Backups on a Rust server
By Benjamin D. · PDG
· 2 min read
Contents
The Rust world will be erased anyway, so many owners conclude backups are pointless. That is a mistake whose price is only ever paid once.
Why back up despite the wipe
Weeks separate two wipes. Losing the world mid-cycle is the same as wiping early and without warning.
What to copy
The world save, the server settings and the admin list. All three are needed to come back identical.
The seed is part of the copy
Without the seed, the same map cannot be regenerated. It belongs with the backups, not in someone's memory.
Why one copy is not enough
Damage is rarely noticed the same evening. Keeping only the latest copy often means keeping the already-damaged version.
How many generations to keep
A week of daily copies is enough for most Rust servers, since the cycle is short anyway.
Where to store them
A copy on the same machine protects against mistakes, not against losing the machine. At least one copy belongs elsewhere.
Before every update
Rust updates often and not every update is painless. A copy beforehand is the cheapest insurance available.
Stop the server cleanly
The game writes the world on shutdown. An interrupted write gives a file that opens but is missing part of the world.
Test the restore
A copy that has never been restored is an assumption. One attempt shows whether the files are complete.
Name copies with the date
A date and a short note make restoring fast. Ten identical names force you to open them all.
Check the copies appear
A configured schedule and a working schedule are two different things. One look at the folder after a week is the whole check.
Most of what precedes is a matter of organisation rather than technique: the decisions are made before you start, the backups have to actually run, and the rules are written while nothing has gone wrong yet. Our Rust server hosting takes on the part there is no reason to do by hand — automatic backups, map management and instant setup, along with a panel where settings, files, mods and restarts are handled without ever opening a command line.
