Direct answer
Store at least one restorable backup outside the Minecraft server machine. A second folder on the same VPS protects against accidental deletion only in limited cases; it does not protect against loss of that VPS or account.
Create the offsite workflow
- Make a consistent local backup or filesystem snapshot using a documented method; include worlds, server settings and plugin or mod data.
- Transfer the completed archive to a separate host, storage account or physical device. Where appropriate,
rsync -av /backup/ user@backuphost:/srv/minecraft-archives/illustrates an SSH transfer; replace paths and use dedicated credentials. - Verify transferred file sizes or checksums and confirm that old remote recovery points survive normal local rotation.
- Test restoration on a separate machine before relying on this as disaster recovery.
Secure the copies
Limit access to offsite credentials, use encrypted transport, protect stored archives according to their sensitivity and avoid storing secrets in a public bucket. If you enable remote deletion mirroring such as --delete, you can erase the very backup history meant to protect you; treat that option as dangerous.
Version and safety notes
Offsite storage may have retention, encryption and access controls specific to the provider. Never publish raw server configuration archives.
Recovery plan
Record how to retrieve the archive, restore the correct software version, stop a running server before overwriting data and validate player/world state. Keep at least one offline or independently protected generation when feasible.
References
Check documentation for the versions and hosting environment you actually run.
Related guides
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