Why?
I have tried using gmvault before, but encountered several problems:
- I couldn't use the latest version because the OAuth access could not be modified. For security reasons, Google rightfully blocked the OAuth screen. This is why I had to switch to an older version, where it was possible to configure the credentials JSON.
- I had to give IMAP access to the account, which is also not the most secure and far from modern.
In the meantime, a new requirement recently emerged to save data from other Google services as well (e.g. drive, contacts). Additionally, it would be great to manage all accounts of Google Workspace, of course not separately for each account.
I tried using gmvault for gmail messages, but in a workspace environment, I had to set it up for each account, which users could also freely delete. Secondly, probably for security reasons, the system randomly revoked the OAuth access.
The new project name: gwbackupy
The project is written in python and open-source. I am still at the beginning of the development, but it is suitable for saving / restoring gmail messages. It is a CLI software similar to gmvault.
Main features
- CLI interface
- Communicates through Google APIs
- Versioned storage. No need for separate snapshot or other packaging system. Deleted emails will remain.
- fullsync, quick-sync, restore, restore to another account, dry mode
- service account and OAuth screen authentication modes are supported
- Currently, only Gmail messages and labels are implemented.
Links
- The source code of the project is available here: https://github.com/smartondev/gwbackupy
- The package is on Pypi.org: https://pypi.org/project/gwbackupy/
Thanks for reading this article, I hope you found it interesting!
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