WinterNode automatically backs up every game server twice daily to protect against data loss and hardware failure. These backups can be restored by our support team on request.
Automatic Backups
- Schedule: Every 12 hours, starting between 2AM-3AM and 2PM-3PM CST
- Retention: 45 days
- Storage: Company-owned backup server, separate from your game server
Backups remain available even if your service is canceled or terminated, as long as they fall within the 45-day retention window.
What’s Included
- All server files under 5GB
- World data, saves, and configurations
- Plugins and mods
What’s Excluded
If you rely on large database files or mapping plugins, consider setting up your own backup solution in addition to ours.
Requesting a Restore
To restore from a backup, open a support ticket. We aim to complete restores within 24 hours, though often faster.
Via Discord (fastest): Open a ticket and use the /backup command. The bot will walk you through selecting your server and backup date.
Via Client Area: Submit a ticket with your server’s Node, UUID, and the backup date/time you need (2-3AM or 2-3PM CST).
For the full step-by-step process with screenshots, see Restoring Your Server from a Backup.
Game-Specific Guides
Some games have their own backup or restore processes:
Manual Backup Options
For faster access to backups or more control over what’s saved, you can set up your own backup process:
- DriveBackupV2 for automated external backups on Spigot/Paper servers
- SFTP download to manually download files via SFTP
- Folder compression to compress and download via the File Manager
Manual backups are especially useful for large files that exceed our 5GB automatic backup limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. As long as the backup falls within the 45-day retention window, we can restore it to a newly purchased service.
No. MySQL databases are not included. Use an external backup plugin such as DriveBackupV2 for database backups.
The Backups tab in the panel is not active. WinterNode's backup system is built independently and runs outside the panel's built-in backup feature.
Files over 5GB are excluded from automatic backups. This commonly affects CoreProtect SQLite databases and BlueMap render data. Consider setting up your own backup solution for these files.