375 lines
18 KiB
Markdown
375 lines
18 KiB
Markdown
# Discord Reaper: Backup System Technical Specification
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This document provides a deep-dive into the architecture, data lifecycle, and resilience strategies of the Discord Reaper backup system.
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## 1. Architectural Overview
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The backup system is built on a decoupled architecture that separates the API communication layer from the business logic and I/O operations.
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- **`DiscordReader` (API Provider)**: A high-level wrapper around the `discord.py` library. It handles authentication, rate limiting, and provides an asynchronous interface for fetching guild data, message history, and binary assets. It focuses on *fetching* rather than *processing*.
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- **`DiscordExporter` (Orchestration & Serialization)**: The core engine that defines the export lifecycle. It consumes data from the `Reader`, transforms it into standardized schemas, and manages local filesystem operations.
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### Component Interaction Diagram
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```mermaid
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graph TD
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A[UI / CLI] --> B[DiscordExporter]
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B --> C[DiscordReader]
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C --> D[Discord API]
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B --> E[Local Filesystem]
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B --> F[User Cache Object]
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```
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### File Tree Structure
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```
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DISCORD_BACKUP-{ServerID}/
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├── server_profile/
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│ ├── profile.json # Server metadata (name, ID, icon/banner paths)
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│ ├── roles.json # All server roles (permissions, colors, positions)
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│ ├── structure.json # Full category and channel hierarchy
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│ ├── assets.json # Index of custom emojis and stickers
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│ └── assets/ # Binary media files
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│ ├── server_icon.png
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│ ├── server_banner.png
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│ ├── emoji_{name}_{id}.png
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│ └── sticker_{name}_{id}.png
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└── message_backup/
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├── users/
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│ ├── user_info.json # Deduplicated user profile cache
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│ └── avatars/ # User avatar images
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│ └── {user_id}.png
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└── {channel_id}/
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├── messages.json # Channel message history + metadata
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├── attachments/ # Channel-level attachments
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│ └── {filename}-{id_last_5}.{ext}
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└── {thread_id}/ # Thread nested inside parent channel
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├── thread_messages.json
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└── thread_attachments/
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└── {filename}-{id_last_5}.{ext}
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```
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---
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## 2. Data Lifecycle & Serialization
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### 2.1 Incremental Synchronization Algorithm
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To achieve idempotency and efficiency, the system implements an incremental sync strategy using Discord's snowflake IDs.
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1. **State Loading**: The `Exporter` reads the existing `{channel_id}/messages.json` (if present).
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2. **Snowflake Extraction**: It extracts the `lastMessageID` from the metadata.
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3. **Filtered Fetch**: It calls `fetch_message_history(after_id=last_id)`.
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4. **In-Memory Merge**: New messages are appended to the existing list.
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5. **Atomic Write**: The updated JSON is written back to disk, ensuring that only new delta data is fetched from the API.
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### 2.2 User Profile Deduplication (`user_info.json`)
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The system avoids redundant storage of user metadata (usernames, roles, colors) by using a global `user_cache` map.
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- **Key**: `userID` (Snowflake).
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- **Policy**: Users are added to the cache only on their first appearance in any channel's history.
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- **Avatar Persistence**: User avatars are stored in `message_backup/users/avatars/` and referenced by relative paths in the JSON schemas.
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---
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## 3. Special Channel Type Specifications
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### 3.1 Forum Channels & Threads
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Forums present a hierarchical challenge where the "starter message" and the "conversation" exist in separate contexts.
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- **Forum Index (`{forum_id}/messages.json`)**: Contains an enriched list of "starter messages" representing each thread. These entries include thread titles, applied tags, and total attachment stats (summed from the entire thread).
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- **Thread Persistence**: All threads nest inside their parent channel directory:
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- **Forum Threads**: `message_backup/{forum_id}/{thread_id}/thread_messages.json`
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- **Regular Threads**: `message_backup/{parent_channel_id}/{thread_id}/thread_messages.json`
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- **Starter Identification**: The system uses `thread.history(limit=1, after=snowflake(thread_id - 1))` to reliably capture the first post even if it has been edited or pinned.
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---
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## 4. Resilience & Error Handling
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### 4.1 Permission Resilience (403 Forbidden)
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The system is designed to "fail-soft" when encountering restricted content:
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- **Server Level**: If the bot lacks `view_channel` or `read_message_history` globally, the backup aborts with a clear error.
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- **Channel Level**: If a specific channel is restricted, the error is logged, and the system proceeds to the next channel to ensure a partial backup is still completed.
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- **Asset Level**: If an emoji or sticker cannot be downloaded due to permissions, the metadata is preserved with a `null` local path.
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### 4.2 Lottie Sticker Workaround
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Discord's Lottie stickers (format: 3) are not supported by standard `discord.py` save methods. The system implements a bypass:
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1. Extracts the internal `aiohttp` session from the client: `client.http._HTTPClient__session`.
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2. Performs a direct `GET` request to the sticker URL.
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3. Streams the raw byte data directly to a `.json` file locally.
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---
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## 5. Technical Schemas
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### 5.1 Message Object (`_format_message`)
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The internal representation of a message focuses on portability:
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `messageID` | `String` | Original Discord Snowflake |
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| `type` | `String` | Normalized type (Text, ThreadStarter, Forward, etc.) |
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| `timestamp` | `ISO8601` | Created date/time |
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| `isPinned` | `Boolean` | Pin status |
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| `content` | `String` | Raw markdown content (or snapshot content for forwards) |
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| `userID` | `String` | Reference to `user_info.json` |
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| `attachments`| `Array` | List of local file references and metadata |
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| `embeds` | `Array` | Raw Discord-formatted embed objects |
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| `stickers` | `Array` | List of Message Sticker objects (see below) |
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| `reactions` | `Array` | List of Reaction objects |
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#### Message Sticker Object
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `id` | `String` | Sticker Snowflake ID |
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| `name` | `String` | Sticker name |
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| `format` | `String` | File format (PNG, APNG, LOTTIE, GIF) |
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| `localPath` | `String` | Relative path to local file in `{channel_id}/attachments/` |
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#### Reaction Object
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `emoji` | `String` | String representation (`unicode` or `name:id`) |
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| `count` | `Integer` | Total count of this reaction |
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### 5.2 Asset Naming Logic
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To prevent filename collisions (e.g., multiple files named `image.png`), the system uses a suffixing strategy:
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`{filename_stem}-{snowflake_last_5}.{ext}`
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Example: `sunset-54321.png`
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### 5.3 `profile.json` Specification
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Path: `server_profile/profile.json`
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `name` | `String` | Original Discord guild name |
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| `id` | `String` | Guild Snowflake ID |
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| `icon` | `String` | Relative path to local guild icon in `server_profile/assets/` |
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| `banner` | `String` | Relative path to local guild banner in `server_profile/assets/` |
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| `last_backup` | `ISO8601` | Timestamp of the last successful backup run |
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| `ignore_channels` | `Array` | List of channel Snowflakes explicitly excluded from backup |
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### 5.4 `roles.json` Specification (Array of objects)
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Path: `server_profile/roles.json`
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `id` | `String` | Role Snowflake ID |
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| `name` | `String` | Role name |
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| `color` | `String` | Hex-string representation of role color (e.g. `"#ffffff"`) |
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| `position` | `Integer` | Vertical position in the hierarchy (0 is bottom) |
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| `permissions`| `Integer` | Bitwise integer representing the role's Discord permissions |
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| `hoist` | `Boolean` | Whether the role is displayed separately in the sidebar |
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| `mentionable`| `Boolean` | Whether the role can be mentioned |
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### 5.5 `assets.json` Specification
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Path: `server_profile/assets.json`
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Contains two primary arrays: `emojis` and `stickers`.
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#### Emoji Object
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `id` | `String` | Emoji Snowflake ID |
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| `name` | `String` | Emoji name (without colons) |
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| `animated` | `Boolean` | True if the emoji is a GIF |
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| `filename` | `String` | Filename within `server_profile/assets/` |
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#### Sticker Object
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `id` | `String` | Sticker Snowflake ID |
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| `name` | `String` | Sticker name |
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| `filename` | `String` | Filename within `server_profile/assets/` |
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### 5.6 `structure.json` Specification (Array of Category objects)
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Path: `server_profile/structure.json`
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#### Category Object
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `type` | `String` | Always `"category"` |
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| `id` | `String` | Category Snowflake ID (or `"uncategorized"`) |
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| `name` | `String` | Category name |
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| `position` | `Integer` | Vertical position in hierarchy |
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| `channels` | `Array` | List of Channel objects (see below) |
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#### Channel Object
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `id` | `String` | Channel Snowflake ID |
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| `name` | `String` | Channel name |
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| `type` | `String` | "text", "voice", "forum", "news", or "thread" |
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| `position` | `Integer` | Vertical position within the category |
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| `topic` | `String` | Channel description/topic (null if empty) |
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| `nsfw` | `Boolean` | True if marked Restricted/NSFW |
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| `available_tags` | `Array` | List of Forum Tag objects (see below) |
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#### Forum Tag Object
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `id` | `String` | Tag Snowflake ID |
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| `name` | `String` | Tag display name |
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| `moderated` | `Boolean` | True if restricted to moderators |
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| `emoji_id` | `String` | ID of the tag's emoji (null if unicode/none) |
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| `emoji_name` | `String` | Name of the tag's emoji |
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### 5.7 `user_info.json` Specification (Array of User objects)
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Path: `message_backup/users/user_info.json`
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `userID` | `String` | User Snowflake ID |
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| `username` | `String` | Current global username |
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| `userNickname`| `String` | Server-specific nickname (display name) |
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| `userColor` | `String` | Role-derived color for the user |
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| `userIsBot` | `Boolean` | True if the account is a bot |
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| `userRoles` | `Array` | List of role snippets (name, id, color, position) |
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| `userAvatar` | `String` | Relative path to local avatar in `users/avatars/` |
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### 5.8 Channel History JSON Specification
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Path: `message_backup/{channel_id}/messages.json`
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This file contains the full history of a channel along with synchronization metadata.
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| Field | Type | Description |
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| :--- | :--- | :--- |
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| `channelName` | `String` | Human-readable name of the channel |
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| `channelID` | `String` | Channel Snowflake ID |
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| `channelType` | `String` | "Text", "Thread", "News", or "Forum" |
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| `messageCount` | `Integer` | Total number of messages stored in the `messages` array |
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| `threadCount` | `Integer` | (If Parent) Count of threads associated with this channel |
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| `lastMessageID`| `String` | ID of the most recent message (used for incremental sync) |
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| `totalAttachmentSizeBytes`| `Integer`| Summed size of all attachments for this channel |
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| `numberOfAttachments` | `Integer`| Total count of attachments |
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| `lastBackup` | `ISO8601` | Timestamp of last message fetch |
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| `messages` | `Array` | The message objects (see Section 5.1) |
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| `parentID` | `String` | (If Thread) Snowflake of the parent channel |
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### 5.9 Thread History JSON Specification
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Path: `message_backup/{channel_id}/{thread_id}/thread_messages.json`
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Same schema as Section 5.8, with `channelType` set to `"Thread"` and `parentID` always present.
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---
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## 7. Backup Reader Implementation Guide
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This section is a technical manual for developers building third-party tools (viewers, search engines, or analytics) to consume Discord Reaper backups.
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### 7.1 Entry Point Discovery
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A reader should start by identifying the backup root directory (prefixed with `DISCORD_BACKUP-`).
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1. **Parse `server_profile/profile.json`**: Extract the server name, ID, and assets (icon/banner).
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2. **Load `server_profile/structure.json`**: This defines the navigation tree for your UI.
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- Iterate through categories.
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- Map channels to their respective types (text, voice, forum).
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- Store the `position` to preserve the original visual order.
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### 7.2 Relational Data Mapping
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The backup data is normalized to minimize duplication. A reader must implement the following resolve logic:
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- **User Resolution**: When parsing a message in `{channel_id}/messages.json`, the `userID` must be cross-referenced against the `userID` keys in `message_backup/users/user_info.json`.
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- **Role Resolution**: Use the `userRoles` array (IDs) from the user object and resolve them against the role metadata in `server_profile/roles.json` to get colors and names.
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- **Static Asset Resolution**:
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- **Server Assets**: Prepend `server_profile/assets/` to filenames found in `server_profile/assets.json`.
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- **User Avatars**: Resolve `userAvatar` paths found in `user_info.json` (pointing to `users/avatars/`).
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### 7.3 Message Rendering Logic
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When rendering the `messages` array from a channel JSON:
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| Feature | Reader Implementation Logic |
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| :--- | :--- |
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| **Markdown** | Content is raw Discord markdown. Use a library like `markdown-it` with discord-specific plugins. |
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| **Attachments** | Resolve `url` field (`{channel_id}/attachments/{filename}`) relative to the `message_backup/` directory. |
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| **Emojis/Stickers** | If a message contains custom emojis/stickers, resolve their metadata via `server_profile/assets.json`. |
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| **Replies** | Use the `reference` object to find the target `messageId`. Note: The target might be in the same file or a different channel/thread. |
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### 7.4 Thread & Forum Reconstruction
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Reconstructing the hierarchy requires specific pointer logic:
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1. **Forums**:
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- Read `message_backup/{forum_id}/messages.json`.
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- Each message in this file is a `Thread_starter_message`.
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- The `messageID` of the starter message *is usually* the same as the `thread_id`.
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- To load the full thread, open `message_backup/{forum_id}/{thread_id}/thread_messages.json`.
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2. **Regular Threads**:
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- Discoverable via the `parentID` field in any message or by scanning for `thread_messages.json` inside channel directories.
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- Match the `thread.id` in a `ThreadStarter` message to the respective subdirectory.
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---
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## 8. Discord.py Model Hydration Guide
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If you are building a `discord.py` API-compatible wrapper to read these backups directly into familiar Discord objects, here is the explicit property mapping from the schema to the standard `discord.py` object attributes.
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### 8.1 Base Server (Guild)
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File: `server_profile/profile.json` & `server_profile/roles.json` & `server_profile/structure.json`
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- **`discord.Guild`**:
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- `id`: Cast `id` (str) to `int`.
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- `name`: Mapped directly from `name`.
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- `icon` / `banner`: Represented as `discord.Asset` objects. Use the local file paths from `icon` / `banner` as the asset URL/filepath.
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- `roles`: Hydrated from `server_profile/roles.json`.
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- `channels` / `categories`: Hydrated from `server_profile/structure.json`.
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### 8.2 Roles (`discord.Role`)
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File: `server_profile/roles.json`
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- `id`: Cast `id` to `int`.
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- `name`: Mapped directly.
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- `color`: Parse the hex string to `discord.Color(value)`.
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- `position`: Mapped directly.
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- `permissions`: Initialize `discord.Permissions(value=int(permissions))`.
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- `hoist`: Mapped directly to boolean.
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- `mentionable`: Mapped directly to boolean.
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### 8.3 Users & Members (`discord.Member` / `discord.User`)
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File: `message_backup/users/user_info.json`
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- `id`: Cast `userID` to `int`.
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- `name`: Mapped from `username`.
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- `display_name`: Mapped from `userNickname`.
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- `bot`: Mapped from `userIsBot`.
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- `color`: Parse `userColor` string to `discord.Color`.
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- `roles`: List of hydrated `discord.Role` objects via matching `id`s from the `userRoles` array.
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- `avatar`: Mocked `discord.Asset` using the `userAvatar` local path.
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### 8.4 Channels (`discord.TextChannel`, `discord.CategoryChannel`, `discord.ForumChannel`)
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File: `server_profile/structure.json`
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- Iterate over the top-level array (Categories):
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- **`discord.CategoryChannel`**:
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- `id`: Cast `id` to `int`.
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- `name`: Mapped directly.
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- `position`: Mapped directly.
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- Iterate over the nested `channels` array:
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- **`discord.abc.GuildChannel` classes**:
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- `id`: Cast `id` to `int`.
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- `name`: Mapped directly.
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- `position`: Mapped directly.
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- `type`: Match the `type` string back to the `discord.ChannelType` enum.
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- `category_id`: Inherited from the parent category block.
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- `topic`: Mapped directly (if applicable).
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- `nsfw`: Mapped directly to boolean.
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### 8.5 Messages (`discord.Message`)
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File: `message_backup/{channel_id}/messages.json` (Iterating the `messages` array)
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- `id`: Cast `messageID` to `int`.
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- `type`: Map the string `type` (e.g., "Default", "Reply") to `discord.MessageType`.
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- `created_at`: Parse `timestamp` (ISO-8601 string) into a timezone-aware `datetime` object.
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- `pinned`: Mapped from `isPinned`.
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- `content`: Mapped from `content`.
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- `author`: Resolve the `userID` against the loaded `discord.Member` mocks.
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- `embeds`: Instantiate using `discord.Embed.from_dict(embed_dict)` directly on the elements of the `embeds` array.
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- **Reference (Replies)**:
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- If `reference` exists, hydrate a `discord.MessageReference`.
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- `message_id`: Cast `reference.messageId` to `int`.
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- `channel_id`: Cast `reference.channelId` to `int`.
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### 8.6 Attachments (`discord.Attachment`)
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Nested within Message objects.
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- `id`: Cast `id` to `int`.
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- `filename`: Mapped from `fileName`.
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- `size`: Mapped from `fileSizeBytes`.
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- `url` / `proxy_url`: Point to the local relative path (`{channel_id}/attachments/{resolved_filename}`).
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### 8.7 Reactions (`discord.Reaction` & `discord.PartialEmoji`)
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Nested within Message objects.
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- `count`: Mapped from `count`.
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- `emoji`: Iterate the `emoji` string. If custom (contains a `:`), split it to mock a `discord.PartialEmoji(name=..., id=...)`. Otherwise, mock standard unicode strings.
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