Replace vs Merge: Choosing the Right Import Mode to Avoid Duplicate Requests When Restoring a Collection

Answer

For Hoppscotch, the Replace mode guarantees no duplicate requests because it overwrites the entire collection, but it discards any unsaved edits. The Merge mode preserves the current workspace but does not de‑duplicate by request ID, so importing a backup that already contains those requests will create duplicates.

Confirmed facts

• Replace mode deletes all existing requests before importing the backup.
• Merge mode appends imported requests to the existing collection without ID‑based deduplication.
• Neither mode validates JSON schema or provides checksum verification.

Likely explanation

If preserving local edits is critical, Merge avoids data loss but requires a post‑import cleanup to remove duplicate entries. If a duplicate‑free collection is more important than retaining unsaved changes, Replace is the safer choice.

Recommended workflow (when local edits must be kept)

1. Backup current state: Export the active collection to a temporary JSON file (e.g., current-backup.json).
2. Restore with Replace: Import the original backup using the Replace mode. This yields a clean collection with no duplicates.
3. Re‑apply edits: Open the temporary backup, identify the specific requests or folders that contain your unsaved changes, and manually recreate those changes in the restored collection.

Verification steps

• Count check: Compare the number of request objects in the source backup JSON with the request count shown in the Hoppscotch sidebar after import.
• Export diff: Immediately export the restored collection and run a diff (e.g., diff -u original-backup.json restored-export.json) to detect any missing or extra entries.
• Duplicate scan: Look for identical request names or IDs in the sidebar; any repeats indicate a Merge‑induced duplication.

Diagnostic detail needed

To refine the recommendation, please indicate whether your unsaved edits are confined to a few individual requests or involve broader folder restructuring, as extensive changes may make manual re‑application impractical.