Dumpio

All data is stored in the app's user-data folder (reachable from Settings → Data → Open data folder). This page describes where data lives, how automatic saving works, and how to export dumps or back up your configuration.

Where data lives#

A few display preferences (the chosen editor, active filters, the search query/scope/regex, window pinning, the last selected dump) are stored in the browser's local storage, not in settings.json — that's why the workspace opens as you left it.

Dumps in memory#

Received dumps are held in memory newest-first, with a Maximum dumps in memory limit (default 1000). When exceeded, the oldest dumps are discarded. Change the limit in Settings → Data (100–10000).

Saving dumps to disk#

Persistence is off by default — after a restart the list is empty until you enable one of the options:

• Automatically save dumps to disk – writes dumps.json every 5 seconds.
• Force save dumps when application exits – writes dumps.json on exit.

When either is on, dumps are loaded back on the next launch (newest-first, trimmed to the memory limit).

You can also save at any time via a manual force-save; and clearing dumps while saving is enabled also removes them from disk.

Export#

• Export dumps (the header button or the command palette) – saves all current dumps to a chosen JSON file. The file has the shape { exportDate, totalDumps, dumps: [...] }; the default name is dumps-YYYY-MM-DD.json.
• Export settings (Settings → Data) – saves the whole configuration to dumpio-settings-YYYY-MM-DD.json.

Archiving a session#

Archive this session (the sidebar, or the Archive this session command) stores everything currently in the stream under a name and hands you an empty list to keep working in — unlike Clear, nothing is lost.

• Archives live in archives/ inside the data folder: index.json lists them (so the sidebar never has to read a large session) and each archive is a <id>.json file in the same shape as an export, so an archive can be handed to someone else and imported.
• Click an archive in the sidebar to reopen it. It merges back in like an import, so reopening the same archive twice adds nothing.
• The × deletes an archive (its file and its index entry). Dumps you already reopened stay in the list.
• If the index is ever lost, the archive files themselves are still complete sessions — importing one brings it back.

Importing dumps#

Import (the header button or the command palette) loads a previously exported dump file back into the viewer — your own session from last week, or one a colleague sent you.

• It accepts what Dumpio writes ({ exportDate, totalDumps, dumps: [...] }), the on-disk save file, and a bare JSON array of dumps. Anything else is refused with a message.
• The import merges: dumps already in the list (same id) are skipped, so importing the same file twice adds nothing. Use Clear first if you want only the imported session.
• The merged list stays newest-first and still respects the in-memory dump limit; entries that don't look like a dump are ignored rather than breaking the import.

Importing settings#

Import settings (Settings → Data) loads a previously exported settings file. It is first validated (it must be JSON with a servers array) and then applied at runtime: the security cache, memory limit, auto-save, and running servers are reconciled to the imported configuration.

Deleting#

• Clear (header) or Clear all dumps (Settings → Data / command palette) empties the in-memory list and the selection. When saving is enabled, dumps.json is emptied too. The action is irreversible.
• Reset to defaults (Settings → Data) restores the default appearance and data settings but leaves servers and saved dumps alone.