<\/td><\/tr>
    bfexport -f file UUID<\/td>Exports using project UUID<\/td>bfexport -f helloworld 675B57CC-8366-11DD-B2E0-043C04E44E1A<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    Typical export workflow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \nflowchart TD\n    A[Open BuildForge platform directory] --> B[Run bfexport -l]\n    B --> C[Select project name or UUID]\n    C --> D[Decide snapshot scope]\n    D --> E[Run bfexport with -f output file]\n    E --> F{Need extra config}\n    F -- yes --> G[Add -s and optionally -C]\n    F -- yes --> H[Add -L or -n if needed]\n    F -- no --> I[Save minimal export]\n    G --> J[Store XML for import]\n    H --> J\n    I --> J\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
    Practical command examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    List project names and UUIDs<\/h3>\n\n\n
    bfexport -l<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Export default project snapshot by project name<\/h3>\n\n\n
    bfexport -f helloworld test_project<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Export one named snapshot<\/h3>\n\n\n
    bfexport -f helloworld test_project snapshot_1<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Export by UUID with a comment<\/h3>\n\n\n
    bfexport -c \"Saving a copy of project before making changes\"<\/span> -f helloworld 675<\/span>B57CC-8366<\/span>-11<\/span>DD-B2E0-043<\/span>C04E44E1A<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Include servers and server collectors<\/h3>\n\n\n
    .\/bfexport -c \"Saving a copy of project before making changes\"<\/span> -C -s -f Citius-Coverity-Full-parent<\/span> 6<\/span>d66e5050c5a1000bcd5cd010bc00bc0<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Parent snapshot syntax shown in the original post<\/h3>\n\n\n
    bfexport -f helloworld test_project parent<\/span> Document<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Common pitfalls and best practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    • Always use -f<\/strong> when you need a reusable XML export file.<\/li>
    • Run -l<\/strong> first to avoid typos in project names and to confirm UUIDs.<\/li>
    • If you use -C<\/strong>, include -s<\/strong> as required by the original option notes.<\/li>
    • Add a meaningful -c<\/strong> comment before major project changes.<\/li>
    • Validate parent snapshot syntax in your environment, because the original example is terse and version-specific behavior may differ.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
      This guide explains how to use BuildForge\u2019s bfexport command to list projects and export project data to XML. It includes option references, workflow, and practical command examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[2340,164,2343,2345,2346,2344,2347,2338,2341,545,593,2339,2342,1452],"class_list":["post-333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buildforge","tag-bfexport","tag-buildforge","tag-buildforge-exporting-projects-guide","tag-buildforge-exporting-projects-instructions","tag-buildforge-exporting-projects-references","tag-buildforge-exporting-projects-tutorial","tag-buildforge-tutorial","tag-export","tag-exporting-projects","tag-how","tag-process","tag-project","tag-stpes","tag-ways"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79203,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions\/79203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}