Amazing how much of the basics a person can glaze right over while trying to figure out the advanced stuff.
today i figured out that i can create a backup of my base configuration, and restore it after a factory reset, i have been manually following my notes and changing all the settings each time i break something and need a reset.
big sigh… now i can just reset and restore back up to a default pre tinkering state in under 2 minutes flat. LOVE IT
When it comes to the basic config files, you don't even need to perform a factory reset first (assuming the system is working well enough to get to the web or ssh admin surfaces)... the system will overwrite the existing files with those contained in the backup.
If you've installed (or upgraded) packages and are having issues as a result of that, a factory reset and then restore is the recommended course of action.
Always keep current backups. Never know when you might need them.
Another option you might want to look at is UCI Defaults explained here:
yes sir! iv had the knowledge up in my head but somehow it never occurred to me to set myself up with a backup at the time of completing my typical install steps. and its package testing that usually gets me breaking stuff lol. currently playing with controld / windscribe. and trying out different dns/adblock/doh methods, its truely amazing the ammount of power a good router with openwrt really has.