Storage Backends

Storage Backends

TaskFlow supports multiple storage backends for flexibility.

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Available Backends

Backend	Format	Best For
JSON	.json	Default, portable, human-readable
YAML	.yaml	Human-editable, configuration-friendly
SQLite	.db	Large datasets, performance
Markdown	.md	Version control, text-based workflows

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JSON Backend (Default)

Human-readable JSON format.

File Location

~/.local/share/taskflow/tasks.json

Example Format

{
  "tasks": [
    {
      "id": "abc123",
      "title": "Complete report",
      "status": "todo",
      "priority": "high",
      "due_date": "2025-12-20",
      "tags": ["work", "urgent"],
      "project_id": "proj-1"
    }
  ],
  "projects": [
    {
      "id": "proj-1",
      "name": "Work",
      "color": "blue"
    }
  ]
}

Pros

• Human-readable
• Easy to edit manually
• Portable across systems
• Good for small to medium task lists

Cons

• Slower with very large datasets
• No concurrent access protection

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YAML Backend

YAML format for human-friendly editing.

Enabling YAML

taskflow --backend yaml

Or in config:

[storage]
backend = "yaml"

File Location

~/.local/share/taskflow/tasks.yaml

Example Format

tasks:
  - id: abc123
    title: Complete report
    status: todo
    priority: high
    due_date: 2025-12-20
    tags:
      - work
      - urgent
    project_id: proj-1

projects:
  - id: proj-1
    name: Work
    color: blue

Pros

• Very human-readable
• Easy manual editing
• Good for version control diffs
• Configuration file familiarity

Cons

• Whitespace-sensitive
• Slightly slower parsing than JSON

---

SQLite Backend

Database storage for large task lists.

Enabling SQLite

taskflow --backend sqlite

Or in config:

[storage]
backend = "sqlite"

File Location

~/.local/share/taskflow/tasks.db

Pros

• Excellent performance
• Handles large datasets (10,000+ tasks)
• ACID transactions
• Concurrent access support

Cons

• Not human-readable
• Requires SQLite tools to inspect
• Binary format

When to Use

• Large task collections
• Performance-critical workflows
• Multi-instance access needs

---

Markdown Backend

Plain text Markdown format.

Enabling Markdown

taskflow --backend markdown

Or in config:

[storage]
backend = "markdown"

File Location

~/.local/share/taskflow/tasks.md

Example Format

# Tasks

## Work

- [ ] Complete report !high due:2025-12-20 #work #urgent
- [x] Review PR #code

## Personal

- [ ] Buy groceries due:today
- [ ] Call mom sched:saturday

Pros

• Version control friendly
• Editable with any text editor
• Portable and universal format
• Great for Git-based workflows

Cons

• Limited metadata support
• Manual editing may lose some data
• Parsing complexity

Best For

• Git-tracked task lists
• Simple workflows
• Obsidian/Logseq integration

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Choosing a Backend

Decision Guide

Scenario	Recommended
Starting out	JSON (default)
Manual editing	YAML or Markdown
Large task list (1000+)	SQLite
Git version control	Markdown
Team shared file	SQLite
Obsidian integration	Markdown

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Switching Backends

Export Then Import

1. Export current data:

   Ctrl+e → Export CSV
   

2. Change backend in config

3. Restart TaskFlow

4. Import data:

   Ctrl+i → Import CSV
   

Direct Conversion

TaskFlow doesn't directly convert between backends. Use export/import.

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Data Location

All backends store data in:

~/.local/share/taskflow/

Override with:

taskflow --data-dir /path/to/data

Or in config:

[storage]
data_dir = "/path/to/data"

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Backup Recommendations

JSON/YAML/Markdown

Regular file backup:

cp ~/.local/share/taskflow/tasks.json ~/backup/

SQLite

Use SQLite backup:

sqlite3 ~/.local/share/taskflow/tasks.db ".backup ~/backup/tasks.db"

Automated Backup

Add to crontab:

0 * * * * cp ~/.local/share/taskflow/tasks.* ~/backup/taskflow/

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Performance Comparison

Backend	100 tasks	1,000 tasks	10,000 tasks
JSON	Instant	Fast	Noticeable
YAML	Instant	Fast	Noticeable
SQLite	Instant	Instant	Fast
Markdown	Instant	Fast	Slower

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Tips

1. Start with JSON - Default is fine for most users
2. Switch to SQLite - If you have 1000+ tasks
3. Use Markdown - For Git-tracked workflows
4. Backup regularly - Regardless of backend

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See Also

• Import-Export - Moving data between formats
• Configuration - Backend settings
• CLI-Options - Command line backend selection