FastBack vs ServerBackup

FastBack is a free Minecraft mod for making incremental snapshots of Java worlds: each snapshot records only the parts that have changed. It can save backups locally, send them to another Git repository, or write them to a network drive without a Git server. Automatic backups can run when a world shuts down or after Minecraft autosaves, with a configurable minimum wait between runs. A snapshot can be restored as a separate world copy, so the current world files remain unchanged. Retention options include daily, fixed-count, GFS, and all-snapshots policies; snapshots can also include mod jars and configuration files. FastBack works on Minecraft clients and dedicated servers, with Linux, Mac, and Windows support. Separate Fabric and NeoForge mod files are listed. It requires native Git and Git LFS to be installed and available on the Minecraft process PATH. Garbage collection can take more than five minutes, and the documentation recommends running git gc directly for worlds larger than 1 GB. The mod is distributed under GNU Public License version 2; modpack use requires attribution with a link to the project page.

ServerBackup is a Minecraft server backup plugin for administrators seeking to protect server files and worlds from data loss, griefing, and chunk failures. It schedules backups automatically and offers in-game commands to target a particular world, folder, or file. Those commands can also list and search backups, remove them, and zip or unzip folders. Backup creation runs asynchronously, separately from the server’s main thread. Dynamic Backups are designed to save only world chunks or regions that may have changed. The plugin can upload and download backups through an external FTP server and list remote backups; the maker says transfers use SSL encryption. A configuration setting can delete local backups after upload. Many settings are customizable through config.yml. ServerBackup is free, with Linux and self-hosted platforms listed. The homepage offers version 2.10.0 for Minecraft 1.18 and later, plus an alternate version for earlier releases. SFTP on port 22 does not work with its FTP backup feature.