Back up and restore

A backup is a snapshot of a server's data that you can roll back to after a bad update, a broken config or an accidental delete. Take one before any change you might want to undo.

Containers, databases and game servers

Create a backup

1. Open the server and go to its Backups tab.
2. Click Create Backup.

The backup shows as Pending while it's being made, then Completed. Container backups cover the server's persistent storage: /home/container and any extra volume mounts. Files written anywhere else in the container aren't included (see Deploy a Docker image).

Backups are copied to separate backup storage, not kept on the same machine as your server.

Restore a backup

1. On the Backups tab, click Restore next to the backup.
2. Confirm. The restore overwrites all current server files with the backup's contents.

Anything created since that backup is lost. If you might need the current state, create a fresh backup first, then restore the older one.

Backup slots

Each server includes 5 free backup slots. The counter at the top of the tab shows how many are used.

When they're all used, either Delete an old backup or click Buy slot. Each extra slot adds a small monthly charge to the server's renewal, and you're charged now for the rest of the current period. Use Remove a slot to stop paying for one you no longer need. A server can have up to 20 slots in total.

VPS

1. Open the VPS and go to its Backup tab.
2. Click Create Backup. It appears in the list once it's done.
3. To roll back, click Restore next to a backup and confirm. The VPS's disk is replaced with the backup's contents.

Good habits

• Back up before OS upgrades, database migrations, game version changes, mod or plugin installs and image tag changes.
• Keep a known-good backup. Don't delete your last working backup until you've confirmed the new state works.
• Keep an off-platform copy of anything irreplaceable. Download important files with the File Manager, or dump databases regularly (pg_dump, mysqldump, mongodump) to somewhere outside BitQate.
• Backups are deleted with the server. That includes deletion after an unpaid suspension; see Credits, billing and renewals.