Easy NPC Backup System

Overview 🌟

The Easy NPC backup system is designed to ensure a minimal safety net by storing backups of actively used NPCs. The backups are created and managed in a way that ensures performance and reliability, while keeping disk usage efficient.

Note: While this system provides a safety net, it is highly recommended to regularly back up the entire world where the NPCs are located. This ensures a full snapshot of all NPCs, including those that are not currently active or loaded.

Backup Behavior 🛡️

1. Storage Path: Backups are saved in the following directory structure:

   easy_npc/backup/YYYY-MM-DD/YYYY-MM-DD_UUID.backup.npc.nbt
   

   • YYYY-MM-DD: The date when the backup was created.
   • UUID: The unique identifier of the NPC.

2. Backup Schedule:

   • Hourly: Backups are created and re-created every hour. Existing backups for the same day are automatically overwritten.
   • Daily: At least one backup is stored for every day, ensuring daily snapshots.

3. Active NPCs Only:

   • Only currently active and loaded NPCs are backed up. If an NPC is not loaded into memory, no backup will be created for it.

4. Server Start/Restart:

   • After a server start or restart, the first backup is performed within the first few minutes of operation.

Backup Purpose 🎯

The backup system exists to provide a fallback for extreme cases. However, it is not a substitute for a full world backup.

The recommended approach is to:

• Use the Easy NPC backup system for quick access to recent NPC states.
• Perform regular full world backups to ensure all NPCs, regardless of their active state, are preserved.

Recommendations 💡

1. Automated World Backups:

   • Set up an automated system to back up the entire world directory periodically. 🕒 This captures all NPCs, including those that are inactive or not loaded.

2. Storage Maintenance:

   • Monitor the easy_npc/backup directory to ensure sufficient storage space. 📁
   • Old backups can be removed if storage becomes a concern, as only recent hourly and daily backups are retained by default.

3. Disaster Recovery:

   • In case of data corruption or NPC loss, you can restore the NPC state using the backup files in the easy_npc/backup directory.
   • Alternatively, restore the entire world from a full world backup for a complete recovery.

Technical Notes ⚙️

• File Format: Backups are stored in .nbt format, compatible with standard Minecraft tools and utilities.
• Backup Trigger: The system checks hourly for active NPCs and performs a backup if necessary.
• Performance Impact: The backup system is designed to minimize performance overhead by only processing active NPCs.