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Godlike.Host offers hosted Vintage Story servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
The dependable way to back up a Vintage Story dedicated server is to stop the server after a clean save, create a world backup with /genbackup <filename> when that command is available, and copy the active .vcdbs file to storage outside the server host. Also preserve serverconfig.json, installed mods, and any custom scripts or configuration required to recreate the server. To restore, place the backup file in the server’s Saves folder, set SaveFileLocation to that filename, restart, and verify the world before players reconnect.
What a complete Vintage Story server backup contains
A world file alone is not always a complete disaster-recovery set. The built-in command is designed to copy the current save game, but a dedicated server also depends on its configuration and, often, additional files.
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.vcdbsfile named bySaveFileLocation. - Server configuration:
serverconfig.json, which contains the server’s settings and tells it which save file to load. - Mods: the installed mod files and their required configuration, when the world depends on them.
- Custom server data: scripts, added configuration, or other files used by your particular deployment.
The Vintage Story Wiki command reference describes /genbackup <filename> as creating a full copy of the current save game in the Backups folder. A forum discussion about backup scripts cautions that this built-in operation copies the world file but does not automatically capture extra data. Treat the generated file as the world portion of a backup, then archive the surrounding server files separately.
Prepare the server before copying anything
Make a clean save and stop the server
Back up when the server is not writing to the world. Ask players to disconnect, allow the current activity to settle, save the world, and stop the dedicated server using the normal control supplied by your host or service manager. The documented procedure supports copying the save while the server is offline; it does not publish a guarantee that a file copied during active writes is atomic or internally consistent.
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Do not assume that a live copy is safe simply because the file appears to have a stable size. A world can change while the copy is in progress. If you must design an automated process, make stopping the server or otherwise preventing writes an explicit part of that process rather than relying on timing.
Record the deployment’s data directory
Vintage Story installations can use different data locations. Windows commonly uses an AppData-based directory, macOS locations have changed in newer releases, and Linux or container deployments may use a path chosen by the administrator. The configured data directory is authoritative for your installation. Find it from the server’s launch configuration, hosting panel, or service definition before you search for files.
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Before editing anything for a restore, make a separate copy of serverconfig.json. Preserving the original makes it possible to compare settings, recover a typo, and identify which world was active before the incident.
Find the active Vintage Story world file
Read SaveFileLocation in serverconfig.json
Open the dedicated server’s serverconfig.json in the configured data directory and inspect SaveFileLocation. Its value identifies the named .vcdbs file the server loads. This is more reliable than choosing the newest file by timestamp, especially when several worlds or old backups are present.
The official dedicated-server documentation shows a common layout containing data/Saves and explains that SaveFileLocation can be changed to a named .vcdbs file. Your installation may place the data directory elsewhere, so use the actual configured path rather than copying a similarly named file from a different installation.
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Understand the backup-related folders
The data-folder reference distinguishes two folders that are easy to confuse:
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Backup files use the same format as files in Saves. A file in Backups is therefore a candidate for restoration, but the server will not load it merely because it exists there; the restore procedure requires placing it in Saves and selecting its filename.
Method 1: create a backup with /genbackup
Run the command from the server
- Ensure the server is in a controlled state and that no administrative operation is changing the world while you work.
- Use the server console or an authorized in-game account to run
/genbackup <filename>. Replace the angle-bracketed part with a descriptive filename that distinguishes this copy from other saves. - Check the server’s
Backupsfolder in the configured data directory and confirm that the new world file was created. - After the server is stopped, copy that generated file to storage separate from the server host.
The command reference’s exact wording is: Creates a full copy of the current save game and stores it in the backups folder.
That page is marked outdated and says it was last verified for version 1.15. Command names or syntax can change, so run /help genbackup on the installed release if the command is rejected, produces an error, or shows different usage.
Know what this method does not preserve
/genbackup addresses the save game. It does not, by itself, promise a copy of serverconfig.json, mods, scripts, or other custom server data. A world that loads on a plain installation may still fail to reproduce the original server’s behavior when those dependencies are absent. Add those files to the off-server archive described below.
Method 2: make a manual off-server copy
A manual copy is the essential second layer because a backup left only in the host’s Backups directory can disappear with the host. Use the active filename from SaveFileLocation, not a guessed world name.
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- Stop the dedicated server after a clean save.
- Open the configured data directory and then its
Savesfolder. - Copy the active
.vcdbsfile named bySaveFileLocationto a separate backup directory. - Copy
serverconfig.jsonalongside it. - Add the installed mods and any custom scripts or configuration needed by the server.
- Copy the resulting backup set to storage outside the server host, such as an external USB hard drive or SSD.
- Record which
.vcdbsfilename the set is intended to load and keep the files together.
The external device is not a special Vintage Story format; it is simply a second location for the files. Its value is separation: a failure, accidental deletion, or compromise of the server host does not automatically remove the only backup.
Built-in command versus manual copy
These approaches solve different parts of the problem. Use the command for a convenient world snapshot, and use a stopped-server file copy to capture the complete deployment and place a copy off the host.
| Approach | Automation | Scope | Recovery path | Off-host copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
/genbackup <filename> |
Can be invoked from the server, but the documented command is an administrative action rather than a complete host-level backup system. | Current save game in the Backups folder. |
Copy the resulting file to Saves, select it with SaveFileLocation, and restart. |
Only exists if you separately copy it away from the server host. |
| Stopped-server file copy | Can be scheduled by your operating system or hosting environment, provided the process prevents writes during the copy. | World .vcdbs, serverconfig.json, mods, and custom server data that you include. |
Restore the selected files, place the world in Saves, configure the filename, and restart. |
The copy can be written directly to an external drive or another storage system. |
Neither method has a published universal recovery-time figure. The practical recovery time depends on the size of the files, the storage connection, the server installation, and how quickly you can recreate its required configuration.
Schedule backups without copying a changing world
Automation is useful only if it preserves a consistent state. The available documentation does not define a guaranteed atomic-backup procedure for a world that is still being written. Build your schedule around a maintenance window in which players are disconnected and the server is stopped before the file-copy stage.
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A safe high-level sequence
- Notify players that the server will briefly close for maintenance.
- Stop the dedicated server through the mechanism used by your installation.
- Copy the active
.vcdbs,serverconfig.json, mods, and required custom data to a dated destination. - Confirm that the destination contains the expected files before bringing the server back online.
- Start the server and watch its normal startup output for errors.
The exact scheduler, service manager, or container command varies by deployment and is not specified by the Vintage Story references. Do not paste a Windows, macOS, Linux, or container command intended for a different installation without adapting the paths and stop/start mechanism to your environment.
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Restore a Vintage Story world backup
Restore the world file
- Stop the dedicated server and prevent players from reconnecting during the restore.
- Make a safety copy of the current
serverconfig.jsonand, if space permits, the current active.vcdbsfile. - Take the selected backup
.vcdbsfile from your backup storage and place it in the installation’sSavesfolder. - Open
serverconfig.jsonand setSaveFileLocationto the restored filename. Use the filename exactly as it appears inSaves. - Restore the matching mods and custom server files if they are not already present.
- Start the server and wait for normal startup to complete.
The Vintage Story data-folder reference states that backup files have the same format as files in Saves and that restoration is performed by copying the file into Saves. For a dedicated server, changing SaveFileLocation is the step that tells the process to load that restored file rather than the previous world.
Verify before reopening to players
- Confirm that the server starts without reporting a missing save, missing mod, or configuration error.
- Connect with an administrator account and inspect the expected spawn area, important builds, containers, and other world features.
- Check that the restored world date or other known state matches the backup you selected.
- Review the server log for errors during world loading and the first few minutes of operation.
- Only after these checks should you announce that the server is available again.
If the restored world is not the expected one, stop the server and re-check both the spelling of SaveFileLocation and the file currently present in Saves. Do not keep experimenting on the only copy of the original world; work from a duplicate so that another restore attempt remains possible.
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The command is unknown or fails
The command reference is explicitly outdated and was last verified for version 1.15. Run /help genbackup on the installed version and use the syntax shown there. If the command is unavailable, use the stopped-server manual copy method instead of assuming that a similarly named command exists.
The wrong world was backed up
Inspect SaveFileLocation in the active serverconfig.json and compare it with the filename you copied. A data directory can contain multiple .vcdbs files, including old restores and worlds from other servers. The configured filename, not the folder listing alone, identifies the active world.
The backup cannot be found
Look in the configured data directory, then distinguish Backups from BackupSaves. The former is associated with /genbackup; the latter is associated with single-player Modify World backups. Also check that you are examining the data path used by the running server rather than a default path from another installation.
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The world loads but the server is not the same
A world-file restore does not recreate mods, server settings, or custom scripts that were never archived. Restore the matching files and compare them with the preserved serverconfig.json. If the original deployment used custom data, include that data in every future backup set.
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Because the references do not guarantee an atomic live copy, treat a backup made during active writes as suspect. Make a new copy after a clean save and a full server stop, then use that offline copy for recovery.
The host failed and the local backup disappeared
A file in the server’s own Backups directory is not an off-server backup. Maintain at least one copy on separate storage, such as an external USB hard drive or SSD, and update it whenever you create a new recovery set.
Maintain a backup set you can actually restore
Use descriptive filenames and keep the world file with the configuration and dependency files that belong to it. When you replace a backup, do not delete the only older copy until the newer set has been copied successfully and, when practical, loaded in a separate test instance. A restore test is the best way to discover a misspelled filename, an omitted mod, or a configuration dependency before an emergency.
The available Vintage Story references do not establish a universal retention period, file-size expectation, recovery-time objective, or success rate. Choose retention and storage capacity according to how often your world changes and how much rollback history your community needs, but keep the non-negotiable elements consistent: a clean stopped-server copy, the active .vcdbs, serverconfig.json, required mods and custom data, and at least one copy outside the host.
A repeatable workflow
- Identify the configured data directory and read
SaveFileLocation. - Make a clean save, stop the server, and prevent writes.
- Use
/genbackup <filename>when supported, checking/help genbackupif the syntax differs. - Copy the active world file, configuration, mods, and custom data to separate storage.
- For restoration, put the selected
.vcdbsinSaves, pointSaveFileLocationat it, restart, and verify before reopening the server.
This workflow separates the convenient in-game world snapshot from the complete off-server recovery set, which is what protects both the world and the configuration needed to run it.
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