MineBackup

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⚠️ Important: This is a Companion Mod!

Please note: This mod is a companion component for the MineBackup desktop application or FolderRewind and cannot function independently. You must first download and run the main application for this mod to work properly.

Additionally, for proper inter-process communication, the KnotLink server must be installed on your computer. https://github.com/KnotLink-Protocol/KnotLinkService/releases

✅ Dedicated Servers Are Supported

MineBackup now supports hot restore on dedicated servers, not just singleplayer/LAN. When you run /mb restore on a dedicated server, the mod safely saves the world, hands off to a bundled restart sidecar, and restarts the server through your own start script once the restore finishes. See Dedicated Server Restore below for setup details.

If you run a Spigot/Paper server instead, use MineBackupPlugin, which provides the same restore flow for the Bukkit family.

➡️ Download the REQUIRED MineBackup Desktop Application Here

For Windows users, we recommend FolderRewind with the MineRewind plugin rather than the standalone MineBackup desktop app.

📚 FolderRewind Minecraft Documentation

The Minecraft integration overview explains how this mod fits with MineBackupPlugin, Death Rewind, and Just Enough Accidents. The MineBackup-Mod guide covers the current commands and dedicated-server Sidecar flow.

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What is This?

This lightweight mod is a bridge between the MineBackup desktop application (or FolderRewind) and Minecraft itself. It lets you manage saves, trigger restores, and stay informed about backup status without ever leaving your game.

✨ This Mod Provides:

• Rich In-Game Commands: Use the /mb command series to manage world saves directly from chat — backup, restore, browse history, and schedule automatic backups.
• Interactive Backup Browser: /mb list backups current pages through your current world's backups right in chat, showing timestamps and comments (parsed automatically from standard backup file names) with a clickable [Restore] button next to each entry.
• Restore Safety Countdown: Before a restore actually runs, MineBackup can count down a configurable number of seconds. Use /mb stop to cancel or /mb confirm to skip ahead and restore immediately.
• Full Dedicated Server Support: Backup, restore, and browsing all work the same way on a dedicated server as they do in singleplayer, coordinated through a bundled restart sidecar (see below).
• Real-Time Backup Notifications: Receive real-time messages from the main application in your game chat — whether a backup starts, succeeds, or fails.
• Seamless Live Backup Support: When the main application needs to perform a "live backup" (i.e., while the game is running), this mod automatically triggers a safe, complete world save (equivalent to /save-all) in the background, ensuring your backup always captures the latest progress.
• FolderRewind-Triggered Restore: If you use FolderRewind's own UI to pick a backup, it can signal this mod directly to start the same hot-restore flow in-game, so both control surfaces stay in sync.

🖥️ Supported Versions

Loader	Minecraft Versions	Mappings
Fabric	1.21 – 1.21.8	Yarn
Fabric	1.21.9 – 1.21.10	Mojang (official)
Fabric	1.21.11	Mojang (official)
Fabric	26.1 – 26.1.2	Mojang (unobfuscated)
Fabric	26.2	Mojang (unobfuscated)
NeoForge	1.21 – 1.21.8	Parchment
NeoForge	26.1 – 26.1.2	Mojang (unobfuscated)
Forge	1.20 – 1.20.4	Mojang (official)

🚀 Installation Guide

1. Download the Main Application: Ensure you have downloaded the MineBackup/FolderRewind desktop application from the link above and that it runs correctly on your system.
2. Download MineRewind Plugin: If you use FolderRewind, it is strongly recommended to install the MineRewind plugin and create a Minecraft Saves type configuration instead of Default. You can download this plugin from GitHub Releases.
3. Download and Install KnotLink Server: For inter-process communication, install the KnotLink server on your computer. You can download it from GitHub Releases.
4. Enable KnotLink Service in the Main Application: It is enabled by default in MineBackup but disabled by default in FolderRewind. If you use FolderRewind, enable it manually in settings.
5. Download This Mod: Get the version-matched minebackup-x.x.x.jar file for your loader and Minecraft version from the Releases page or another mod distribution platform.
6. Install the Mod: For single-player or LAN, place the downloaded .jar file in the Minecraft client's mods folder. For dedicated servers, install it in the server's mods folder; client installation is optional.
7. Run Simultaneously: Launch your Minecraft game or server. For the mod to function, you must have the MineBackup/FolderRewind desktop application running in the background while playing.
8. (Dedicated servers only) Make sure a start script is present so restores can restart the server automatically — see Dedicated Server Restore.

📖 Command Reference

All commands require operator/moderator permission on multiplayer and dedicated servers. On a singleplayer or client-hosted LAN world, only the world owner may use them — no OP grant needed. Most arguments support tab-completion (config IDs, folders, backup file names).

Command	Parameters	Description
/mb help	[command]	Shows general help, or detailed help and an example for one command.
/mb save	(none)	Manually performs a full world save in-game, equivalent to /save-all.
/mb backup	[comment]	Backs up the current world. An optional comment is attached to the backup.
/mb restore	[file]	Restores the current world. Omit the file name to restore the latest backup.
/mb confirm	(none)	Immediately submits a restore that is currently counting down.
/mb stop	(none)	Cancels a restore that is currently counting down.
/mb target backup	<config_id> <folder> [comment]	Backs up a specific, non-current folder managed by the desktop application.
/mb target restore	<config_id> <folder> <file>	Restores a specific, non-current folder. Unavailable on dedicated servers — use /mb restore for the current world instead.
/mb list configs	(none)	Lists all configured backup profiles and their IDs.
/mb list folders	<config_id>	Lists the folders tracked under a configuration profile.
/mb list backups current	[page]	Interactively browses the current world's backups in chat, with a clickable restore button per entry.
/mb list backups	<config_id> <folder>	Lists backup files for a specific, non-current folder.
/mb auto start	<minutes>	Schedules automatic backups of the current world every minutes minutes.
/mb auto stop	(none)	Stops the current world's automatic backup schedule.

💡 Usage Example

Backing up and restoring the world you're currently playing:

1. Back up the current world

   • Type /mb backup Before the Ender Dragon fight > Chat returns: [MineBackup] Backup task started... > (After a moment) > [MineBackup] Backup successful! Saved as [Full][2026-07-30_12-33-00]world [Before the Ender Dragon fight].7z

2. Browse and restore from that backup

   • Type /mb list backups current to see a paginated, clickable list of recent backups — or type /mb restore directly to restore the latest one.
   • If a restore countdown is configured, use /mb confirm to restore right away or /mb stop to cancel.

Managing a different world (one not currently running) through the desktop app's configuration:

1. Find the configuration and folder
   • Type /mb list configs to see your configuration profiles.
   • Type /mb list folders <config_id> to see the folders under that profile.
2. Back up or restore that folder
   • /mb target backup <config_id> <folder> [comment]
   • /mb target restore <config_id> <folder> "<file name>" (quote file names that contain spaces; not available on dedicated servers)

🛠️ Dedicated Server Restore

Backups and browsing work identically on dedicated servers. Restoring, however, requires stopping and relaunching the Minecraft process — MineBackup automates this with a bundled restart sidecar:

1. On /mb restore, the server saves all worlds and hands ownership of the process to a small helper (the sidecar), then shuts down safely.
2. The sidecar waits for the main JVM to exit and the world files to be released, then lets FolderRewind/MineBackup perform the restore.
3. Once the desktop application reports a definite success, failure, or cancellation, the sidecar launches your configured start script exactly once and exits.

You need a start script in the server's working directory. MineBackup looks for one of start.bat, start.cmd, run.bat, run.cmd (Windows) or start.sh, run.sh (Linux/macOS); exactly one must exist, or set an explicit path with the dedicatedRestore.restartScript setting in config/minebackup.properties. Because the server process restarts, players are disconnected during the restore and need to reconnect manually once the new server instance is back online.

If you run a panel or wrapper that automatically relaunches the server the moment it exits, disable that behavior (or point it at a script MineBackup doesn't also manage) — an immediate auto-restart can race the restore and start the server before the world files are ready. Set dedicatedRestore.mode=DISABLED to turn off dedicated restore entirely.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: When I use a command, the chat says "Command failed", "No response", or a similar error.

  • A: Please check that the MineBackup/FolderRewind desktop application is running in the background on your computer. All features of this mod rely on network communication with the main application.

• Q: Can this mod be used by itself?

  • A: No. It is a "bridge" and cannot do anything without the main application.

• Q: I restored on my dedicated server and the server didn't come back automatically.

  • A: Check that a start script exists in the server's working directory (see Dedicated Server Restore). If the restart script itself failed, fix the script and start the server manually — MineBackup will not silently retry it.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. For details, please visit the main project repository.