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zelta-prune(8)		     System Manager's Manual		  zelta-prune(8)

NAME
     zelta prune - identify snapshots safe for deletion based on backup state

SYNOPSIS
     zelta prune [OPTIONS] source target

DESCRIPTION
     zelta  prune identifies snapshots on a source dataset that have been safely
     replicated to a target and are eligible for  deletion  based  on  retention
     policies.	 This  command	is  useful for managing snapshot accumulation on
     production systems while ensuring backup integrity.

     zelta prune only suggests snapshots for deletion--it does not delete  them.
     Output is provided in a format suitable for review before execution.

     As  with  other  Zelta  commands,	zelta prune works recursively on dataset
     trees.  Both source and target may be local or remote via ssh(1).

   Safety Criteria
     WARNING: zelta prune is a new feature currently in production  testing  and
     will be formally released in Zelta 1.2 (May 2026).

     A snapshot is considered safe to prune only if:

     1. The snapshot exists on the target (has been replicated)

     2. The snapshot is older than the most recent common match point

     3. The snapshot meets the minimum retention requirements

     Snapshots	newer  than the common match point are never suggested for dele-
     tion, as they may be needed for future incremental replication.

     Remote endpoint names follow  scp(1)  conventions.   Dataset  names  follow
     zfs(8) naming conventions.

OPTIONS
     Endpoint Arguments (Required)

     source
	    The dataset tree containing snapshots to evaluate for pruning.

     target
	    The backup dataset tree used to verify replication status.

     Output Options

     -v, --verbose
	    Increase  verbosity.   Specify  once  for  operational detail, twice
	    (-vv) for debug output.

     -q, --quiet
	    Quiet output.  Specify once to suppress  warnings,	twice  (-qq)  to
	    suppress errors.

     -n, --dryrun, --dry-run
	    Display zfs commands without executing them.

     Retention Options

     --keep-snap-num N
	    Minimum number of snapshots to keep after the match point.	Default:
	    100.

     --keep-snap-days N
	    Minimum age in days before a snapshot is eligible for deletion.  De-
	    fault: 90.

     --no-ranges
	    Disable  range compression in output.  By default, consecutive snap-
	    shots are displayed as ranges (e.g., snap1%snap5).	This option out-
	    puts individual snapshot names, one per line.

     Dataset Options

     -d, --depth LEVELS
	    Limit recursion depth.  For example, a depth of 1 includes only  the
	    specified dataset.

     -X, --exclude PATTERN
	    Exclude  datasets  matching  the  specified  pattern.  See zelta-op-
	    tions(7) for pattern syntax.

OUTPUT FORMAT
     By default, zelta prune outputs snapshot ranges using ZFS range syntax:

	    pool/dataset@oldest_snap%newest_snap

     This format is compatible	with  zfs  destroy  for  batch	deletion.   With
     --no-ranges, individual snapshot names are output one per line.

EXAMPLES
     Identify  prunable  snapshots  with  default  retention  (100 snapshots, 90
     days):

	    zelta prune tank/data backup-host.example:tank/backups/data

     Use stricter retention (keep 200 snapshots, 180 days minimum age):

	    zelta prune --keep-snap-num=200 --keep-snap-days=180 \
		tank/data backup-host.example:tank/backups/data

     Output individual snapshots instead of ranges:

	    zelta prune --no-ranges tank/data backup-host.example:tank/backups/data

     Review and then delete prunable snapshots:

	    # First, review what would be deleted
	    zelta prune tank/data backup:tank/backups/data

	    # If satisfied, pipe to xargs for deletion (use with caution)
	    zelta prune tank/data backup:tank/backups/data | xargs -n1 zfs destroy

     Exclude temporary datasets from consideration:

	    zelta prune -X '*/tmp' tank/data backup:tank/backups/data

EXIT STATUS
     Returns 0 on success, non-zero on error.

NOTES
     zelta prune is experimental.  Always review output before	executing  dele-
     tions.

     This  command  is	driven	by  the  zelta	match  comparison  engine.   See
     zelta-match(8) for details on how source and target snapshots are compared.

     See zelta-options(7) for environment variables and zelta.env configuration.

SEE ALSO
     zelta(8),	zelta-options(7),   zelta-match(8),   zelta-backup(8),	 zfs(8),
     zfs-destroy(8)

AUTHORS
     Daniel J. Bell <bellhyve@zelta.space>

WWW
     https://zelta.space

								  zelta-prune(8)

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