# nelenkov/android-backup-extractor

Android backup extractor

Repository: https://github.com/nelenkov/android-backup-extractor
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/android-backup-extractor
Language: Java
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-08-25T14:06:13+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 86/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 61, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5199, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 44, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2576, forks 301 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:02.193468+00:00)

## What it is
A Java command-line utility that extracts and repacks Android backup archives created with adb backup, based on AOSP's BackupManagerService. It handles both encrypted and unencrypted backups, converting between the .ab format and standard tar archives.

## Use cases
- extract android adb backup to tar archive
- repack tar files into android backup for restore
- decrypt encrypted android backup with password
- inspect contents of android backup file
- create android 4.4 compatible backup archive
- recover app data from adb backup

## When to choose
- you need to inspect, extract, or modify an adb backup (.ab) file
- you want to restore a modified backup to an Android device
- you need to decrypt an encrypted Android backup with a known password
- you want a scriptable command-line tool for Android backup forensics

## When to avoid
- you need to back up apps with allowBackup=false, which this tool cannot include
- you want a GUI-based backup solution
- you need to back up data from newer Android versions that deprecated adb backup

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: security, cryptography, compression, cli, developer-tools
- domain: android-tools, developer-tools, security, privacy, files
- platform: jvm, cli, cross-platform
- tags: android-backup, adb-backup, backup-extraction, backup-repacking, tar-archives, forensics, backup-encryption, aosp

## Member repositories
- nelenkov/android-backup-extractor (main) score 86

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:02.193468+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:22:43.478890+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nelenkov/android-backup-extractor (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:02.193468+00:00, sha f796478244e6)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.