---
title: 'flexkit export'
description: 'Reference and usage guidance for flexkit export.'
---

# `flexkit export`

Exports the full dataset of a project — every entity, every asset and its binary file — into a `.tar.gz` bundle that [`flexkit import`](/docs/cli/import) can restore into the same or another project.

## Synopsis

```bash
flexkit export [dest.tar.gz] [options]
```

## Bundle layout

```
flexkit-export-<projectId>-<date>.tar.gz
├── data.ndjson      # one entity per line, in the import file format
├── assets.ndjson    # asset metadata (_id, sha256, tags, _file, ...)
└── files/           # asset binaries, named <assetId>.<ext>
```

- `data.ndjson` lines use the same format `flexkit import` accepts: scalar values inline, asset references as `{"_asset": "file://files/<id>.<ext>"}` (arrays ordered by `sortOrder`), and entity relationships as `{"_ref": "<entityId>"}`.
- `assets.ndjson` preserves each asset's `_id`, metadata, `sha256` and tag names, so a re-import keeps ids stable and reattaches tags.
- Localized attributes export every scope defined in the project's `scopes` config. Values that only exist in the `default` scope stay plain (`"name": "Chair"`); values with additional scopes are wrapped (`"name": {"_scopes": {"default": "Chair", "gb": "Armchair"}}`).

## Behavior

- Reads the entity types from your local config's schema and pages through each type with GraphQL queries.
- Downloads every asset file once (deduplicated by asset `_id`).
- Without `--type`, all project assets are bundled — including ones not referenced by any entity. With `--type`, only assets referenced by the exported entities are bundled.
- The default destination is `flexkit-export-<projectId>-<date>.tar.gz` in the current directory.

## Round trip

Importing an export into an empty project reproduces the dataset:

- Entity `_id`s are preserved, so `_ref` relationships reconnect in the import's second pass.
- Asset `_id`s are preserved via `assets.ndjson`, and content deduplication avoids storing duplicate file contents; repeated requests may still consume resources.

```bash
flexkit export
flexkit import flexkit-export-my-project-2026-07-20.tar.gz --project other-project
```

## Options

- `--project <ID>`: Select the project when the local config defines several.
- `--type <ENTITY>`: Only export the given entity type(s), comma-separated (e.g. `--type product,brand`).
- `--concurrency <N>`: Parallel file downloads (default `5`).
- `--overwrite`: Replace the destination file if it already exists.

## Examples

```bash
# Export everything
flexkit export

# Export a subset of entity types
flexkit export products.tar.gz --type product,brand

# Refresh an earlier export file
flexkit export backup.tar.gz --overwrite
```


---

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