$ ls -la drwxr-xr-x docs/ $ run script
◆ Bash

Perform data backup, export, and archiving

This is real work, not a feature someone invented — it comes from real job ads and real questions people asked. Below are four ready AI prompts: get it done, make it easy for the next person to say yes to, work out the right move when you are stuck, and stop it coming back.

4prompts
See the prompt↓All Bash tasks

The same task, four prompts

today's deadline · the next reviewer · the stuck moment · the pattern
AExecute — do the immediate taskExport all user data from the 'users' database table to a CSV file named…+
Export all user data from the 'users' database table to a CSV file named 'users_export_20240410.csv' in the /backups directory.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
BImprove — make it easier to acceptI need to archive log files older than 90 days from /var/log/nginx to a compressed tarball in…+
I need to archive log files older than 90 days from /var/log/nginx to a compressed tarball in /archives/nginx. Before I set this up, what are the best practices for ensuring these archives are easily retrievable later, and that the original log files are safely removed only after successful archiving? I'm worried about losing critical historical data or filling up the disk if the archiving fails.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
CDecide — diagnose the stuck momentI'm trying to restore the 'development_db' from last night's backup, 'dev_db_20240409.sql.gz',…+
I just tried to restore a database from last night's backup, and it failed with an 'incompatible version' error, and our dev environment is down.
I'm trying to restore the 'development_db' from last night's backup, 'dev_db_20240409.sql.gz', but it's failing with a 'database version mismatch' error. The dev environment is completely down, and I'm afraid I've used an old or corrupted backup. I can't tell if the backup itself is bad, or if the database server was upgraded since the backup was taken. What's the most likely issue here, and what's the quickest, safest way to get the dev environment back online, even if it means using an older, but compatible, backup?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
DBecome — change the patternOur current backup strategy often results in backups that are either too massive, take too long…+
I keep finding that our backups are either too large, too slow to restore, or missing critical data when we actually need them.
Our current backup strategy often results in backups that are either too massive, take too long to complete, or, worse, aren't fully restorable when we actually need them. It feels like I'm constantly tweaking retention policies or struggling with restore times. I need a better habit for evaluating our backup and archiving processes, focusing on actual recoverability and efficiency, not just creation. What should I prioritize to ensure our backups are truly reliable and practical?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?

Questions people actually ask

honest answers, no sign-up

Every task here was seen in the real world. Someone doing the job named it, a real job ad asked for it, or a lot of people asked about it online.

If nothing real showed a task, it is not on the page. That is the whole rule.

They are the same job approached four ways, because what you need depends on where you are.

Get it done today. Make it easy for the next person to say yes to. Work out the right move when you are stuck. Learn the pattern so the job stops coming back.

For most of these jobs it can carry the heavy thinking - draft it, sort it, check it, rehearse it with you.

It cannot sit in your chair, take the blame when a number is wrong, or notice what nobody wrote down. Let it do the first 80%. Keep the last 20% that is truly yours.

No. Copy any prompt and paste it into the AI you already use. No account, no score, no wall in the way.

Any of them. The prompts describe the work rather than naming a product, so they are not tied to one assistant.

That is also why they keep working when you switch.

Change it freely. Every prompt is a starting line, not a rule.

Put in your real numbers, your real names and your real deadline. The more you make it yours, the better the answer comes back.

The tasks come from real job ads, published job data and the questions people ask in public forums.

The steps come from Bash's own documentation, with practitioner sources for the traps the manual does not mention.

Push once. Ask it to sharpen the weakest part and to say what it assumed.

Most wrong answers come from a missing detail rather than a bad prompt - tell it the thing it could not know.