HumanitZ Server Backup Guide

HumanitZ Server Backup Guide

A single unexpected crash, failed update, or corrupted autosave can erase weeks of community progress on your HumanitZ server. A regular backup routine is the simplest insurance policy available to server operators. This guide covers the exact files that need backing up, a manual procedure, and automated scripts for both Windows and Linux that run on a schedule without any intervention.

Save File Locations

Checked against the 1.1A Linux server build of 20 October 2026. Older builds and guides used a TSS folder; current builds use HumanitZServer.

Linux:

/home/steam/humanitz/HumanitZServer/Saved/SaveGames/        world data
/home/steam/humanitz/HumanitZServer/GameServerSettings.ini   server settings
/home/steam/humanitz/HumanitZServer/*.txt                    admin, ban and slot lists

Windows:

C:\HumanitZServer\HumanitZServer\Saved\SaveGames\
C:\HumanitZServer\HumanitZServer\GameServerSettings.ini

Manual Backup Procedure

1. Stop the server. Do not skip this step.
2. Open the HumanitZServer folder of your install.
3. Copy Saved/, GameServerSettings.ini and the .txt lists to a dated backup folder:

   # Example target:
   /home/steam/backups/humanitz/2026-02-27/

4. Restart the server

Automated Backup Script (Linux)

Save this as /home/steam/backup-humanitz.sh and make it executable:

#!/bin/bash
# backup-humanitz.sh: automated HumanitZ backup

SERVER_DIR="/home/steam/humanitz/HumanitZServer"
BACKUP_ROOT="/home/steam/backups/humanitz"
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M)
DEST="$BACKUP_ROOT/$DATE"

# Create timestamped backup folder
mkdir -p "$DEST"

# Copy the world, the settings and the access lists
cp -r "$SERVER_DIR/Saved/SaveGames" "$DEST/"
cp "$SERVER_DIR/GameServerSettings.ini" "$DEST/"
cp "$SERVER_DIR"/*.txt "$DEST/" 2>/dev/null

echo "[$(date)] Backup complete: $DEST"

# Keep only the last 7 days of backups:
find "$BACKUP_ROOT" -maxdepth 1 -type d -mtime +7 -exec rm -rf {} +
echo "[$(date)] Old backups cleaned."

chmod +x /home/steam/backup-humanitz.sh

Schedule it with cron to run every 6 hours:

crontab -e

# Add this line:
0 */6 * * * /home/steam/backup-humanitz.sh >> /home/steam/backups/backup.log 2>&1

Automated Backup Script (Windows PowerShell)

# backup-humanitz.ps1
$src   = "C:\HumanitZServer\HumanitZServer"
$root  = "D:\Backups\HumanitZ"
$stamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm"
$dest  = "$root\$stamp"

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $dest -Force | Out-Null
Copy-Item -Recurse "$src\Saved\SaveGames" $dest
Copy-Item "$src\GameServerSettings.ini" $dest
Copy-Item "$src\*.txt" $dest

Write-Host "Backup saved: $dest"

# Remove backups older than 7 days
Get-ChildItem $root -Directory |
  Where-Object { $_.LastWriteTime -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7) } |
  Remove-Item -Recurse -Force

Schedule it with Task Scheduler: create a basic task that runs daily and repeats every 6 hours, with the action powershell.exe -File D:\Scripts\backup-humanitz.ps1.

Restoring from Backup

1. Stop the server completely
2. Rename the current SaveGames/ folder to SaveGames_corrupt/ (don't delete yet)
3. Copy your chosen backup's SaveGames/ into place:

   cp -r /home/steam/backups/humanitz/2026-10-20_04-00/SaveGames/ \
         /home/steam/humanitz/HumanitZServer/Saved/

4. Start the server and verify the world loaded correctly
5. Once confirmed, delete SaveGames_corrupt/

What Gets Preserved vs. Lost on Restore

Professional Hosting

On Supercraft your HumanitZ server is backed up automatically every day, and the file manager's Saves and Config folders give you the world and settings files for your own copies. Host your HumanitZ server with Supercraft.