Registry vs INI: Choosing QSettings Format for Portable Backups

Goal

Determine the optimal QSettings format for creating a backup that can be restored reliably across Windows, Linux, and macOS while enabling integrity verification after restoration.

Constraints

• Platform storage: Windows defaults to the registry, Linux/macOS default to INI files.
• Portability: Registry entries are opaque and may not migrate cleanly between machines or OSes.
• Verification: QSettings::status() only reports the last sync; a separate hash check is often required.

Uncertainty

It remains unclear whether the convenience of the registry outweighs the portability and explicitness of INI files when backups must be transferred or restored on a different platform, and how best to implement a hash‑based integrity check in each case.

Questions

• For a cross‑platform application, should I default to IniFormat on Windows to simplify backup transport?
• What is the most reliable method to compute and store a checksum of QSettings data for later verification?
• Does switching to IniFormat on Windows affect performance or feature support compared to the registry?