What to back up before you move a server
A per game checklist of the files that matter when you move a server, the ones people forget, how to check an archive before you trust it, and how long to keep the old copy.
6 min read · Updated Oct 21, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team
There are two ways a migration goes wrong. Either you did not copy something, or you copied something that was being written to at the time. Both are solved before the transfer, not after, so spend ten minutes here.
The three rules that apply to every game
Stop the server first. Every game here keeps part of its state in memory and writes it out on a timer. Copying while it runs gives you a file half old and half new, and a world like that can look fine for weeks before someone finds the broken part.
Take the whole folder, not the file you think matters. Worlds are rarely a single file. They are a folder of region or chunk files plus small index files, and leaving one behind gives you a save the game refuses to load.
Grab the config too. A world without its settings is a different server. Difficulty, rates, rules, admin lists and plugin behaviour all live outside it.
Per game checklist
Paths are relative to the top level of your server, the folder you land in on the Files tab or over SFTP.
| Game | Bring these |
|---|---|
| Minecraft Java | world, world_nether, world_the_end, server.properties, ops.json, whitelist.json, banned-players.json, and either plugins or mods plus config |
| Minecraft Bedrock | your level folder inside worlds, server.properties, permissions.json, allowlist.json, plus behavior_packs and resource_packs for add-ons |
| Rust | every .sav and .db file in server/<identity>, cfg/server.cfg, cfg/users.cfg, cfg/bans.cfg, plus your oxide or carbon config, data and lang folders |
| Palworld | the save folder under Pal/Saved/SaveGames, plus PalWorldSettings.ini from the config folder |
| ARK | the saved world folder with its .ark, .arkprofile and .arktribe files, plus GameUserSettings.ini and Game.ini |
| Valheim | the world's .db and .fwl pair (both, always), plus adminlist.txt, permittedlist.txt and bannedlist.txt |
| Project Zomboid | the multiplayer save folder, the server .ini, the _SandboxVars.lua file and the player database in db |
| Terraria | the .wld world file and its .bak, serverconfig.txt, and the mods folder on tModLoader |
| CS2 | your cfg folder, your addons folder if you run Metamod or CounterStrikeSharp, and any custom maps you host |
| Enshrouded | the savegame folder and the server config JSON |
| Don't Starve Together | the whole cluster folder: cluster.ini, the cluster token, and the Master and Caves saves |
| Dragonwilds | the saves folder and the dedicated server .ini file |
Several games have a guide of their own, such as Transfer a Valheim world and Transfer an ARK save, worth following over this table. For the move in order, see Move a Minecraft server to GuavaHost and Move a Rust server to GuavaHost.
The things people forget
These come up a week later, when the original is already gone.
- Permissions data. A permissions plugin keeps ranks either in its own folder or in a MySQL database. On MySQL the ranks are not in any file you are copying, so export the database separately.
- Plugin data folders, not just configs. Kits, shops, balances, clans, homes and stats usually sit in a
datafolder beside the config. Config is how the plugin behaves, data is what players own. - Ban and admin lists. Small text files, easy to skip, and the only record of who you dealt with.
- Your scheduled tasks. Restart and wipe schedules do not travel with files, so write them down.
- Custom content. Resource packs you host, custom maps, anything with a URL pointing at the old host.
- A recent log file. Not to restore, just to read: a healthy boot on the old server is the fastest way to tell whether the new one loads the same things.
- Licence keys for paid plugins and the account they are tied to.
- Your DNS settings. Note the current records before you change anything. Update your domain and SRV record after moving explains what has to change.
Check the archive before you trust it
A download that reports success is not proof of a good copy. Three checks:
- Open the zip and look inside. Check the shape: is the world folder at the top of the archive, or buried inside two extra folders? That nesting is the most common cause of a server booting into a fresh empty world.
- Compare the size and file count against the folder on the old server. A Minecraft world is mostly
.mcaregion files, so if the oldregionfolder has 400 files and your copy has 60, the transfer dropped out partway. - Try to open it. For a save the single player game can read, load it locally. Otherwise upload it to the new server and start it once before you commit. A save that loads is proven; one that merely downloaded is not.
If the transfer keeps dropping, zip the folder on the old host and move one large file instead of thousands of small ones, then click Unpack on the Files tab. Uploading files with SFTP covers resuming a broken transfer.
Keep two copies, in two places
Keep the archive on your own computer and keep the old server intact as well. A copy on your machine protects you from a bad upload; the untouched original protects you from a bad copy.
Once the new server runs, start its own routine rather than relying on the old host:
- Take a backup on the Backups page as soon as the first start looks clean, so you have a known good point.
- Set a schedule, so you are not doing this by hand.
- If the server matters, add off site copies, kept away from the machine your server runs on. Daily Off-site Backups covers those, and Backups: creating, restoring and scheduling covers the page itself.
How long to keep the old copy
Give it a week of real play. Weekend only players, a monthly event, a plugin that runs on a timer: a day of testing touches none of those, and a week usually does.
Cancel the old service once you have had a full week with players on the new server, no missing world regions, your admin and permissions intact, and one successful backup of your own. Keep the archive on your computer a while longer. It costs nothing but disk space.
If you would rather not do this by hand, our team is online 24/7 and can handle the copy for you: see Have the GuavaHost team move your server for you.
Common questions
Can I just back up the whole server folder and be done?
Yes, and for most games that is the safest option, since it cannot miss anything. The caveat is that game binaries are large, slow and should not be restored on top of a fresh install, so when you upload, put back your world, configs and plugin folders rather than the whole archive.
Do backups taken on my old host work on GuavaHost?
Not usually as a one click restore, because each host packages its backups its own way. What works everywhere is a plain copy of the world and config folders, so download your old backup, unpack it on your computer, and upload the folders themselves.
How do I know whether my permissions are in a file or a database?
Open your permissions plugin's config and look for a storage setting. If it names SQLite, YAML or a flat file, your ranks are in that plugin's folder and copying the folder is enough. If it names MySQL, the ranks are in the database and you need a separate export before the old host goes.
Should I update the game version while I am moving?
No. Move onto the same version first and confirm it runs, then update as a separate step. Change two things at once and a server that will not start tells you nothing about which change caused it.
Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.
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