Free and open source — Local Dev Data Reset & Snapshot Tool

Snapshot, restore, and reset Docker Compose data volumes for rapid development iteration.

# In a directory with docker-compose.yaml
dataclean snapshot before-migration   # Save current state
dataclean list                        # Show snapshots
dataclean restore before-migration    # Restore saved state
dataclean reset                       # Wipe to empty state

• Auto-detection: Finds volumes from compose.yaml / docker-compose.yaml
• Smart datastore detection: Recognizes Postgres, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, Neo4j
• Safe by default: Destructive operations require --force or confirmation
• Auto-backup: Creates backup before restore/reset operations
• Project-local: Snapshots stored in .dataclean/ (gitignore-friendly)
• Snapshot tagging: Add tags for organization and filtering
• Metadata support: Add descriptions and custom metadata to snapshots
• Include/exclude filters: Snapshot only specific volumes
• Size reporting: See snapshot sizes and datastore size breakdowns
• Retention policies: Auto-cleanup old snapshots

brew install stackgen-cli/tap/dataclean

Download from releases and add to PATH:

# macOS/Linux
chmod +x dataclean
sudo mv dataclean /usr/local/bin/

git clone https://github.com/stackgen-cli/dataclean
cd dataclean
make build

Create a named snapshot of current data state.

dataclean snapshot                    # auto-named: snapshot-2024-01-15-143052
dataclean snapshot before-migration   # named: before-migration
dataclean snapshot --dry-run          # preview only
dataclean snapshot --tag production   # add a tag
dataclean snapshot --description "Before schema v2 migration"
dataclean snapshot --include postgres_data --include redis_data
dataclean snapshot --exclude tmp_cache

Restore data from a named snapshot. Destructive - replaces current data.

dataclean restore before-migration          # prompts for confirmation
dataclean restore before-migration --force  # skip confirmation
dataclean restore before-migration --dry-run

Wipe all volumes to empty state. Destructive - deletes all data.

dataclean reset          # prompts for confirmation
dataclean reset --force  # skip confirmation
dataclean reset --dry-run

Show all available snapshots.

dataclean list

Output:

NAME               CREATED           SIZE    VOLUMES
before-migration   2024-01-15 14:30  45.2 MB 3
fresh-install      2024-01-14 09:15  12.1 MB 3

dataclean works with zero configuration by auto-detecting from compose.yaml.

For advanced use, create .dataclean.yaml:

# Optional: explicit compose file path
compose_file: docker-compose.yaml

# Optional: only snapshot these volumes (default: all)
include_volumes:
  - postgres_data
  - redis_data

# Optional: exclude these volumes
exclude_volumes:
  - tmp_cache

# Optional: override datastore type detection
datastore_hints:
  custom_volume: postgres

# Optional: custom snapshot directory
snapshot_dir: .dataclean

# Optional: auto-backup before restore/reset (default: true)
backup_before_restore: true

# Start fresh development environment
docker compose up -d
dataclean snapshot fresh-install

# Work on feature, add test data
# ... development ...

# Need to test migration? Save current state
dataclean snapshot before-migration

# Run migration
./migrate.sh

# Something went wrong? Restore
dataclean restore before-migration --force

# Start completely fresh
dataclean reset --force
dataclean restore fresh-install --force

Snapshots are stored in .dataclean/ in your project directory:

.dataclean/
├── before-migration/
│   ├── metadata.yaml
│   ├── myproject_postgres_data.tar.gz
│   └── myproject_redis_data.tar.gz
└── fresh-install/
    ├── metadata.yaml
    └── ...

Add to .gitignore:

.dataclean/

dataclean is part of the local development toolchain:

1. stackgen → Generate local dev stacks
2. envgraph → Inspect & validate config/env
3. dataclean → Manage local data state

dataclean is free and open source.

If this tool saved you time, consider sponsoring:

Your support helps maintain and improve this tool.

MIT License. See LICENSE.

For local development and testing only.

This tool performs destructive operations on Docker volumes. Always ensure you have backups of important data. See DISCLAIMER.md.