Archiving Files in Perforce (Archive Typemap)
Tags: gamedev, tutorial, productivity
Published: 2023-09-14 12:11:45

## First, why you should archive files in Perforce
The archive functionality in Perforce improves storage efficiency, streamlines backups, reduces network traffic, improves overall performance, space management, and scalability. These benefits contribute to a more streamlined and optimized version control workflow for development teams (usually gamedev teams). 

![How to establish an archive depot: use p4 depot and specify its Type as an archive](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gp1525ufp7hfsadtfnpl.png)

## How the Archive Typemap works
It allows you to store older or infrequently accessed versions of files in a compressed format, which reduces the storage footprint on your server and improves overall system performance. Only the most recent and actively used files remain readily accessible, while archived files are stored separately.

Most importantly, you can streamline a workflow by archiving files; you can exclude them from regular backups and focus on critical data. This reduces backup time, storage requirements, and associated costs. Archiving also enables you to restore specific files or versions as needed without restoring the entire repository.


![Purge archives of specific files in the archive depot, use p4 archive -p. Optionally unmount the volume from which the archive files were purged](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/tjhiqva5s2y7zd2ewtl8.png)

## How it improves system performance
Let’s say you have files that are not accessed frequently. Archiving large files or binary assets that are not frequently accessed can significantly reduce network traffic. This way, when you sync your workspaces or update your local copies, Perforce retrieves only the necessary files, resulting in faster sync times and reduced bandwidth consumption.

It’s worth noting that the archive feature helps improve overall system performance by reducing the size of the repository. Smaller repositories result in faster operations such as syncing, branching, merging, and searching, mainly when dealing with large codebases or projects with extensive histories.

![Restore archived files by mounting the volume: use p4 verify - A to verify files before restoring them. Use p4 restore to transfer files from the archive depot to a local depot](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cq8sm65s4iwdmay96ja0.png)

## Use it to manage disk space
Archiving files helps you better manage disk space on your server. Whether you're using [Perforce in the cloud](https://get.assembla.com/perforce) or on-prem, removing older versions or less frequently used files from the active repository frees up space for new development work and ongoing projects. This allows you to maintain a well-organized and efficient version control environment.


## Final thoughts
More changelists, history, this means as your projects and repositories grow over time, archiving becomes even more valuable. It enables you to accommodate increasing file sizes and handle expanding codebases without compromising system performance or overwhelming storage capacity.