diff --git a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
index 82d6346..8036bea 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
+++ b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 	"features": {
 		"ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/python:1": {
 			"installTools": true,
-			"version": "3.12.4"
+			"version": "3.13.2"
 		}
 	},
 	"customizations": {
diff --git a/.github/actions/python/action.yml b/.github/actions/python/action.yml
index 677c051..774aa44 100644
--- a/.github/actions/python/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/python/action.yml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ runs:
   - name: Set up Python
     uses: actions/setup-python@v3
     with:
-      python-version: '3.12.4'
+      python-version: '3.13.2'
   - name: Install Dependencies
     shell: bash
     run: |
diff --git a/.github/actions/tests/action.yml b/.github/actions/tests/action.yml
index 3b7ed0c..d267fca 100644
--- a/.github/actions/tests/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/tests/action.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ runs:
   - name: Set up Python
     uses: actions/setup-python@v3
     with:
-      python-version: '3.12.4'
+      python-version: '3.13.2'
   - name: Install dependencies
     shell: bash
     run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/on_release.yml b/.github/workflows/on_release.yml
index aa9aa72..59e11de 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/on_release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/on_release.yml
@@ -54,9 +54,39 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 20
     environment: 'PyPi'
     steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Deploy release to PyPi
-        uses: ./.github/actions/python
-        with:
-            pypi_api_token: "${{ secrets.PYPI_API_TOKEN }}"
\ No newline at end of file
+    - name: Checkout
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - name: Get tag release without v
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        TAG=${{ github.ref_name }}
+        echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+        echo "Tag without v is: ${VERSION}"
+    - name: Update Release Tag
+      shell: bash
+      run: sed -i "s/^version = [^ ]*/version = ${{ env.VERSION }}/" setup.cfg
+    - name: Set up Python
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v3
+      with:
+        python-version: '3.13.2'
+    - name: Install Dependencies
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+        pip install build
+    - name: Build Python Package
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        python -m pip install --upgrade build
+        python -m build
+    - name: Publish to PyPi
+      uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
+      with:
+        password: ${{ secrets.PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
+        skip-existing: true
+      # - name: Checkout
+      #   uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      # - name: Deploy release to PyPi
+      #   uses: ./.github/actions/python
+      #   with:
+      #       pypi_api_token: "${{ secrets.PYPI_API_TOKEN }}"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index c493943..695426b 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ARG BASE_IMAGE=python
-ARG BASE_IMAGE_TAG=3.12.4-slim-bookworm
+ARG BASE_IMAGE_TAG=3.13.2-slim-bookworm
 
 FROM ${BASE_IMAGE}:${BASE_IMAGE_TAG}
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 93ae354..7fd717b 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## DOCKER BUILD VARS
 BASE_IMAGE=python
-BASE_IMAGE_TAG=3.12.4-slim-bookworm
+BASE_IMAGE_TAG=3.13.2-slim-bookworm
 IMAGE_NAME=homeylab/bookstack-file-exporter
 # keep this start sequence unique (IMAGE_TAG=)
 # github actions will use this to create a tag
@@ -15,10 +15,13 @@ pip_build:
 pip_local_dev:
 	python -m pip install -e .
 
-build:
+pip_build:
 	python -m pip install --upgrade build
 	python -m build
 
+lint:
+	pylint bookstack_file_exporter
+
 upload_testpypi:
 	python -m pip install --upgrade twine
 	python -m twine upload --repository testpypi dist/*
@@ -27,6 +30,20 @@ upload_testpypi:
 download_testpypi:
 	python -m pip install --index-url https://test.pypi.org/simple/ --extra-index-url https://pypi.org/simple bookstack-file-exporter
 
+upload_realpypi:
+	python -m pip install --upgrade twine
+	python -m twine upload dist/*
+
+docker_build_simple:
+	docker build \
+	--build-arg BASE_IMAGE=${BASE_IMAGE} \
+	--build-arg BASE_IMAGE_TAG=${BASE_IMAGE_TAG} \
+	--build-arg DOCKER_WORK_DIR=${DOCKER_WORK_DIR} \
+	--build-arg DOCKER_CONFIG_DIR=${DOCKER_CONFIG_DIR} \
+	--build-arg DOCKER_EXPORT_DIR=${DOCKER_EXPORT_DIR} \
+	-t ${IMAGE_NAME}:${IMAGE_TAG} \
+	--no-cache .
+
 docker_build: 
 	docker buildx build \
 	--platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 \
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5ce6970..5fa5732 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Table of Contents
   - [Using This Application](#using-this-application)
     - [Run via Pip](#run-via-pip)
     - [Run via Docker](#run-via-docker)
+    - [Run via Helm](#run-via-helm)
     - [Authentication and Permissions](#authentication-and-permissions)
     - [Configuration](#configuration)
   - [Backup Behavior](#backup-behavior)
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ Table of Contents
     - [Modify Markdown Files](#modify-markdown-files)
   - [Object Storage](#object-storage)
     - [Minio Backups](#minio-backups)
+  - [Potential Breaking Upgrades](#potential-breaking-upgrades)
   - [Future Items](#future-items)
 
 ## Background
@@ -36,6 +38,7 @@ What it does:
 - Can be run via [Python](#run-via-pip) or [Docker](#run-via-docker)
 - Can push archives to remote object storage like [Minio](https://min.io/)
 - Basic housekeeping option (`keep_last`) to keep a tidy archive destination
+- Can run in application mode (always running) using `run_interval` property. Used for basic scheduling of backups.
 
 Supported backup targets are:
 
@@ -67,8 +70,8 @@ Simple example configuration:
 # config.yml
 host: "https://bookstack.yourdomain.com"
 credentials:
-    token_id: ""
-    token_secret: ""
+  token_id: ""
+  token_secret: ""
 formats: # md only example
 - markdown
 # - html
@@ -76,18 +79,17 @@ formats: # md only example
 # - plaintext
 output_path: "bkps/"
 assets:
-    export_images: false
-    export_attachments: false
-    modify_markdown: false
-    export_meta: false
-    verify_ssl: true
+  export_images: false
+  export_attachments: false
+  modify_markdown: false
+  export_meta: false
 ```
 
 ### Run via Pip
 The exporter can be installed via pip and run directly.
 
 #### Python Version
-_Note: This application is tested and developed on Python version `3.12.X`. The min required version is >= `3.8` but is recommended to install (or set up a venv) a `3.12.X` version._
+_Note: This application is tested and developed on Python version `3.13.2`. The min required version is >= `3.8` but is recommended to install (or set up a venv) a `3.13.2` version._
 
 #### Examples
 ```bash
@@ -150,6 +152,11 @@ docker run \
     homeylab/bookstack-file-exporter:latest
 ```
 
+#### Docker Compose
+When using the configuration option: `run_interval`, a docker compose set up could be used to run the exporter as an always running application. The exporter will sleep and wait until `{run_interval}` seconds has elapsed before subsequent runs.
+
+An example is shown in `examples/docker-compose.yaml`
+
 #### Environment Variables
 See [Valid Environment Variables](#valid-environment-variables) for more options.
 
@@ -174,6 +181,9 @@ docker run \
 | `config` | `/export/config/config.yml` | A valid configuration file |`-v /local/yourpath/config.yml:/export/config/config.yml:ro`|
 | `dump` | `/export/dump` | Directory to place exports. **This is optional when using remote storage option(s)**. Omit if you don't need a local copy. | `-v /local/yourpath/bkps:/export/dump` |
 
+### Run via Helm
+A helm chart can be used to run the exporter as a CronJob or Deployment resource. See [here](https://github.com/homeylab/helm-charts/tree/main/charts/bookstack-file-exporter) for more information on using the helm chart.
+
 ### Authentication and Permissions
 #### Permissions
 **Note visibility of pages is based on user**, so use a user that has read access to pages and content you want to back up. *The role assigned to the user* should have the additional permissions for target pages and their content:
@@ -195,7 +205,9 @@ Env variables for credentials will take precedence over configuration file optio
 **For object storage authentication**, find the relevant sections further down in their respective sections.
 
 ### Configuration
-_Ensure [Authentication](#authentication-and-permissions) has been set up beforehand for required credentials._ For a simple example to run quickly, refer to the one in the [Using This Application](#using-this-application) section. A full example is also shown below with descriptions. Optionally, look at `examples/` folder of the github repo for more examples. 
+_Ensure [Authentication](#authentication-and-permissions) has been set up beforehand for required credentials._ For a simple example to run quickly, refer to the one in the [Using This Application](#using-this-application) section.
+
+A full example is also shown below. Optionally, look at `examples/` folder of the github repo for more examples with long descriptions.
 
 For object storage configuration, find more information in their respective sections
 - [Minio](#minio-backups)
@@ -208,17 +220,21 @@ Below is an example configuration that shows example values for all possible opt
 ```yaml
 host: "https://bookstack.yourdomain.com"
 credentials:
-    token_id: ""
-    token_secret: ""
-additional_headers:
-  test: "test"
-  test2: "test2"
-  User-Agent: "test-agent"
+  token_id: ""
+  token_secret: ""
 formats:
   - markdown
   - html
   - pdf
   - plaintext
+http_config:
+  verify_ssl: false
+  timeout: 30
+  backoff_factor: 2.5
+  retry_codes: [413, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504]
+  retry_count: 5
+  additional_headers:
+    User-Agent: "test-agent"
 minio:
   host: "minio.yourdomain.com"
   access_key: ""
@@ -233,8 +249,8 @@ assets:
   export_attachments: true
   modify_markdown: false
   export_meta: false
-  verify_ssl: true
 keep_last: 5
+run_interval: 0
 ```
 
 #### Options and Descriptions
@@ -242,20 +258,26 @@ More descriptions can be found for each section below:
 
 | Configuration Item | Type | Required | Description |
 | ------------------ | ---- | -------- | ----------- |
-|  `host` | `str` | `true` | If `http/https` not specified in the url, defaults to `https`. Use `assets.verify_ssl` to disable certificate checking. |
+|  `host` | `str` | `true` | If `http/https` not specified in the url, defaults to `https`. Use `http_config.verify_ssl` to disable certificate checking. |
 | `credentials` | `object` | `false` | Optional section where Bookstack tokenId and tokenSecret can be specified. Env variable for credentials may be supplied instead. See [Authentication](#authentication) for more details. |
-| `credentials.token_id` | `str`| `true` if `credentials` | If `credentials` section is given, this should be a valid tokenId |
-| `credentials.token_secret` | `str` | `true` if `credentials`| If `credentials` section is given, this should be a valid tokenSecret | 
-| `additional_headers` | `object` | `false` | Optional section where key/value for pairs can be specified to use in Bookstack http request headers.
+| `credentials.token_id` | `str`| `false` if specified through env var instead, otherwise `true` | A valid Bookstack tokenId. |
+| `credentials.token_secret` | `str` | `false` if specified through env var instead, otherwise `true` | A valid Bookstack tokenSecret. |
 | `formats` | `list<str>` | `true` | Which export formats to use for Bookstack page content. Valid options are: `["markdown", "html", "pdf", "plaintext"]`|
-| `output_path` | `str` | `false` | Optional (default: `cwd`) which directory (relative or full path) to place exports. User who runs the command should have access to read/write to this directory. If not provided, will use current run directory by default |
+| `output_path` | `str` | `false` | Optional (default: `cwd`) which directory (relative or full path) to place exports. User who runs the command should have access to read/write to this directory. This directory and any parent directories will be attempted to be created if they do not exist. If not provided, will use current run directory by default. If using docker, this option can be omitted. |
 | `assets` | `object` | `false` | Optional section to export additional assets from pages. |
 | `assets.export_images` | `bool` | `false` | Optional (default: `false`), export all images for a page to an `image` directory within page directory. See [Backup Behavior](#backup-behavior) for more information on layout |
 | `assets.export_attachments` | `bool` | `false` | Optional (default: `false`), export all attachments for a page to an `attachments` directory within page directory. See [Backup Behavior](#backup-behavior) for more information on layout |
-| `assets.modify_markdown` | `bool` | `false` | Optional (default: `false`), modify markdown files to replace image links with local exported image paths. This requires `assets.export_images` to be `true` in order to work. See [Modify Markdown Files](#modify-markdown-files) for more information.
-| `assets.export_meta` | `bool` | `false` | Optional (default: `false`), export of metadata about the page in a json file |
-| `assets.verify_ssl` | `bool` | `false` | Optional (default: `true`), whether or not to check ssl certificates when requesting content from Bookstack host |
-| `keep_last` | `int` | `false` | Optional (default: `None`), if exporter can delete older archives. valid values are:<br>- set to `-1` if you want to delete all archives after each run (useful if you only want to upload to object storage)<br>- set to `1+` if you want to retain a certain number of archives<br>- `0` will result in no action done |
+| `assets.modify_markdown` | `bool` | `false` | Optional (default: `false`), modify markdown files to replace image links with local exported image paths. This requires `assets.export_images` to be `true` in order to work. See [Modify Markdown Files](#modify-markdown-files) for more information. |
+| `assets.export_meta` | `bool` | `false` | Optional (default: `false`), export of metadata about the page in a json file. |
+| `http_config` | `object` | `false` | Optional section to override default http configuration. |
+| `http_config.verify_ssl` | `bool` | `false` | Optional (default: `false`), whether or not to verify ssl certificates if using https. |
+| `http_config.timeout` | `int` | `false` | Optional (default: `30`), set the timeout, in seconds, for http requests. |
+| `http_config.retry_count` | `int` | `false` | Optional (default: `5`), the number of http retries after initial failure. |
+| `http_config.retry_codes` | `List[int]` | `false` | Optional (default: `[413, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504]`), which http response status codes trigger a retry. |
+| `http_config.backoff_factor` | `float` | `false` | Optional (default: `2.5`), set the backoff_factor for http request retries. Default backoff_factor `2.5` means we wait 5, 10, 20, and then 40 seconds (with default `http_config.retry_count: 5`) before our last retry. This should allow for per minute rate limits to be refreshed. |
+| `http_config.additional_headers` | `object` | `false` | Optional (default: `{}`), specify key/value pairs that will be added as additional headers to http requests. |
+| `keep_last` | `int` | `false` | Optional (default: `0`), if exporter can delete older archives. valid values are:<br>- set to `-1` if you want to delete all archives after each run (useful if you only want to upload to object storage)<br>- set to `1+` if you want to retain a certain number of archives<br>- `0` will result in no action done. |
+| `run_interval` | `int` | `false` | Optional (default: `0`). If specified, exporter will run as an application and pause for `{run_interval}` seconds before subsequent runs. Example: `86400` seconds = `24` hours or run once a day. Setting this property to `0` will invoke a single run and exit. Used for basic scheduling of backups. |
 | `minio` | `object` | `false` | Optional [Minio](#minio-backups) configuration options. |
 
 #### Valid Environment Variables
@@ -386,6 +408,8 @@ bookstack_export_2023-11-28_06-24-25/programming/react/images/nextjs/tips.png
 
 **Note you may see old images in your exports. This is because, by default, Bookstack retains images/drawings that are uploaded even if no longer referenced on an active page. Admins can run `Cleanup Images` in the Maintenance Settings or via [CLI](https://www.bookstackapp.com/docs/admin/commands/#cleanup-unused-images) to remove them.**
 
+If an API call to get an image or its metadata fails, the exporter will skip the image and log the error. If using `modify_markdown` option, the image links in the document will be untouched and in its original form. All API calls are retried 3 times after initial failure.
+
 ### Attachments
 Attachments will be dumped in a separate directory, `attachments` within the page parent (book/chapter) directory it belongs to. The relative path will be `{parent}/attachments/{page}/{attachment_name}`. As shown earlier:
 
@@ -401,6 +425,8 @@ bookstack_export_2023-11-28_06-24-25/programming/react/attachments/nextjs/sample
 [Reference](https://demo.bookstackapp.com/api/docs#attachments-list) and excerpt from Bookstack API docs:
 > Get a listing of attachments visible to the user. The external property indicates whether the attachment is simple a link. A false value for the external property would indicate a file upload.
 
+If an API call to get an attachment or its metadata fails, the exporter will skip the attachment and log the error. If using `modify_markdown` option, the attachment links in the document will be untouched and in its original form. All API calls are retried 3 times after initial failure.
+
 ### Modify Markdown Files
 **To use this feature, `assets.export_images` should be set to `true` and/or `assets.export_attachments`**
 
@@ -452,7 +478,14 @@ minio:
 | `access_key` | `str` | `false` if specified through env var instead, otherwise `true` | Access key for the minio instance |
 | `secret_key` | `str` | `false` if specified through env var, otherwise `true` | Secret key for the minio instance |
 | `path` | `str` | `false` | Optional, path of the backup to use. Will use root bucket path if not set. `<bucket_name>:/<path>/bookstack-<timestamp>.tgz` |
-| `keep_last` | `int` | `false` | Optional (default: `None`), if exporter can delete older archives in minio.<br>- set to `1+` if you want to retain a certain number of archives<br>-  `0` will result in no action done |
+| `keep_last` | `int` | `false` | Optional (default: `0`), if exporter can delete older archives in minio.<br>- set to `1+` if you want to retain a certain number of archives<br>-  `0` will result in no action done |
+
+## Potential Breaking Upgrades
+Below are versions that have major changes to the way configuration or exporter runs.
+
+| Start Version | Target Version | Description |
+| ------------- | -------------- | ----------- |
+| `< 1.4.X` | `1.5.0` | `assets.verify_ssl` has been moved to `http_config.verify_ssl` and the default value has been updated to `false`. `additional_headers` has been moved to `http_config.additional_headers` |
 
 ## Future Items
 1. ~~Be able to pull images locally and place in their respective page folders for a more complete file level backup.~~
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/__main__.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/__main__.py
index d91a0df..38fd292 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/__main__.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/__main__.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ def main():
     args: argparse.Namespace = run_args.get_args()
     logging.basicConfig(format='%(asctime)s [%(levelname)s] %(message)s',
                         level=run_args.get_log_level(args.log_level), datefmt='%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
-    run.exporter(args)
+    run.entrypoint(args)
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/archiver.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/archiver.py
index 6af2024..098b1a0 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/archiver.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/archiver.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 from bookstack_file_exporter.archiver.minio_archiver import MinioArchiver
 from bookstack_file_exporter.config_helper.remote import StorageProviderConfig
 from bookstack_file_exporter.config_helper.config_helper import ConfigNode
+from bookstack_file_exporter.common.util import HttpHelper
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -22,19 +23,36 @@ class Archiver:
 
     Args:
         :config: <ConfigNode> = Configuration with user inputs and general options.
+        :http_client: <HttpHelper> = http helper functions with config from user inputs
 
     Returns:
         Archiver instance with attributes that are accessible 
         for use for handling bookstack exports and remote uploads.
     """
-    def __init__(self, config: ConfigNode):
+    def __init__(self, config: ConfigNode, http_client: HttpHelper):
         self.config = config
         # for convenience
         self.base_dir = config.base_dir_name
         self.archive_dir = self._generate_root_folder(self.base_dir)
-        self._page_archiver = PageArchiver(self.archive_dir, self.config)
+        self._page_archiver = PageArchiver(self.archive_dir, self.config, http_client)
         self._remote_exports = {'minio': self._archive_minio, 's3': self._archive_s3}
 
+    def create_export_dir(self):
+        """create directory for archiving"""
+        if not self.config.user_inputs.output_path:
+            log.info("No output path specified, using current directory for archive")
+            return
+        log.info("Creating base directory for archive: %s",
+                 self.config.user_inputs.output_path)
+        # in docker, this may fail if the user id is not the same as the host
+        try:
+            util.create_dir(self.config.user_inputs.output_path)
+        except PermissionError as perm_err:
+            log.warning("Failed to create base directory: %s", perm_err)
+            log.warning("This usually occurs in docker environments " \
+                        "attempting to skip this step")
+            return
+
     def get_bookstack_exports(self, page_nodes: Dict[int, Node]):
         """export all page content"""
         log.info("Exporting all bookstack page contents")
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/asset_archiver.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/asset_archiver.py
index 71f2583..c119e7f 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/asset_archiver.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/asset_archiver.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # pylint: disable=import-error
 from requests import Response
 
-from bookstack_file_exporter.common import util as common_util
+from bookstack_file_exporter.common.util import HttpHelper
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ class AssetNode:
         AssetNode instance for use in other classes
     """
     def __init__(self, meta_data: Dict[str, int | str | bool]):
-        self.id: int = meta_data['id']
+        self.id_: int = meta_data['id']
         self.page_id: int = meta_data['uploaded_to']
         self.url: str = ""
         self.name: str = ""
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ class AttachmentNode(AssetNode):
     def __init__(self, meta_data: Dict[str, Union[int, str, bool]],
                  base_url: str):
         super().__init__(meta_data)
-        self.url: str = f"{base_url}/{self.id}"
+        self.url: str = f"{base_url}/{self.id_}"
         self.name = meta_data['name']
         log.debug("Attachment node has generated url: %s", self.url)
         self._relative_path_prefix = f"{_ATTACHMENT_DIR_NAME}"
@@ -112,47 +112,38 @@ class AssetArchiver:
 
     Args:
         :urls: <Dict[str, str]> = api urls for images and attachments
-        :headers: <Dict[str, str]> = http headers for api requests
-        :verify_ssl: <bool> = verify ssl for api requests
+        :http_client: <HttpHelper> = http helper functions with config from user inputs
 
     Returns:
         AssetArchiver instance for use in archiving images and attachments for a page
     """
-    def __init__(self, urls: Dict[str, str], headers: Dict[str, str],
-                 verify_ssl: bool):
+    def __init__(self, urls: Dict[str, str], http_client: HttpHelper):
         self.api_urls = urls
-        self.verify_ssl = verify_ssl
-        self._headers = headers
         self._asset_map = {
             'images': self._create_image_map,
             'attachments': self._create_attachment_map
         }
+        self.http_client = http_client
 
     def get_asset_nodes(self, asset_type: str) -> Dict[str, ImageNode | AttachmentNode]:
         """Get image or attachment helpers for a page"""
-        asset_response: Response = common_util.http_get_request(
-            self.api_urls[asset_type],
-            self._headers,
-            self.verify_ssl)
+        asset_response: Response = self.http_client.http_get_request(
+            self.api_urls[asset_type])
         asset_json = asset_response.json()['data']
         return self._asset_map[asset_type](asset_json)
 
     def get_asset_data(self, asset_type: str,
             meta_data: Union[AttachmentNode, ImageNode]) -> Dict[str, str | bool | int | dict]:
         """Get asset data based on type"""
-        data_url = f"{self.api_urls[asset_type]}/{meta_data.id}"
-        asset_data_response: Response = common_util.http_get_request(
-            data_url,
-            self._headers,
-            self.verify_ssl)
+        data_url = f"{self.api_urls[asset_type]}/{meta_data.id_}"
+        asset_data_response: Response = self.http_client.http_get_request(
+            data_url)
         return asset_data_response.json()
 
     def get_asset_bytes(self, asset_type: str, url: str) -> bytes:
         """Get raw asset data"""
-        asset_response: Response = common_util.http_get_request(
-            url,
-            self._headers,
-            self.verify_ssl)
+        asset_response: Response = self.http_client.http_get_request(
+            url)
         match asset_type:
             case "images":
                 asset_data = asset_response.content
@@ -164,6 +155,7 @@ def update_asset_links(self, asset_type, page_name: str, page_data: bytes,
             asset_nodes: List[ImageNode | AttachmentNode]) -> bytes:
         """update markdown links in page data"""
         for asset_node in asset_nodes:
+            # get metadata instead of raw data/bytes
             asset_data = self.get_asset_data(asset_type, asset_node)
             asset_node.set_markdown_content(asset_data)
             if not asset_node.markdown_str:
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/page_archiver.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/page_archiver.py
index 4398e27..0b6b745 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/page_archiver.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/page_archiver.py
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 from typing import Union, List, Dict
-
+import logging
+# pylint: disable=import-error
+from requests.exceptions import HTTPError
 from bookstack_file_exporter.exporter.node import Node
 from bookstack_file_exporter.archiver import util as archiver_util
 from bookstack_file_exporter.archiver.asset_archiver import AssetArchiver, ImageNode, AttachmentNode
 from bookstack_file_exporter.config_helper.config_helper import ConfigNode
+from bookstack_file_exporter.common.util import HttpHelper
+
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 _META_FILE_SUFFIX = "_meta.json"
 _TAR_SUFFIX = ".tar"
@@ -29,17 +34,16 @@ class PageArchiver:
 
     Args:
         :archive_dir: <str> = directory where data will be put into.
-
         :config: <ConfigNode> = Configuration with user inputs and general options.
+        :http_client: <HttpHelper> = http helper functions with config from user inputs
 
     Returns:
         :PageArchiver: instance with methods to help collect page content from a Bookstack instance.
     """
-    def __init__(self, archive_dir: str, config: ConfigNode) -> None:
+    def __init__(self, archive_dir: str, config: ConfigNode, http_client: HttpHelper) -> None:
         self.asset_config = config.user_inputs.assets
         self.export_formats = config.user_inputs.formats
         self.api_urls = config.urls
-        self._headers = config.headers
         # full path, bookstack-<timestamp>, and .tgz extension
         self.archive_file = f"{archive_dir}{_FILE_EXTENSION_MAP['tgz']}"
         # name of intermediate tar file before gzip
@@ -47,8 +51,9 @@ def __init__(self, archive_dir: str, config: ConfigNode) -> None:
         # name of the base folder to use within the tgz archive (internal tar layout)
         self.archive_base_path = archive_dir.split("/")[-1]
         self.modify_md: bool = self._check_md_modify()
-        self.asset_archiver = AssetArchiver(self.api_urls, self._headers,
-                                            self.verify_ssl)
+        self.asset_archiver = AssetArchiver(self.api_urls,
+                                            http_client)
+        self.http_client = http_client
 
     def _check_md_modify(self) -> bool:
         # check to ensure they have asset_config defined, could be None
@@ -70,6 +75,19 @@ def archive_pages(self, page_nodes: Dict[int, Node]):
                 page_images = image_nodes[page.id_]
             if page.id_ in attachment_nodes:
                 page_attachments = attachment_nodes[page.id_]
+            failed_images = self.archive_page_assets("images", page.parent.file_path,
+                                     page.name, page_images)
+            failed_attach = self.archive_page_assets("attachments", page.parent.file_path,
+                                     page.name, page_attachments)
+            # exclude from page_images
+            # so it doesn't attempt to get modified in markdown file
+            if failed_images:
+                page_images = [img for img in page_images if img.id_ not in failed_images]
+            # exclude from page_attachments
+            # so it doesn't attempt to get modified in markdown file
+            if failed_attach:
+                page_attachments = [attach for attach in page_attachments
+                                    if attach.id_ not in failed_attach]
             for export_format in self.export_formats:
                 page_data = self._get_page_data(page.id_, export_format)
                 if page_images and export_format == 'markdown':
@@ -80,10 +98,6 @@ def archive_pages(self, page_nodes: Dict[int, Node]):
                                                       page_data, page_attachments)
                 self._archive_page(page, export_format,
                                     page_data)
-            self.archive_page_assets("images", page.parent.file_path,
-                                     page.name, page_images)
-            self.archive_page_assets("attachments", page.parent.file_path,
-                                     page.name, page_attachments)
             if self.asset_config.export_meta:
                 self._archive_page_meta(page.file_path, page.meta)
 
@@ -94,8 +108,8 @@ def _archive_page(self, page: Node, export_format: str, data: bytes):
 
     def _get_page_data(self, page_id: int, export_format: str) -> bytes:
         url = f"{self.api_urls['pages']}/{page_id}/{_EXPORT_API_PATH}/{export_format}"
-        return archiver_util.get_byte_response(url=url, headers=self._headers,
-                                               verify_ssl=self.verify_ssl)
+        return archiver_util.get_byte_response(url=url,
+                                               http_client=self.http_client)
 
     def _archive_page_meta(self, page_path: str, meta_data: Dict[str, Union[str, int]]):
         meta_file_name = f"{self.archive_base_path}/{page_path}{_FILE_EXTENSION_MAP['meta']}"
@@ -123,15 +137,28 @@ def _modify_markdown(self, asset_type: str,
                                         asset_nodes)
 
     def archive_page_assets(self, asset_type: str, parent_path: str, page_name: str,
-                            asset_nodes: List[ImageNode | AttachmentNode]):
+                            asset_nodes: List[ImageNode | AttachmentNode]) -> Dict[int, int]:
         """pull images locally into a directory based on page"""
         if not asset_nodes:
-            return
-        node_base_path = f"{self.archive_base_path}/{parent_path}/"
+            return {}
+        # use a map for faster lookup
+        failed_assets = {}
+        node_base_path = f"{self.archive_base_path}/{parent_path}"
         for asset_node in asset_nodes:
-            asset_data = self.asset_archiver.get_asset_bytes(asset_type, asset_node.url)
+            try:
+                asset_data = self.asset_archiver.get_asset_bytes(asset_type, asset_node.url)
+            except HTTPError:
+                # probably unnecessary, but just in case
+                if asset_node.id_ not in failed_assets:
+                    failed_assets[asset_node.id_] = 0
+                # a 404 or other error occurred
+                # skip this asset
+                log.error("Failed to get image or attachment data " \
+                          "for asset located at: %s - skipping", asset_node.url)
+                continue
             asset_path = f"{node_base_path}/{asset_node.get_relative_path(page_name)}"
             self.write_data(asset_path, asset_data)
+        return failed_assets
 
     def write_data(self, file_path: str, data: bytes):
         """write data to a tar file
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/util.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/util.py
index 0980fb6..21cf8af 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/util.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/archiver/util.py
@@ -7,14 +7,15 @@
 from io import BytesIO
 import gzip
 import glob
+from pathlib import Path
 
-from bookstack_file_exporter.common import util
+from bookstack_file_exporter.common.util import HttpHelper
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-def get_byte_response(url: str, headers: Dict[str, str], verify_ssl: bool) -> bytes:
+def get_byte_response(url: str, http_client: HttpHelper) -> bytes:
     """get byte response from http request"""
-    response = util.http_get_request(url=url, headers=headers, verify_ssl=verify_ssl)
+    response = http_client.http_get_request(url=url)
     return response.content
 
 # append to a tar file instead of creating files locally and then tar'ing after
@@ -48,3 +49,7 @@ def scan_archives(base_dir: str, extension: str) -> str:
     """scan export directory for archives"""
     file_pattern = f"{base_dir}_*{extension}"
     return glob.glob(file_pattern)
+
+def create_dir(dir_path: str):
+    """create a directory if not exists"""
+    Path(dir_path).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/common/util.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/common/util.py
index 4591e9d..02cd807 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/common/util.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/common/util.py
@@ -1,44 +1,72 @@
 import logging
 from typing import Dict
+import urllib3
 # pylint: disable=import-error
 import requests
 # pylint: disable=import-error
 from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter, Retry
 
+from bookstack_file_exporter.config_helper.models import HttpConfig
+
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-def http_get_request(url: str, headers: Dict[str, str],
-                     verify_ssl: bool, timeout: int = 30) -> requests.Response:
-    """make http requests and return response object"""
-    url_prefix = should_verify(url)
-    try:
-        with requests.Session() as session:
-            # {backoff factor} * (2 ** ({number of previous retries}))
-            # {raise_on_status} if status falls in status_forcelist range
-            #  and retries have been exhausted.
-            # {status_force_list} 429 is supposed to be included
-            retries = Retry(total=3,
-                            backoff_factor=0.5,
-                            raise_on_status=True,
-                            status_forcelist=[ 500, 502, 503, 504 ])
-            session.mount(url_prefix, HTTPAdapter(max_retries=retries))
-            response = session.get(url, headers=headers, verify=verify_ssl, timeout=timeout)
-    except Exception as req_err:
-        log.error("Failed to make request for %s", url)
-        raise req_err
-    try:
-        #raise_for_status() throws an exception on codes 400-599
-        response.raise_for_status()
-    except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
-        # this means it either exceeded 50X retries in `http_get_request` handler
-        # or it returned a 40X which is not expected
-        log.error("Bookstack request failed with status code: %d on url: %s",
-                   response.status_code, url)
-        raise e
-    return response
-
-def should_verify(url: str) -> str:
-    """check if http or https"""
-    if url.startswith("https"):
-        return "https://"
-    return "http://"
+# disable TLS warnings if using verify_ssl=false
+urllib3.disable_warnings()
+
+class HttpHelper:
+    """
+    HttpHelper provides an http request helper with config stored and retries built in
+
+    Args:
+        :headers: <Dict[str, str]> = all headers to use for http requests
+        :config: <HttpConfig> = Configuration with user inputs for http requests
+
+    Returns:
+        :HttpHelper: instance with methods to help with http requests.
+    """
+    def __init__(self, headers: Dict[str, str],
+                 config: HttpConfig):
+        self.backoff_factor = config.backoff_factor
+        self.retry_codes = config.retry_codes
+        self.retry_count = config.retry_count
+        self.http_timeout = config.timeout
+        self.verify_ssl = config.verify_ssl
+        self._headers = headers
+
+    # more details on options: https://urllib3.readthedocs.io/en/stable/reference/urllib3.util.html
+    def http_get_request(self, url: str) -> requests.Response:
+        """make http requests and return response object"""
+        url_prefix = self.should_verify(url)
+        try:
+            with requests.Session() as session:
+                # {backoff factor} * (2 ** ({number of previous retries}))
+                # {raise_on_status} if status falls in status_forcelist range
+                #  and retries have been exhausted.
+                # {status_force_list} 413, 429, 503 defaults are overwritten with additional ones
+                retries = Retry(total=self.retry_count,
+                                backoff_factor=self.backoff_factor,
+                                raise_on_status=True,
+                                status_forcelist=self.retry_codes)
+                session.mount(url_prefix, HTTPAdapter(max_retries=retries))
+                response = session.get(url, headers=self._headers, verify=self.verify_ssl,
+                                       timeout=self.http_timeout)
+        except Exception as req_err:
+            log.error("Failed to make request for %s", url)
+            raise req_err
+        try:
+            #raise_for_status() throws an exception on codes 400-599
+            response.raise_for_status()
+        except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
+            # this means it either exceeded 50X retries in `http_get_request` handler
+            # or it returned a 40X which is not expected
+            log.error("Bookstack request failed with status code: %d on url: %s",
+                    response.status_code, url)
+            raise e
+        return response
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def should_verify(url: str) -> str:
+        """check if http or https"""
+        if url.startswith("https"):
+            return "https://"
+        return "http://"
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/config_helper.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/config_helper.py
index 80b822f..a1c3fe0 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/config_helper.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/config_helper.py
@@ -57,8 +57,6 @@ def __init__(self, args: argparse.Namespace):
         self._token_id, self._token_secret = self._generate_credentials()
         self._headers = self._generate_headers()
         self._urls = self._generate_urls()
-        self._minio_access_key = ""
-        self._minio_secret_key = ""
         self._object_storage_config = self._generate_remote_config()
 
     def _generate_config(self, config_file: str) -> models.UserInput:
@@ -81,11 +79,8 @@ def _generate_config(self, config_file: str) -> models.UserInput:
 
     def _generate_credentials(self) -> Tuple[str, str]:
         # if user provided credentials in config file, load them
-        token_id = ""
-        token_secret = ""
-        if self.user_inputs.credentials:
-            token_id = self.user_inputs.credentials.token_id
-            token_secret = self.user_inputs.credentials.token_secret
+        token_id = self.user_inputs.credentials.token_id
+        token_secret = self.user_inputs.credentials.token_secret
 
         # check to see if env var is specified, if so, it takes precedence
         token_id = self._check_var(_BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_FIELD, token_id)
@@ -100,15 +95,20 @@ def _generate_remote_config(self) -> Dict[str, StorageProviderConfig]:
                                                self.user_inputs.minio.access_key)
             minio_secret_key = self._check_var(_MINIO_SECRET_KEY_FIELD,
                                                self.user_inputs.minio.secret_key)
+
             object_config["minio"] = StorageProviderConfig(minio_access_key,
                                      minio_secret_key, self.user_inputs.minio)
+        for platform, config in object_config.items():
+            if not config.is_valid(platform):
+                error_str = "provided " + platform + " configuration is invalid"
+                raise ValueError(error_str)
         return object_config
 
     def _generate_headers(self) -> Dict[str, str]:
         headers = {}
         # add additional_headers provided by user
-        if self.user_inputs.additional_headers:
-            for key, value in self.user_inputs.additional_headers.items():
+        if self.user_inputs.http_config.additional_headers:
+            for key, value in self.user_inputs.http_config.additional_headers.items():
                 headers[key] = value
 
         # add default headers
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/models.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/models.py
index e82e5da..2e89649 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/models.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/models.py
@@ -5,19 +5,19 @@
 # pylint: disable=too-few-public-methods
 class ObjectStorageConfig(BaseModel):
     """YAML schema for minio configuration"""
-    host: str
-    access_key: Optional[str] = None
-    secret_key: Optional[str] = None
+    host: Optional[str] = ""
+    access_key: Optional[str] = ""
+    secret_key: Optional[str] = ""
     bucket: str
-    path: Optional[str] = None
+    path: Optional[str] = ""
     region: str
-    keep_last: Optional[int] = None
+    keep_last: Optional[int] = 0
 
 # pylint: disable=too-few-public-methods
 class BookstackAccess(BaseModel):
     """YAML schema for bookstack access credentials"""
-    token_id: str
-    token_secret: str
+    token_id: Optional[str] = ""
+    token_secret: Optional[str] = ""
 
 # pylint: disable=too-few-public-methods
 class Assets(BaseModel):
@@ -26,17 +26,25 @@ class Assets(BaseModel):
     export_attachments: Optional[bool] = False
     modify_markdown: Optional[bool] = False
     export_meta: Optional[bool] = False
-    verify_ssl: Optional[bool] = True
+
+class HttpConfig(BaseModel):
+    """YAML schema for user provided http settings"""
+    verify_ssl: Optional[bool] = False
+    timeout: Optional[int] = 30
+    backoff_factor: Optional[float] = 2.5
+    retry_codes: Optional[List[int]] = [413, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504]
+    retry_count: Optional[int] = 5
+    additional_headers: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = {}
 
 # pylint: disable=too-few-public-methods
 class UserInput(BaseModel):
     """YAML schema for user provided configuration file"""
     host: str
-    additional_headers: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None
-    credentials: Optional[BookstackAccess] = None
+    credentials: Optional[BookstackAccess] = BookstackAccess()
     formats: List[Literal["markdown", "html", "pdf", "plaintext"]]
-    output_path: Optional[str] = None
-    # export_meta: Optional[bool] = None
+    output_path: Optional[str] = ""
     assets: Optional[Assets] = Assets()
     minio: Optional[ObjectStorageConfig] = None
-    keep_last: Optional[int] = None
+    keep_last: Optional[int] = 0
+    run_interval: Optional[int] = 0
+    http_config: Optional[HttpConfig] = HttpConfig()
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/remote.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/remote.py
index d97dd04..ddcc717 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/remote.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/config_helper/remote.py
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
+import logging
+
 from bookstack_file_exporter.config_helper.models import ObjectStorageConfig
 
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 ## convenience class
 ## able to work for minio, s3, etc.
 class StorageProviderConfig:
@@ -21,6 +25,7 @@ def __init__(self, access_key: str, secret_key: str, config: ObjectStorageConfig
         self.config = config
         self._access_key = access_key
         self._secret_key = secret_key
+        self._valid_checker = {'minio': self._is_minio_valid()}
 
     @property
     def access_key(self) -> str:
@@ -31,3 +36,19 @@ def access_key(self) -> str:
     def secret_key(self) -> str:
         """return secret key for use"""
         return self._secret_key
+
+    def is_valid(self, storage_type: str) -> bool:
+        """check if object storage config is valid"""
+        return self._valid_checker[storage_type]
+    
+    def _is_minio_valid(self) -> bool:
+        """check if minio config is valid"""
+        # required values - keys and bucket already checked so skip
+        checks = {
+            "host": self.config.host
+        }
+        for prop, check in checks.items():
+            if not check:
+                log.error("%s is missing from minio configuration and is required", prop)
+                return False
+        return True
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/exporter/exporter.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/exporter/exporter.py
index 52702f2..fd1b3ed 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/exporter/exporter.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/exporter/exporter.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 from requests import Response
 
 from bookstack_file_exporter.exporter.node import Node
-from bookstack_file_exporter.common import util
+from bookstack_file_exporter.common.util import HttpHelper
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -19,10 +19,9 @@ class NodeExporter():
     Returns:
         NodeExporter instance to handle building shelve/book/chapter/page relations.
     """
-    def __init__(self, api_urls: Dict[str, str], headers: Dict[str,str], verify_ssl: bool):
+    def __init__(self, api_urls: Dict[str, str], http_client: HttpHelper):
         self.api_urls = api_urls
-        self.headers = headers
-        self.verify_ssl = verify_ssl
+        self.http_client = http_client
 
     def get_all_shelves(self) -> Dict[int, Node]:
         """
@@ -38,8 +37,7 @@ def get_all_shelves(self) -> Dict[int, Node]:
 
     def _get_json_response(self, url: str) -> List[Dict[str, Union[str,int]]]:
         """get http response data in json format"""
-        response: Response = util.http_get_request(url=url, headers=self.headers,
-                                        verify_ssl=self.verify_ssl)
+        response: Response = self.http_client.http_get_request(url=url)
         return response.json()
 
     def _get_all_ids(self, url: str) -> List[int]:
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/exporter/node.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/exporter/node.py
index 6fa5a86..5abe41d 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/exporter/node.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/exporter/node.py
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ def __init__(self, meta: Dict[str, Union[str, int]],
         # for convenience/usage for exporter
         # self.name: str = self.meta['slug']
         self.name = self.get_name(self.meta['slug'], self.meta['name'])
+        # id() is a built-in function and should not be used as a variable name
         self.id_: int = self.meta['id']
         self._display_name = self.meta['name']
         # children
diff --git a/bookstack_file_exporter/run.py b/bookstack_file_exporter/run.py
index 2ad787c..e7b408e 100644
--- a/bookstack_file_exporter/run.py
+++ b/bookstack_file_exporter/run.py
@@ -1,37 +1,47 @@
 import argparse
 import sys
 import logging
+import time
 from typing import Dict
 
 from bookstack_file_exporter.config_helper.config_helper import ConfigNode
 from bookstack_file_exporter.exporter.node import Node
 from bookstack_file_exporter.exporter.exporter import NodeExporter
 from bookstack_file_exporter.archiver.archiver import Archiver
+from bookstack_file_exporter.common.util import HttpHelper
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-def exporter(args: argparse.Namespace):
-    """export bookstack nodes and archive locally and/or remotely"""
-    ## get configuration from helper
+def entrypoint(args: argparse.Namespace):
+    """entrypoint for export process"""
+    # get configuration from helper
     config = ConfigNode(args)
+    if config.user_inputs.run_interval:
+        while True:
+            exporter(config)
+            log.info("Waiting %s seconds for next run", config.user_inputs.run_interval)
+            # sleep process state
+            time.sleep(config.user_inputs.run_interval)
+    exporter(config)
 
-    ## convenience vars
-    bookstack_headers = config.headers
-    api_urls = config.urls
-    unassigned_dir = config.unassigned_book_dir
-    verify_ssl = config.user_inputs.assets.verify_ssl
+def exporter(config: ConfigNode):
+    """export bookstack nodes and archive locally and/or remotely"""
 
     #### Export Data #####
     # need to implement pagination for apis
     log.info("Beginning run")
 
+    ## Helper functions with user provided (or defaults) http config
+    http_client = HttpHelper(config.headers, config.user_inputs.http_config)
+
     ## Use exporter class to get all the resources (pages, books, etc.) and their relationships
     log.info("Building shelve/book/chapter/page relationships")
-    export_helper = NodeExporter(api_urls, bookstack_headers, verify_ssl)
+    export_helper = NodeExporter(config.urls, http_client)
     ## shelves
     shelve_nodes: Dict[int, Node] = export_helper.get_all_shelves()
     ## books
-    book_nodes: Dict[int, Node] = export_helper.get_all_books(shelve_nodes, unassigned_dir)
+    book_nodes: Dict[int, Node] = export_helper.get_all_books(shelve_nodes,
+                                                              config.unassigned_book_dir)
     ## pages
     page_nodes: Dict[int, Node] = export_helper.get_all_pages(book_nodes)
     if not page_nodes:
@@ -39,7 +49,10 @@ def exporter(args: argparse.Namespace):
         sys.exit(0)
     log.info("Beginning archive")
     ## start archive ##
-    archive: Archiver = Archiver(config)
+    archive: Archiver = Archiver(config, http_client)
+
+    # create export directory if not exists
+    archive.create_export_dir()
 
     # get all page content for each page
     archive.get_bookstack_exports(page_nodes)
@@ -53,4 +66,5 @@ def exporter(args: argparse.Namespace):
     # clean up the .tgz archive since it is already uploaded
     archive.clean_up()
 
+    log.info("Created file archive: %s.tgz", archive.archive_dir)
     log.info("Completed run")
diff --git a/examples/config.yml b/examples/config.yml
index cca6602..99481d4 100644
--- a/examples/config.yml
+++ b/examples/config.yml
@@ -3,20 +3,14 @@
 # if you put http here, it will try verify=false, not to check certs
 host: "https://bookstack.mydomain.org"
 # You could optionally set the bookstack token_id and token_secret here instead of env
-# If using env vars instead you can omit/comment out this section
+# If using env vars instead you can leave values empty or omit this section
 credentials:
-    # set here or as env variable, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_ID
-    # env var takes precedence over below
-    token_id: ""
-    # set here or as env variable, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_SECRET
-    # env var takes precedence over below
-    token_secret: ""
-# optional - additional headers to add, examples below
-# if not required, you can omit/comment out section
-additional_headers:
-  test: "test"
-  test2: "test2"
-  User-Agent: "test-agent"
+  # set here or as env variable, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_ID
+  # env var takes precedence over below
+  token_id: ""
+  # set here or as env variable, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_SECRET
+  # env var takes precedence over below
+  token_secret: ""
 # supported formats from bookstack below
 # specify one or more
 formats:
@@ -40,8 +34,28 @@ assets:
   # like: last update, owner, revision count, etc.
   # omit this or set to false if not needed
   export_meta: false
-  # optional whether or not to check ssl certificates when requesting content from Bookstack host
-  verify_ssl: true
+# optional - can override default http_config
+# if not required, you can omit/comment out section
+# https://urllib3.readthedocs.io/en/stable/reference/urllib3.util.html
+# default backoff_factor 2.5 means we wait 5, 10, 20, and then 40 seconds before our last retry
+# - this should allow for per minute rate limits to be refreshed
+http_config:
+  # whether or not to verify ssl certificates if using https
+  verify_ssl: false
+  # set http timeout in seconds for requests
+  timeout: 30
+  # default backoff_factor 2.5 means we wait 5, 10, 20, and then 40 seconds before our last retry
+  # - this should allow for per minute rate limits to be refreshed
+  backoff_factor: 2.5
+  # which status codes trigger retries
+  retry_codes: [413, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504]
+  # number of retries
+  retry_count: 5
+  # any additional headers to add to http requests
+  additional_headers:
+    test: "test"
+    test2: "test2"
+    User-Agent: "test-agent"
 # directory to export to
 # relative or full path
 output_path: "bkps/"
@@ -52,3 +66,8 @@ output_path: "bkps/"
 # set to 1+ if you want to retain a certain number of archives
 # set to 0 or comment out section if you want no action done
 keep_last: 5
+## optional - if specified exporter will run in a loop
+# it will run and then pause for {run_interval} seconds before running again
+# specify in seconds, example: 86400 seconds = 24 hours or run once a day
+# omit/commit out or set to 0 if you just want a single run and exit
+run_interval: 0
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/examples/docker-compose.yaml b/examples/docker-compose.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..23fd82a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/docker-compose.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+name: bookstack-file-exporter
+services:
+  bookstack-file-exporter:
+    image: homeylab/bookstack-file-exporter:latest
+    # use a uid/gid that has permissions to write to local dump directory
+    user: 1000:1000
+    container_name: bookstack-file-exporter
+    environment:
+      - LOG_LEVEL=info
+    # example volumes shown
+    # change the left side of the ':' to your preferred files/dir
+    volumes:
+      - /opt/bookstack/bkps/config.yml:/export/config/config.yml:ro
+      - /opt/bookstack/bkps/archives:/export/dump
+    # can also pass env variables as a file
+    env_file:
+      - bkp.env
+    restart: always
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/examples/minio_config.yml b/examples/minio_config.yml
index 3b36a08..517fa3d 100644
--- a/examples/minio_config.yml
+++ b/examples/minio_config.yml
@@ -3,20 +3,14 @@
 # if you put http here, it will try verify=false, not to check certs
 host: "https://bookstack.mydomain.org"
 # You could optionally set the bookstack token_id and token_secret here instead of env
-# If using env vars instead you can omit/comment out this section
+# If using env vars instead you can leave values empty or omit this section
 credentials:
-    # set here or as env variable, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_ID
-    # env var takes precedence over below
-    token_id: ""
-    # set here or as env variable, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_SECRET
-    # env var takes precedence over below
-    token_secret: ""
-# additional headers to add, examples below
-# if not required, you can omit/comment out
-additional_headers:
-  test: "test"
-  test2: "test2"
-  User-Agent: "test-agent"
+  # set here or as env variable, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_ID
+  # env var takes precedence over below
+  token_id: ""
+  # set here or as env variable, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_SECRET
+  # env var takes precedence over below
+  token_secret: ""
 # supported formats from bookstack below
 # specify one or more
 formats:
@@ -69,17 +63,35 @@ assets:
   # like: last update, owner, revision count, etc.
   # omit this or set to false if not needed
   export_meta: false
-  # optional whether or not to check ssl certificates when requesting content from Bookstack host
-  verify_ssl: true
-# After uploading to object storage targets, choose to clean up local files
-# delete the archive from local filesystem
-# optional
-# default = false if omitted
-clean_up: true
+# optional - can override default http_config
+# if not required, you can omit/comment out section
+# https://urllib3.readthedocs.io/en/stable/reference/urllib3.util.html
+http_config:
+  # whether or not to verify ssl certificates if using https
+  verify_ssl: false
+  # set http timeout in seconds for requests
+  timeout: 30
+  # default backoff_factor 2.5 means we wait 5, 10, 20, and then 40 seconds before our last retry
+  # - this should allow for per minute rate limits to be refreshed
+  backoff_factor: 2.5
+  # which status codes trigger retries
+  retry_codes: [413, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504]
+  # number of retries
+  retry_count: 5
+  # any additional headers to add to http requests
+  additional_headers:
+    test: "test"
+    test2: "test2"
+    User-Agent: "test-agent"
 # optional if specified exporter can delete older archives
 # valid values are:
 # set to -1 if you want to delete all archives after each run
 # - this is useful if you only want to upload to object storage
 # set to 1+ if you want to retain a certain number of archives
 # set to 0 or comment out section if you want no action done
-keep_last: -1
\ No newline at end of file
+keep_last: -1
+## optional - if specified exporter will run in a loop
+# it will run and then pause for {run_interval} seconds before running again
+# specify in seconds, example: 86400 seconds = 24 hours or run once a day
+# omit/commit out or set to 0 if you just want a single run and exit
+run_interval: 0
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index ef0c2bf..4c25490 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ classifiers =
 [options]
 python_requires = >=3.8
 install_requires =
-    Pyyaml >= 6.0.1 # https://pypi.org/project/PyYAML/
-    Pydantic >= 2.8.2 # https://docs.pydantic.dev/latest/
+    Pyyaml >= 6.0.2 # https://pypi.org/project/PyYAML/
+    Pydantic >= 2.10.6 # https://docs.pydantic.dev/latest/
     requests >= 2.32.3 # https://pypi.org/project/requests/
-    minio >= 7.2.7 # https://pypi.org/project/minio/
+    minio >= 7.2.15 # https://pypi.org/project/minio/
 packages = find:
 
 [options.entry_points]