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How Can I Use S3 for Minecraft Server Backups?: A quick beginner's guide to backups and data management

This post was written 2025-05-22 00:00:00 -0700 by Robert Whitney and has been viewed an unknown number of times since unknown time. This post was last viewed an unknown length of time ago.

Introduction & Requirements

This guide assumes that you have followed the basic steps outlined in my previous guide which are essential to understanding and following along with this one. This guide will expand upon the previous post so that I may discuss, in more intimate detail, how to create safe backups of your Minecraft server, store them remotely, and how to restore them in the event of a catastrophic failure. I will also discuss some of the more advanced features of the backup system, including how to use it to create a snapshot of your server at a specific point in time, and how to use it to restore your server to that point in time.

Like in the previous guide I have already written a script in bash to automate the backup process. The requirements to follow along with this guide are the server that you are already hosting Minecraft on in addition to an S3 bucket to store your backups. I use Wasabi for my S3 storage, but you can use any S3 compatible storage solution. I just prefer Wasabi because it is cheaper than other solutions that I've researched and has no egress fees.

In this image you can see a linux shell where a nodejs application displays the latest backups for servers, an d then shows individual snapshots (versions) for a server named hub

Why S3?

S3 is a cloud storage solution that allows you to store and retrieve any amount of data, at any time, from anywhere on the web. It is designed to be highly durable, available, and scalable, making it an ideal solution for storing backups of your Minecraft server. S3 is also designed to be highly secure, with built-in encryption and access control features that allow you to control who can access your data.

Bucket policies such as object locking, object lifecycle management, and object versioning to help you manage your data and ensure that it is always available when you need it. S3 is also designed to be highly cost-effective, with a pay-as-you-go pricing model that allows you to only pay for the storage and bandwidth that you actually use. This means that you can store as much or as little data as you need, without having to worry about upfront costs or long-term commitments.

Backup Strategies

When planning your backup strategy, it is important to consider both the frequency of your backups and the retention policy. Frequent backups ensure that you always have a recent copy of your server data, minimizing data loss in the event of a failure. A good starting point is to schedule daily incremental backups and weekly full backups, but you can adjust this based on your server's activity and your storage budget.

Retention policies determine how long you keep each backup before deleting it. For example, you might keep daily backups for a week, weekly backups for a month, and monthly backups for a year. This approach balances storage costs with the ability to recover from different types of failures or mistakes, such as accidental deletions or data corruption.

Automating Backups

Automation is key to a reliable backup system. By using scripts or backup tools, you can ensure that backups are created and uploaded to your S3 bucket without manual intervention. This reduces the risk of human error and ensures consistency. You can use cron jobs on Linux to schedule your scripts, or leverage third-party tools that support S3-compatible storage.

Make sure your automation scripts include error handling and logging. This way, you can be alerted if a backup fails or if there are connectivity issues with your S3 provider. Regularly test your backup and restore process to verify that your backups are working as expected and that you can recover your server data when needed.

Did you get that?

It is very important that you don't just backup your Minecraft server data but also make sure that you get a copy of any databases that you are using, as well as any data from other applications that you are using to run your server. Remember that your databases can be tainted or corrupted just as easily as your Minecraft server data, so it is critical to be able to restore them along with your server data like a snapshot. This is especially true if you are using a database to store player data, as this data is critical to the operation of your server. If you are using a database, make sure to include it in your backup strategy and automate the backup process for it as well. This will ensure that you have a complete and consistent backup of your server data, and that you can restore it in the event of a failure.

A quick checklist to make sure:

  • Use S3-compatible storage for backups
  • Implement encryption for data at rest and in transit
  • Set up access control policies for your S3 bucket and ensure that data is not publicly accessable
  • Regularly test your backup and restore process
  • Monitor backup logs for errors or issues
  • Consider using versioning and lifecycle policies for your backups
  • Document your backup and restore procedures

A well-planned backup strategy is essential for the long-term success of your Minecraft server. By using S3-compatible storage, automating your backup process, and implementing security best practices, you can ensure that your server data is safe and recoverable in the event of a failure. Regularly review and update your backup strategy to adapt to changes in your server environment and player activity. With the right approach, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your Minecraft server is protected against data loss and corruption.

A quick bash script

This quick and dirty bash script will backup your server data to an S3 bucket and should take very little modification to work with your setup. It is important to note that this script is not production ready and should be used as a starting point for your own backup solution. It is also important to note that this script does not include any error handling or logging, so you will need to add that yourself if you want to use it in a production environment. This script is intended to be run as a cron job, so you will need to set up a cron job to run it at the desired interval. You can do this by running the command `crontab -e` and adding a line like this to the file: 

        0 2 * * * /path/to/your/backup/script.sh
This will run the script every day at 2am. You can adjust the schedule to fit your needs. 

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