Best method/tool to backup all things Cydia - Apps/packages,Tweaks,themes, etc?

jbloggs said:

What is the best method or tool to back up all things related to Cydia including Apps/Packages, tweaks, themes, etc?

Also will the cydia backup/restore cause conflict with itunes backup/restore?

Another thing is that I read that some backup tools will only backup/restore to the same version of iOS, so if you take a backup from version 4.1 then you can restore that backup on version 5.1, is this true for all backup methods?

And will the Cydia backup be stored on some server somewhere or my local PC?

Ideally, I would want to be in a position where I can restore to, lets say, 5.1 then jailbreak and finally restore cydia backup.

Click to expand...

Pkgbackup is a good tool according to most, & I believe that an upcoming version of Redsn0w will allow for Cydia package backups.

My only concern with Pkgbackup I that you need to be sure that the packages you re-install are compatible with the new iOS version you update to. I would check the version history in Cydia before re-installing.

+1 for PkgBackup, it's worth the money I've used it multiple times for restoring and it's easy and quick!

I'm a bit old fashioned: I write all of my installed packages in a notepad file and then after restoring and reapplying the jailbreak just doing it manually, searching for each package and then adding it to the queue. It takes a while, but this does address the issue ZCherub brought up in that it won't let me install non-compatible packages this way.

For those looking for a quick way to do this and are willing to pay for it, I would recommend pkgbackup.

Kyotoma said:

I'm a bit old fashioned: I write all of my installed packages in a notepad file and then after restoring and reapplying the jailbreak just doing it manually, searching for each package and then adding it to the queue. It takes a while, but this does address the issue ZCherub brought up in that it won't let me install non-compatible packages this way.

For those looking for a quick way to do this and are willing to pay for it, I would recommend pkgbackup.

Click to expand...

Yup. This is how I do it as well. I have about 10 or so tweaks/apps installed (no themes) - so manually re-installing them one-by-one is no big deal.

However for those with a bunch of tweaks/apps/themes on their device, PkgBackup is the way to go. I purchased a while back "just in case" I might need it.

Wirelessly posted

Kyotoma said:

I'm a bit old fashioned: I write all of my installed packages in a notepad file and then after restoring and reapplying the jailbreak just doing it manually, searching for each package and then adding it to the queue. It takes a while, but this does address the issue ZCherub brought up in that it won't let me install non-compatible packages this way.

For those looking for a quick way to do this and are willing to pay for it, I would recommend pkgbackup.

Click to expand...

Ive used pkgbackup, aptbackup, and a third called appbackup(?) maybe. I'm not sure of the names but one of them is to backup specific app data like games and login information. I can check my spare 3GS later on for the correct name because I know it's on that phone. I've used all three at length in the past but now I only use that one app to save game data and then do exactly the same as Kyotoma. I grab a pen and paper and just go through the installed packages list in cydia and write down everything. Then I ALWAYS restore as new, sync contacts and calendar, jailbreak, download the cydia app so I can restore all the games saved data (can't lose all the unlocked stuff I wasted hours earning!) then I go one by one and install my essential apps.

Anyways this is how I perform every restore and I've never had a problem. Save the game and app data, write down all the installed packages, restore as new, set up the phone, jailbreak, then install my essentials from cydia and restore my saved game data.

Good luck!

Pkgbackup is the best.