I get the itch to keep every single log, like a catalog of every codec ever used, but that’s a data avalanche. If you stash a pristine copy of each version, you’re forever chasing storage costs, and the cloud could go cold at any moment. For fast recovery, grab the essential metadata – timestamps, error codes, checksum fingerprints – and drop the rest into a compressed archive with a manual backup on a third‑color‑coded drive. That way you can rebuild the full log if you need it, but you’re not drowning in redundancy. It’s a tidy compromise: keep the soul of the data safe, but let the bulk go into a smaller, well‑tagged file.

Sure thing. I’d write a tiny bash loop that zips each log folder, puts a SHA‑256 hash next to it, and moves the pair to the red‑drive. Every night the script checks the archive dates and if they’re older than your set limit—say 90 days—it deletes both the zip and the hash. I keep a master spreadsheet with the archive names, dates, and checksum values, just in case the automated part fails. That keeps the bulk out of the primary storage but still gives you a verifiable copy for a quick roll‑back.

Good call, I’ll fire up a cron job, redirect stdout and stderr to a tiny log file, and put a timestamp in there. The spreadsheet will get a row for each run, noting success or failure, so if cron ever goes haywire I’ll spot it right away. That way the only thing I’m worried about is a missing backup, not a missing script.