diff --git a/tools/unitctl/Cargo.lock b/tools/unitctl/Cargo.lock
index 16241296f..202799638 100644
--- a/tools/unitctl/Cargo.lock
+++ b/tools/unitctl/Cargo.lock
@@ -485,23 +485,12 @@ checksum = "5443807d6dff69373d433ab9ef5378ad8df50ca6298caf15de6e52e24aaf54d5"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "errno"
-version = "0.3.1"
+version = "0.3.9"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "4bcfec3a70f97c962c307b2d2c56e358cf1d00b558d74262b5f929ee8cc7e73a"
+checksum = "534c5cf6194dfab3db3242765c03bbe257cf92f22b38f6bc0c58d59108a820ba"
 dependencies = [
- "errno-dragonfly",
- "libc",
- "windows-sys 0.48.0",
-]
-
-[[package]]
-name = "errno-dragonfly"
-version = "0.1.2"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "aa68f1b12764fab894d2755d2518754e71b4fd80ecfb822714a1206c2aab39bf"
-dependencies = [
- "cc",
  "libc",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -510,6 +499,18 @@ version = "2.0.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "25cbce373ec4653f1a01a31e8a5e5ec0c622dc27ff9c4e6606eefef5cbbed4a5"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "filetime"
+version = "0.2.23"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "1ee447700ac8aa0b2f2bd7bc4462ad686ba06baa6727ac149a2d6277f0d240fd"
+dependencies = [
+ "cfg-if",
+ "libc",
+ "redox_syscall",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "fnv"
 version = "1.0.7"
@@ -1009,9 +1010,9 @@ checksum = "830d08ce1d1d941e6b30645f1a0eb5643013d835ce3779a5fc208261dbe10f55"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libc"
-version = "0.2.150"
+version = "0.2.155"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "89d92a4743f9a61002fae18374ed11e7973f530cb3a3255fb354818118b2203c"
+checksum = "97b3888a4aecf77e811145cadf6eef5901f4782c53886191b2f693f24761847c"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libloading"
@@ -1034,9 +1035,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "linux-raw-sys"
-version = "0.4.11"
+version = "0.4.14"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "969488b55f8ac402214f3f5fd243ebb7206cf82de60d3172994707a4bcc2b829"
+checksum = "78b3ae25bc7c8c38cec158d1f2757ee79e9b3740fbc7ccf0e59e4b08d793fa89"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "log"
@@ -1488,15 +1489,15 @@ checksum = "08d43f7aa6b08d49f382cde6a7982047c3426db949b1424bc4b7ec9ae12c6ce2"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rustix"
-version = "0.38.25"
+version = "0.38.34"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "dc99bc2d4f1fed22595588a013687477aedf3cdcfb26558c559edb67b4d9b22e"
+checksum = "70dc5ec042f7a43c4a73241207cecc9873a06d45debb38b329f8541d85c2730f"
 dependencies = [
  "bitflags 2.4.1",
  "errno",
  "libc",
  "linux-raw-sys",
- "windows-sys 0.48.0",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1788,6 +1789,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tar"
+version = "0.4.41"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "cb797dad5fb5b76fcf519e702f4a589483b5ef06567f160c392832c1f5e44909"
+dependencies = [
+ "filetime",
+ "libc",
+ "xattr",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tempfile"
 version = "3.8.1"
@@ -2061,6 +2073,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "serde_yaml",
+ "tar",
  "tempfile",
  "tokio",
  "unit-client-rs",
@@ -2439,6 +2452,17 @@ version = "0.52.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "dff9641d1cd4be8d1a070daf9e3773c5f67e78b4d9d42263020c057706765c04"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "xattr"
+version = "1.3.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8da84f1a25939b27f6820d92aed108f83ff920fdf11a7b19366c27c4cda81d4f"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc",
+ "linux-raw-sys",
+ "rustix",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "yansi"
 version = "0.5.1"
diff --git a/tools/unitctl/README.md b/tools/unitctl/README.md
index 2e5a2da17..ee48f6454 100644
--- a/tools/unitctl/README.md
+++ b/tools/unitctl/README.md
@@ -157,6 +157,20 @@ Imported /opt/unit/config/put.json -> /config
 Imported 3 files
 ```
 
+### Export configuration from a running Unit instance
+```
+$ unitctl export -f config.tar
+```
+
+Addtionally, standard out can be used:
+```
+$ unitctl export -f -
+$ unitctl export -f - | tar xf - config.json
+$ unitctl export -f - > config.tar
+```
+
+*Note:* The exported configuration will be devoid of any installed certificates. The Unit configuration API does not support fetching certificates or private keys once installed. User's will need to add relevant certificates and keys to an export.
+
 ### Wait for socket to become available
 ```
 $ unitctl --wait-timeout-seconds=3 --wait-max-tries=4 import /opt/unit/config`
diff --git a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/Cargo.toml b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/Cargo.toml
index 98930fb3d..8d83b4243 100644
--- a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/Cargo.toml
+++ b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/Cargo.toml
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ hyperlocal = "0.8"
 hyper-tls = "0.5"
 tokio = { version = "1.35", features = ["macros"] }
 futures = "0.3"
+tar = "0.4.41"
 
 [package.metadata.deb]
 copyright = "2022, F5"
diff --git a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/cmd/mod.rs b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/cmd/mod.rs
index 989a0109e..5fc3833a5 100644
--- a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/cmd/mod.rs
+++ b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/cmd/mod.rs
@@ -4,3 +4,4 @@ pub(crate) mod import;
 pub(crate) mod instances;
 pub(crate) mod listeners;
 pub(crate) mod status;
+pub(crate) mod save;
diff --git a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/cmd/save.rs b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/cmd/save.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bce8fdb97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/cmd/save.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+use crate::unitctl::UnitCtl;
+use crate::wait;
+use crate::UnitctlError;
+use crate::requests::send_empty_body_deserialize_response;
+use unit_client_rs::unit_client::UnitClient;
+use tar::{Builder, Header};
+use std::fs::File;
+use std::io::stdout;
+
+
+pub async fn cmd(
+    cli: &UnitCtl,
+    filename: &String
+) -> Result<(), UnitctlError> {
+    if !filename.ends_with(".tar") {
+        eprintln!("Warning: writing uncompressed tarball to {}", filename);
+    }
+
+    let control_socket = wait::wait_for_socket(cli).await?;
+    let client = UnitClient::new(control_socket);
+
+    let config_res = serde_json::to_string_pretty(
+        &send_empty_body_deserialize_response(&client, "GET", "/config").await?
+    );
+    if let Err(e) = config_res {
+        return Err(UnitctlError::DeserializationError{message: e.to_string()})
+    }
+
+    let current_config = config_res
+        .unwrap()
+        .into_bytes();
+
+    //let current_js_modules = send_empty_body_deserialize_response(&client, "GET", "/js_modules")
+    //    .await?;
+
+    let mut conf_header = Header::new_gnu();
+    conf_header.set_size(current_config.len() as u64);
+    conf_header.set_mode(0o644);
+    conf_header.set_cksum();
+
+    // builder has a different type depending on output
+    if filename == "-" {
+        let mut ar = Builder::new(stdout());
+        ar.append_data(&mut conf_header, "config.json", current_config.as_slice()).unwrap();
+    } else {
+        let file = File::create(filename).unwrap();
+        let mut ar = Builder::new(file);
+        ar.append_data(&mut conf_header, "config.json", current_config.as_slice()).unwrap();
+    }
+
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/main.rs b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/main.rs
index 12322873a..8e289de3d 100644
--- a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/main.rs
+++ b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/main.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ extern crate unit_client_rs;
 
 use clap::Parser;
 
-use crate::cmd::{edit, execute as execute_cmd, import, instances, listeners, status};
+use crate::cmd::{edit, execute as execute_cmd, import, instances, listeners, status, save};
 use crate::output_format::OutputFormat;
 use crate::unitctl::{Commands, UnitCtl};
 use crate::unitctl_error::UnitctlError;
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ async fn main() -> Result<(), UnitctlError> {
         Commands::Status { output_format } => status::cmd(&cli, output_format).await,
 
         Commands::Listeners { output_format } => listeners::cmd(&cli, output_format).await,
+
+        Commands::Export { ref filename } => save::cmd(&cli, filename).await,
     }
     .map_err(|error| {
         eprint_error(&error);
diff --git a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/unitctl.rs b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/unitctl.rs
index b1bdbbd1d..47830816a 100644
--- a/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/unitctl.rs
+++ b/tools/unitctl/unitctl/src/unitctl.rs
@@ -114,6 +114,15 @@ pub(crate) enum Commands {
         )]
         output_format: OutputFormat,
     },
+    #[command(about = "Export the current configuration of UNIT")]
+    Export {
+        #[arg(
+            required = true,
+            short = 'f',
+            help = "tarball filename to save configuration to"
+        )]
+        filename: String
+    },
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Args)]