Advanced Backups is a backup mod for Minecraft that protects your world data through scheduled, automated snapshots. The mod handles all backup work on the server side, though it can optionally send notifications to players who have the client installed.
Compatibility
The mod supports Paper, Spigot, Neoforge, Fabric, and Quilt. It works with Minecraft versions 1.20.2 through 1.21.4.
How it backs up
You choose from three backup methods. Honestly, zip backups store a complete copy of your world each time. Differential backups keep one full backup and then store only the files that changed, cutting disk space significantly. Incremental backups take this further, storing only changes since the last partial backup. So this saves the most space but adds complexity during restoration since a damaged file can affect later backups in the chain.
Restoration and recovery
Advanced Backups includes a command-line restoration tool built into the mod jar. You run it directly from the command line with Java, no GUI needed. This means you can recover worlds even if your server isn't running.
Scheduled and manual backups
Backups run on a schedule you configure. By default they only happen when someone's been online since the last backup, though this is configurable. You can set minimum and maximum time gaps between backups to avoid running them too often or too seldom. Command-based backups bypass the schedule entirely, and special snapshot backups won't get deleted automatically.
Cleanup and storage
Three automatic purging modes let you control when old backups are deleted. You can set a maximum storage size in gigabytes, keep a minimum number of backups around, or use time-based deletion. Snapshots created manually are exempt from purging.
Notifications
Spigot servers have no client component. On other loaders, players see in-game notifications (toasts) when backups happen. To see them on a Spigot server, a player needs Forge, Neoforge, or Fabric installed on their client. You can disable toasts server-wide or restrict them to operators only.
Known issue with alternate dimensions
There's a known problem where the End and Nether may not back up correctly if your server software or plugins keep those dimensions outside the main world directory. This configuration is common enough that a fix is in development. For now, it's something to keep in mind if your setup uses non-standard dimension handling.
Configuration
All settings live in a configuration file you edit after the mod's first run. You control backup frequency, backup type, where backups are stored, maximum size, which files to exclude, and more. Changes take effect after a server restart or by using the reload command.
