And you get to thinking, what files could I copy and save as backup without copying an entire profile folder. Then you find out by reading or whatever, then you get to thinking, what the fuck are all these other files in here. Well for Firefox 115 portable version on Windows, I looked up all that shit. I'll put the information here.
files in the Profile folder that are worthwhile to back up
most important:
containers.json: stores information about containers you have created for separate cookie associations for use with the Mulit-Account Containers extension
cookies.sqlite: stores cookies, which websites use to keep information
places.sqlite: stores your browsing history, bookmarks, and information about downloaded files
prefs.js: stores customized user preference settings, such as changes you make in Firefox Settings dialogs, toolbars customizations, and about:config changes. the optional user.js file, if one exists, will override any modified preferences
sessionstore.jsonlz4: stores the current session data (including pinned tabs) when Firefox is properly closed
xulstore.json: stores user interface customizations to the browswer toolbar, sidebar, and library window
boof (OP) triple-posted this 5 months ago, 58 seconds later, 2 minutes after the original post[^][v]#1,384,645
also useful:
content-prefs.sqlite: stores site-specific preferences, such as the default zoom level for specific websites, and permissions to access your location, camera, and microphone
favicons.sqlite: stores the website icons (favicons) associated with your bookmarks and browsing history
formhistory.sqlite: stores form data and search terms that you have entered into website forms and the Firefox search bar
handlers.json: stores information about how Firefox handles specific file types and protocols, including user preferences for files such as pdfs
permissions.sqlite: stores site-specific permissions such as user preferences for allowing popups
boof (OP) quadruple-posted this 5 months ago, 1 minute later, 3 minutes after the original post[^][v]#1,384,646
folders in the Profile folder that have files that are worthwhile to back up
most important:
bookmarkbackups: stores bookmark backup files from information that is in the places.sqlite file. the files may be created daily, keeping the 15 most recent [-- I only saw one file at first, later only four files -- perhaps dependent on making changes to bookmarks]
chrome: contains your userConent.css and userChrome.css, if you made them
also useful:
thumbnails: stores thumbnails that are shown in the new tabs' "top sites", and tab previews
boof (OP) quintuple-posted this 5 months ago, 23 hours later, 23 hours after the original post[^][v]#1,384,832
OK, now that you got used to the idea that some files are much more worth backing up than others, here is a list of all of the other files that appear directly in the profile folder in Firefox 115.
more files in profile folder
activity-stream.discovery_stream.json: stores data related to the Activity Stream feature, which provides personalized content on the New Tab page
addons.json: list of installed extensions
addonStartup.json.lz4: stores information about installed add-ons, e.g. enabled/disabled state
AlternateServices.txt: stores information about HTTP Alternative Services, lets websites to communicate secure connections (HTTPS) even if the website itself doesn't directly support HTTP
broadcast-listeners.json: stores information about broadcast handlers within the browser's extensions, for communication between the browser and extensions
cert9.db: stores security certificate information to verify the identity of websites for secure connections
compatibility.ini: stores information about the Firefox version that previously accessed the profile and helps for figuring if there is an incompatibility with the Firefox version in use
ExperimentStoreData.json: stores data related to experiments that Mozilla might be doing
extension-preferences.json: stores information to give extensions privilege to run in private tabs
extensions.json: stores information about installed extensions
extension-settings.json: stores settings for installed extensions that give extensions some special privileges, does not store user's custom settings
key4.db: stores the encryption key that Firefox uses to protect your saved usernames and passwords that are kept in logins.json
parent.lock: presence indicates that a profile is currently in use, preventing multiple instances of Firefox from using the same profile simultaneously
pkcs11.txt: for use of Network Security Services (NSS) to interact with security devices like smart cards or hardware security modules that use PKCS#11 (Public-Key Cryptography Standards)
protections.sqlite: stores data related to the browser's Enhanced Tracking Protection feature
serviceworker.txt: stores information about installed service workers, javascripts that run in the background of the user’s browser, acting like a proxy server between web applications, the browser, and the network, allows to continue functioning offline if the user loses connection
sessionCheckpoints.json: indicates when the previous Firefox closing was a normal shutdown. If Firefox crashes or is closed improperly, sessionCheckpoints.json will not have the normal shutdown flag, and Firefox will attempt to restore the session from the sessionstore.jsonlz4 file or backups
shield-preference-experiments.json: used to store settings related to Firefox's Shield study for testing features with some users that might be given to everyone later
SiteSecurityServiceState.txt: stores information related to HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) and HPKP (HTTP Public Key Pinning) for visited websites
storage.sqlite: stores the version number of the Quota Manager for SQLite database files to ensure compatibility and proper handling of data when the browser is updated
storage-sync-v2.sqlite: stores data related to Firefox's sync functionality and extension data, specifically for items stored in the storage.sync area
storage-sync-v2.sqlite-shm: "shared memory" file related to storage-sync-v2.sqlite, it helps multiple clients (like Firefox and any background processes) efficiently access and manage the main database
storage-sync-v2.sqlite-wal: "write ahead log" file related to storage-sync-v2.sqlite, storing recent changes before they are written to the main database
targeting.snapshot.json: stores configuration data related to the Firefox Messaging System's targeting rules, which are used to determine which features or content to display to the user
times.json: stores the profile's creation date and the date of its first use
boof (OP) sextuple-posted this 5 months ago, 23 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#1,385,021
more folders in the profile folder:
browser-extension-data: contains files that store settings, preferences, and other data for extensions
cache2: contains temporary files related to browsing such as images, scripts, and other resources
chrome_debugger_profile: created when you use Browser Toolbox
crashes: stores crash reports when it closes unexpectedly
datareporting: stores data collected for Firefox's telemetry and data reporting features
extensions: stores the files for all installed extensions
extension-store: stores data related to installed extensions, specifically their settings and configurations [yet it is empty]
features: contains system add-ons or extensions that are part of the Firefox browser itself
gmp: contains Gecko Media Plugins, specifically the OpenH264 and Widevine CDM plugins
gmp-gmpopenh264: stores the OpenH264 video codec, provided by Cisco Systems
gmp-widevinecdm: stores the Widevine Content Decryption Module (CDM), a component that enables Firefox to play DRM-protected content like those from Netflix or Spotify
jumpListCache: stores data related to the Windows Jump List feature accessible from the Windows taskbar icon, for quick access to recently visited websites and tasks within Firefox
minidumps: stores files that contain information about crashes
safebrowsing: files asscociated with Google's Safe Browsing service for protection from malicious websites and downloads. also sends data (URLs and file hashes) to Google when checking for threats
saved-telemetry-pings: temporary storage location for telemetry data (browser performance, stability, and feature usage) before it's sent to Mozilla
security_state: stores data for browser security, such as certificate trust settings and handling of mixed content (securely loaded web pages that use resources fetched via HTTP or another insecure protocol)
sessionstore-backups: stores backups of your browsing session data for restoring your tabs and windows if Firefox crashes or if you want to revert to a previous session. the file sessionstore.jsonlz4 is present if Firefox has closed properly. the file previous.jsonlz4 is a backup from the previous opening of Firefox, recovery.jsonlz4 is the latest version of session data written during runtime, recovery.baklz4 is a previous version of the session data written during runtime, and files named starting with upgrade.jsonlz4- are backups creating during Firefox upgrades.
settings: contains the data.safe.bin file which is for the storage of intermediate CA (Certificate Authority) certificates for verifying other certificates, and the asrouter.ftl file which is related to Firefox's Enhanced Tracking Protection feature for displaying messages and prompts related to how Firefox securely routes DNS requests to protect users' privacy, as in public networks
startupCache: stores information about add-ons, settings, and the browser's UI, so that Firefox can be faster to start up
storage: stores data from websites and installed extensions