DayZ Backup and Restore Guide
Protect your server data with regular backups and learn how to restore when needed.
What to Backup
Essential directories and files:
# Server Storage Locations
missions/db/ # Database (most critical)
profiles/ # Player profiles
storage_x/ # Additional storage (if used)
Creating Manual Backups
Windows
# Stop server
# Create backup folder
mkdir backups\%date%
# Copy database
xcopy missions\db\ backups\%date%\db\ /E /I
# Copy profiles
xcopy profiles\ backups\%date%\profiles\ /E /I
# Restart server
Linux
# Stop server
systemctl stop dayzserver
# Create backup directory
BACKUP_DIR="/path/to/backups/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
# Copy database
cp -r missions/db "$BACKUP_DIR/"
# Copy profiles
cp -r profiles "$BACKUP_DIR/"
# Create archive
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR.tar.gz" "$BACKUP_DIR"
# Restart server
systemctl start dayzserver
Automated Backups
Windows Task Scheduler
# Create backup_script.bat
@echo off
set BACKUP_DIR="C:\DayZ\backups\%date:~-4,4%%date:~-7,2%%date:~-10,2%"
mkdir %BACKUP_DIR%
xcopy "C:\DayZ\missions\db" %BACKUP_DIR%\db /E /I /Y
xcopy "C:\DayZ\profiles" %BACKUP_DIR%\profiles /E /I /Y
# Schedule with Task Scheduler
# Run daily at 3:00 AM
Linux Cron Job
# Add to crontab (crontab -e)
# Backup every 6 hours
0 */6 * * * /path/to/backup_script.sh
# Backup daily at 3 AM
0 3 * * * /path/to/backup_script.sh
# backup_script.sh content:
#!/bin/bash
DAYZ_DIR="/path/to/dayz/server"
BACKUP_DIR="/path/to/backups/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
systemctl stop dayzserver
cp -r "$DAYZ_DIR/missions/db" "$BACKUP_DIR/"
cp -r "$DAYZ_DIR/profiles" "$BACKUP_DIR/"
systemctl start dayzserver
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR.tar.gz" "$BACKUP_DIR"
rm -rf "$BACKUP_DIR"
Restoring from Backup
Full Database Restore
# Stop server
systemctl stop dayzserver
# Remove current database
rm -rf missions/db/*
# Extract backup
tar -xzf backups/20250119_030000.tar.gz
# Copy database back
cp -r 20250119_030000/db/* missions/db/
# Restore profiles (optional)
cp -r 20250119_030000/profiles/* profiles/
# Restart server
systemctl start dayzserver
Partial Restore
Restore specific tables or data:
# Extract backup
tar -xzf backups/backup.tar.gz
# Copy specific files
cp backup/db/players.db missions/db/
cp backup/db/vehicles.db missions/db/
Database Files Explained
- players.db: Player characters and inventory
- vehicles.db: All vehicles and their positions
- construction.db: Base building structures
- storage.db: Storage containers and contents
- events.db: Server events and logs
Backup Retention
Implement retention policy to save disk space:
# Keep backups for 7 days
find /path/to/backups -name "dayz_backup_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete
# Or keep daily, weekly, monthly
# Daily for 7 days
# Weekly for 4 weeks
# Monthly for 3 months
Cloud Backup
Upload backups to cloud storage:
# AWS S3
aws s3 sync /path/to/backups s3://bucket-name/dayz/
# Google Cloud Storage
gsutil -m rsync -r /path/to/backups gs://bucket-name/dayz/
# rclone (multi-cloud)
rclone sync /path/to/backups remote:bucket/dayz/
Warning: Always stop the server before creating backups to ensure database consistency.
Troubleshooting
Corrupted Backup
- Try older backup
- Verify file integrity
- Check for incomplete transfers
Restore Failed
- Verify file permissions
- Check disk space
- Ensure server is stopped
- Review database file format
Pro Tip: Test your restore procedure regularly to ensure it works when needed.