How to Set Up Automatic Backups for Your Game Server
Protecting your game server data is crucial. Automatic backups ensure you never lose player progress, configurations, or custom content due to unexpected issues.
Why Automatic Backups Matter
Game servers can experience problems from:
- Server crashes or corruption
- Accidental file deletions
- Failed updates or mod conflicts
- Player data loss
- Hardware failures
Regular automatic backups save you from disaster.
How Automatic Backups Work on GameServersHub
GameServersHub provides automated backup systems that:
- Run on a schedule you define
- Store multiple backup snapshots
- Allow quick restoration with one click
- Include all server files and databases
- Compress backups to save storage space
Setting Up Automatic Backups
Step 1: Access Your Server Panel
- Log into your GameServersHub account
- Select your game server from the dashboard
- Navigate to the Backups section in the left sidebar
Step 2: Configure Backup Schedule
Choose Your Backup Frequency:
- Hourly: Best for active servers with frequent changes
- Every 6 Hours: Good balance for most servers
- Daily: Suitable for smaller or less active servers
- Weekly: Minimal protection (not recommended for active servers)
- Custom Schedule: Set specific times and days
Recommended Schedules by Game Type:
Game Type | Recommended Frequency | Reason |
---|---|---|
Survival Games (ARK, Rust) | Every 6 hours | Frequent player progression |
RPG/Economy Servers | Every 12 hours | Regular trading/progress |
Creative/Building | Daily | Less frequent data changes |
PvP Competitive | Every 6 hours | High activity, important stats |
Step 3: Set Backup Retention
Configure how many backups to keep:
- Keep Last 3 Backups: Minimal storage, recent snapshots only
- Keep Last 7 Backups: Recommended for most servers
- Keep Last 14 Backups: Good for high-value servers
- Keep Last 30 Backups: Maximum protection (uses more storage)
Storage Considerations
More backups = more storage used. Check your plan's backup storage limit.
Step 4: Enable Auto-Backups
- Click Enable Automatic Backups
- Confirm your schedule and retention settings
- Click Save or Apply
- Your first automatic backup will run at the next scheduled time
Manual Backups
You can also create manual backups anytime:
- Go to the Backups section
- Click Create Backup Now
- Add an optional description (e.g., "Before mod update")
- Click Create
- The backup will appear in your backup list
Create manual backups before:
- Installing new mods or plugins
- Major server configuration changes
- Game version updates
- Trying experimental settings
Restoring from a Backup
If you need to restore your server:
Step 1: Stop Your Server
Always stop the server before restoring to prevent data conflicts.
Step 2: Select a Backup
- Navigate to the Backups section
- Review available backups (sorted by date)
- Click on the backup you want to restore
- Review the backup date and time to confirm
Step 3: Restore
- Click Restore Backup
- Confirm the restoration (this will overwrite current files)
- Wait for the restore process to complete
- Start your server
Important
Restoring a backup will replace ALL current server files with the backup version. Any changes made after that backup will be lost.
Downloading Backups
You can download backups to your local computer:
- Go to the Backups section
- Find the backup you want to download
- Click the Download button
- The backup will download as a compressed file (.zip or .tar.gz)
Why download backups:
- Extra off-site protection
- Transfer to another host
- Archive important server snapshots
- Recover specific files without full restore
Best Practices
✅ Enable automatic backups immediately after server setup ✅ Test your backups - Restore to a test server periodically ✅ Create manual backups before major changes ✅ Keep at least 7 days of backups for flexibility ✅ Download critical backups for off-site storage ✅ Monitor backup logs to ensure they're completing successfully ✅ Clean old backups if approaching storage limits
Backup File Contents
GameServersHub backups typically include:
- All server configuration files
- World/map data
- Player databases
- Plugin/mod configurations
- Custom content and assets
- Save files and progress data
Not typically included:
- Log files (too large, not needed)
- Cache or temporary files
- Server binaries (re-downloaded on updates)
Troubleshooting
Backup Failed to Create
- Check storage space: You may have reached your limit
- Check server status: Server may be locked during update
- Review error logs: Check backup logs for specific errors
Backup Not Running on Schedule
- Verify automatic backups are enabled
- Check your schedule configuration
- Ensure your server is running at backup time
Restore Taking Too Long
- Large servers take longer to restore (10-30 minutes is normal)
- Do not start the server during restoration
- Contact support if restore stalls for over an hour
Can't Download Backup
- Check your internet connection
- Verify backup completed successfully
- Try a different browser
- Contact support if download link is broken
Need Help?
If you have backup-related questions:
- Contact GameServersHub Support
- Join our Discord Community
- Visit the GameServersHub Forums
Don't wait for disaster - set up automatic backups today!