Backup your Flickr account with Linux

As promised in my previous post, in this blogpost I'll guide you through a way to keep a local backup of your Flickr photos with the use of Python script on Linux.

The script itself wasn't made by me, I wish I was that handy with Python, but here is the run down of how to configure it.

1). First start with making a directory where you want to store your archive of Flickr:

mkdir /path/to/backup/folder/

2). Download the modified script by Dan Benjamin. Save it to a location of your choice (not the archive directory you've just made) and make it executable chmod u+x flickrtouchr.py

3). Run the script for the first time it will open Lynx to auth your request on Flickr site. You can find out where python lives with which python. Make sure you login, then choose the Next (second one) option and finally authenticate your request. Quit Lynx the normal way (ctrl+q) and the script should start retrieving your Flickr files.

/usr/bin/python flickrtouchr.py
/path/to/backup/folder/flickrtouchr.py
The first run might take a little while if you have a lot of pictures stored in Flickr.

4). Now add it to your cronjob to automate the retrievable of your archive. I use the following line in my cron:

0 7 * * * /usr/bin/python /etc/local/scripts/backup/flickrtouchr.py /home/graham/.flickr-archive/ >> /dev/null 2>&1

And your done.

For more information on the script see:

• Backing up Flickr
• Flickr script (modified)
• Colm MacCarthaigh (original author of script)
• Dan Benjamin (modifed script author)