Understand readable backup data

Know the data boundary

A Fastly backup is JSON text rather than an encrypted vault format. It can contain session timestamps, notes, mood labels, optional weight, and supported preferences.

Use the supported file workflow

Store it in a location whose access you understand. Before choosing a shared folder or messaging destination, consider who can read or retain the file there.

Import replaces the current local dataset rather than merging it. Export first if you want to retain the current copy, and review the file date before confirming Replace local records.

Check the copy you actually have

A backup can reveal more than a progress image because the journal is included. Archiving a record does not exclude it from the JSON export.

Manage each retained copy

Do not assume that the word backup makes a file private by itself. Its confidentiality depends on where you put it and the protections of the destination you choose.

The importer expects a version-1 Fastly JSON object and rejects files larger than 10 MB. Record validation checks dates, goal values, note length, optional weight, and the distinction between running and completed records.

A worked walkthrough

Consider a backup containing a short note about travel, a mood label, and optional weight on an archived session. Even though the record is not visible in main history, those fields still appear in the export. Someone with access to that readable JSON may be able to inspect them without opening Fastly. This is why the destination matters as much as the export control itself. A private folder you understand and a broadly shared project folder have different access boundaries, even when both appear in the same share sheet. If your purpose is only showing a duration, select the progress-image workflow instead of sending the full dataset by habit. If you later edit the note in the app, earlier exported files remain unchanged. Review each retained copy according to what it contains and where you chose to save it.