{"id":111451,"date":"2024-07-30T08:16:20","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T15:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/?p=111451"},"modified":"2024-07-30T08:16:23","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T15:16:23","slug":"how-to-future-proof-your-archives-file-formats-that-stand-the-test-of-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/how-to-future-proof-your-archives-file-formats-that-stand-the-test-of-time\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Future-Proof Your Archives: File Formats That Stand the Test of Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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You may have heard us talk about backup a time or two, and hopefully our love has been clear.<\/a> So, when Wired gave us a shoutout<\/a> in their recent, astute article about archiving, allow us to say we were flattered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As both a tribute and a collaboration, we\u2019re happy to build on their article\u2019s premise about choosing the correct file type for archiving purposes, and we\u2019ll highlight a few tools to help you protect your files in the long term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wired reports: Archived files are especially vulnerable to changing file types<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Archives are distinct from backups<\/a> and have their own demands. Backups are intended to give you the ability to restore files or your whole environment\u2014they need to be both in step with your current environment and flexible enough to respond to both a point in time restore of your whole system or a single file, depending on what you need. Archiving, on the other hand, is about preservation when you can\u2019t depend on the continuity of devices or digital tools\u2014those tools might look quite different (or not exist at all!) down the line. That said, backups are also an essential building block of digital archives.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making something last long-term takes more work than you\u2019d think. And, interestingly, digital archiving suffers from the opposite problem of \u201ctraditional\u201d archiving. Whereas with books, magazines, and other paper-based media, you want to touch them as little as possible, with digital archives, you actually need to do some active maintenance to make sure you\u2019re converting files to accessible formats that you can open well into the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an expert from the Wired report telling us about just one part of the practical concerns of digital archiving: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwenty years, in the digital realm, is ancient,\u201d says Lance Stuchell, director of digital preservation services at the University of Michigan. His team is frequently tasked with recovering digital files from old computers and storage mediums. \u201cWe have a lab that can deal with old media\u2014floppy drives, CDs, older computers. We can get that off of those types of media and move it into our preservation system while ensuring we don’t mess it up while we’re doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wired goes on to report that the problem isn\u2019t just having the correct device, but actually having the correct file type. Their biggest takeaways for making sure your files hold up over time? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Use open source file types. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. If you\u2019re storing media, store files uncompressed. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Back up absolutely everything. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Check out the rest of the article<\/a> for details\u2014it\u2019s worth a read. And, thanks for the shoutout as a good option for folks looking to back up, Wired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Some tools for converting files<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    So, now that you\u2019re all geared up to get your archive in order, here are some free, open source tools that will help you convert your files. One note when you\u2019re using open source (and we\u2019re big fans) is to make sure you\u2019re using a tool you trust. And, some tools, especially web-based tools, may collect user data or can expose sensitive information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With that in mind, here are a few to get you started: <\/p>\n\n\n\n