.cloning.yaml Reference

A .cloning.yaml file describes how Clonio transfers and anonymizes one source database. It is safe to commit because it stores a connection name, not credentials.

version: "1"
connection: production

options:
  chunk_size: 1000
  enforce_column_types: false
  drop_unknown_tables: false
  drop_extra_columns: false
  recreate_tables: false
  disable_foreign_key_checks: true
  remap_keys: true
  faker_locale: en_US

tables:
  users:
    rows:
      strategy: full
      clear: delete
    columns:
      email:
        strategy: fake
        faker_method: safeEmail
        faker_arguments: []

Top-level fields

Field	Required	Description
`version`	yes	Schema version. Must be `"1"`.
`connection`	yes	Source connection name from `clonio.json`.
`options`	yes	Global transfer and schema settings.
`tables`	yes	Per-table transfer rules.

Options

Field	Description
`chunk_size`	Rows fetched and inserted per batch.
`enforce_column_types`	Add source columns missing from the target.
`drop_unknown_tables`	Drop target tables absent from the source.
`drop_extra_columns`	Drop target columns absent from the source. Destructive.
`recreate_tables`	Optional, default `false`. Drop each selected table that already exists on the target and re-create it from the source schema. Destructive. See "Recreating drifted tables" in Dry Runs and Schema Sync.
`disable_foreign_key_checks`	Disable target FK checks during transfer where supported.
`remap_keys`	Optional, default `true`. Set to `false` to skip key remapping while keeping its definition.
`faker_locale`	Faker locale for `fake` strategies, such as `en_US` or `de_DE`.

Row strategies

Strategy	Description
`full`	Copy all rows.
`first`	Copy the first `limit` rows ordered by `sort_by` or primary key.
`last`	Copy the last `limit` rows ordered by `sort_by` or primary key.
`schema`	Create the table on the target but copy no rows. `rows.clear` is still honoured.
`skip`	Leave the table out completely: no schema sync, no rows. Tables with a foreign key to a skipped table are skipped too.

rows.clear can be false, delete, or truncate.

Schema-only tables

Use schema for tables whose structure the application needs but whose rows are transient or sensitive: cache, sessions, queues, password reset and API tokens, debug logs. cloning:dump suggests it for known framework tables.

tables:
  sessions:
    rows:
      strategy: schema
      clear: delete   # optional: empty existing target rows

Unlike skip, schema does not cascade: tables that reference a schema-only table are still copied, and their foreign key values point to rows that do not exist on the target. cloning:run adds a note to the table result, and inserts fail when foreign key checks are enabled (disable_foreign_key_checks: false). first/last with limit: 0 is rejected; use schema instead.

Columns

Only list columns that need transformation. Unlisted columns are kept as-is.

columns:
  email:
    strategy: fake
    faker_method: safeEmail
    faker_arguments: []

See Anonymization Strategies for strategy details.

To leave a column out of the transfer entirely, use strategy: exclude. Generated columns are detected and left out automatically.