How to back up your Minecraft Server | Using Galaxy Node's Custom Games Panel

How to Back Up Your Game Servers on GalaxyNode Pteropanel

Welcome to the GalaxyNode knowledgebase! This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about creating reliable backups of your game servers using the Pterodactyl (Ptero) panel at https://games.galaxynode.net.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Panel Access: A valid user account on the Pteropanel (https://games.galaxynode.net).

• Server Permissions: Owner or Administrator access to the server you wish to back up.

• SFTP / File Manager: Credentials for SFTP or access to the built‑in File Manager in Pteropanel.

• Database Credentials (if applicable): Username, password, and database name for any MySQL/MariaDB databases.

1. Manual Backups

1.1 Backing Up Game Files via File Manager

1. Log in at https://games.galaxynode.net.

2. Navigate to your Servers list and click the server you want to back up.

3. Go to the File Manager tab.

4. Select the files/folders you want to include (typically . to select all).

5. Click Compress → choose .zip (or .tar.gz).

6. Once compressed, click Download to save the archive locally.

1.2 Backing Up via SFTP

1. Fire up your favorite SFTP client (e.g., FileZilla).

2. Connect using the SFTP Host, Port, Username, and Password from your panel.

3. Navigate to the ./server directory.

4. Download the entire folder or specific subfolders to your local machine.

1.3 Exporting Databases

1. In the server view, go to the Databases tab.

2. Click the Manage icon next to the database you wish to export.

3. Use the Export button to download a .sql dump file.

4. Store this .sql file alongside your file backups.

2. Automated Scheduled Backups

Automating backups reduces manual overhead and ensures consistency.

2.1 Using Pterodactyl Schedules

1. From your server, click Schedules.

2. Create a new schedule: set the frequency (e.g., daily at 02:00 UTC).

3. Add two tasks:

   • Task 1: command = cd /home/container && tar -czf backup-$(date +\"%Y%m%d-%H%M%S\").tar.gz ./

   • Task 2: command = mysql -u {{DB_USER}} -p"{{DB_PASS}}" {{DB_NAME}} < /home/container/backup.sql

4. Save and enable the schedule.

Tip: Replace {{DB_USER}}, {{DB_PASS}}, and {{DB_NAME}} with actual variables from your panel’s environment settings.

2.2 Off‑Panel Automation (Advanced)

• Rclone: Sync backups to Google Drive, AWS S3, Dropbox, etc.

• Shell Scripts + Cron (on a remote host): Pull files via SFTP and run mysqldump remotely.

Example rclone command:

rclone sync /path/to/local/backups remote:galaxynode-backups --bwlimit 1M

3. Storing Backups Securely

• Off‑Site Storage: Keep copies on Google Drive, AWS S3, Backblaze B2, or another cloud bucket.

• Retention Policies: Maintain at least 7 daily, 4 weekly, and 12 monthly backups.

• Encryption: Use GPG or built‑in rclone encryption to protect sensitive data.

4. Restoring from a Backup

4.1 Restoring Files

1. Upload your .zip / .tar.gz archive via File Manager or SFTP.

2. In File Manager, right‑click the archive and choose Extract.

3. Confirm overwrite if restoring over existing files.

4.2 Restoring Databases

1. Create a new database in the Databases tab (or use an existing one).

2. Upload your .sql dump via SFTP into the server directory.

3. Use the panel’s Console or an SSH session:

   mysql -u <db_user> -p<db_pass> <db_name> < /home/container/backup.sql

4. Restart your server via the Console or Power tab.

5. Best Practices & Troubleshooting

• Test Restores: Periodically spin up a test server to confirm your backups are valid.

• Disk Space: Monitor available disk space; automated backups may fail if storage is full.

• Permissions: Ensure your backup archive tasks run under the correct user (usually daemon).

• Logs: Check schedule logs in the Schedules tab for any errors.

❓ Need Help?

If you encounter issues or have questions, reach out to our support team via the panel’s Tickets system or email [email protected].

Happy gaming and safe backing up! ????