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Minecraft Paper Backup Script for Linux VPS: Verified ZIPs, Restore Checks and systemd

PaperVault Ops is a no-dependency Python 3.11+ CLI for self-managed Paper/Purpur servers. It creates full server-directory ZIPs, records a SHA-256 checksum for every file, verifies archives independently and refuses an unverified restore.

Get PaperVault — $9 + applicable tax Get PaperVault — 35 PLN total

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What the Linux backup script automates

full Paper/Purpur server-directory ZIP backups,
per-file SHA-256 hashes stored in an internal JSON manifest,
atomic .partial to final archive rename,
a lock that prevents overlapping backup jobs,
retention by backup count with --keep,
optional RCON save-off, save-all flush and save-on coordination,
independent verify and guarded restore commands,
included systemd service and timer templates.

Requirements

Linux VPS or dedicated server with filesystem access,
Python 3.11 or newer,
enough free space for a compressed full-server backup,
optional Minecraft RCON for coordinated online saves.

Install

sudo ./install.sh
papervault --version

Create a verified Paper server backup

papervault backup --server /srv/minecraft --dest /srv/backups --keep 7

The destination must be outside the live server directory. Default exclusions cover logs, cache, old backups, Git metadata, crash reports and lock files; symlinks are skipped intentionally.

Coordinate an online backup with RCON

papervault backup --server /srv/minecraft --dest /srv/backups --keep 7 --rcon-host 127.0.0.1 --rcon-port 25575 --rcon-password YOUR_RCON_PASSWORD

RCON mode suspends Minecraft saves, flushes world data, creates the archive and attempts to re-enable saves even if backup work fails. Do not commit the password to Git or leave it in a world-readable script; use a root-readable wrapper or environment file.

Verify before you trust or move the ZIP

papervault verify /srv/backups/papervault-20260827-170000.zip

Successful verification prints OK. The command reopens the archive and compares every file size and SHA-256 digest with the stored manifest.

Test a guarded restore outside production

papervault restore backup.zip --target /srv/minecraft-restored --yes

Restore verifies the archive first, rejects unsafe paths and refuses to replace existing files unless --overwrite is explicit. Stop the Minecraft server before a production restore and rehearse the process in an alternate directory first.

Schedule backups with systemd

sudo cp systemd/papervault-backup.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo cp systemd/papervault-backup.timer /etc/systemd/system/
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now papervault-backup.timer
systemctl list-timers papervault-backup.timer

Edit the included service and timer for your Minecraft user, server path, destination, retention and schedule before enabling them.

External script or in-game backup plugin?

A free plugin can be enough when you only need scheduled archives managed from inside Minecraft. An external Linux CLI is useful when you want backups to remain independent of the game process, a verifiable per-file manifest, systemd scheduling and a restore command that checks the archive before extraction.

Important limits

PaperVault does not upload archives off-site by itself; copy important ZIPs away from the same VPS.
External MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL databases require their own dump process.
RCON improves consistency, but third-party processes can still modify files during backup.
This is an administrator CLI, not an in-game GUI or managed hosting service.

FAQ

Does the script work with both Paper and Purpur?

Yes. PaperVault 1.0.0 works on self-managed Paper or Purpur server directories on Linux and does not depend on a specific Minecraft protocol version.

Can it back up a running Minecraft server?

Optional RCON coordination can suspend saves, flush world data and re-enable saves around the backup. You should still verify the completed archive and regularly test recovery outside production.

Does it need pip packages?

No. PaperVault uses the Python 3.11+ standard library and ships with installer, README, systemd examples and a commercial-use license.

Buy once for $9 + applicable tax Buy once for 35 PLN total

Prefer a manual review first? Use the free Paper/Purpur backup checklist or score your current restore process.