Configure automatic backups

Why backups matter

Backups protect against:

• Accidental world corruption
• Griefing damage
• Failed plugin updates
• Accidental file deletion

Pterodactyl built-in backups

Create a manual backup

1. Go to panel.baires.host → select your server
2. Click the Backups tab
3. Click Create Backup
4. Optionally name it (e.g., "Before plugin update")
5. Wait for completion

Restore from a backup

1. Go to Backups tab
2. Find the backup you want to restore
3. Click the three dots menu → Restore
4. Confirm the restoration
5. The server will restart with the restored files

Download a backup

1. Go to Backups tab
2. Click the three dots menu → Download
3. Save the backup file locally for offsite storage

Automatic backups with schedules

Set up a scheduled backup

1. Go to Schedules tab in the panel
2. Click Create Schedule
3. Name it "Daily Backup"
4. Set the cron expression:

• Daily at 4 AM: 0 4 *
• Every 12 hours: 0 /12
• Every 6 hours: 0 /6

1. Add a task: Create Backup
2. Enable the schedule

Recommended schedule

Server type	Frequency	Retention
Small (1-5 players)	Daily	Keep 7
Medium (5-20 players)	Every 12h	Keep 7
Large (20+ players)	Every 6h	Keep 14

Backup rotation

Pterodactyl has a backup limit per server. When the limit is reached, you can:

1. Set the backup task to delete oldest backup when limit is reached
2. Periodically download important backups locally
3. Contact support to increase your backup limit if needed

Best practices

• Always create a manual backup before:
• Updating plugins or server software
• Making major world changes
• Changing server configuration
• Download at least one backup per week to local/cloud storage
• Test restoring from a backup periodically to ensure they work
• Name backups descriptively so you know what state they represent

Tips

• Backups include all server files (world, plugins, configs)
• Restoration replaces all current files with the backup contents
• The server must be stopped during restoration
• Large worlds may take several minutes to back up