Minecraft Backup vs ServerBackup

Minecraft Backup is a Linux script for backing up Minecraft server world folders. It can create tar archives or use the restic backend, and connects to servers managed with screen or tmux, as well as servers with RCON or Docker RCON enabled. The script works with vanilla servers and does not require plugins. Backups can be scheduled with cron; the README includes an hourly example. For older backups, users can choose no deletion, sequential deletion of the oldest backup, or thin retention. Thin retention keeps the last 24 hourly and 30 daily backups, then uses available space for weekly backups. Backups are stored locally, and restoration uses tar extraction for tar files or restic restore for restic backups. The script can post backup status messages in Minecraft chat. It requires tar and a compression program such as the default gzip; RCON also requires xxd. Player data can become out of sync with world data during backups, potentially duplicating or losing items. RCON is recommended because it waits for the server to confirm saving is complete. The README also warns that Minecraft bug MC-217729 can cause a backup to fail.

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.