Backups Before Installing Mods (Non-Negotiable)

Why this is non-negotiable

One bad jar, datapack, or force-upgrade can corrupt inventories or prevent startup. A named panel backup from panel.glasshosting.com is the five-minute insurance policy every Glass Gaming community should use before changing the live world.

Before you change anything

1. Stop the server cleanly from the panel (do not yank power mid-save).
2. Create a named backup: include the date and reason (e.g. pre-essentials-2026-09-14).
3. For irreplaceable worlds, also download a zip via SFTP to your PC once a season.
4. Change one thing (one plugin, one mod, one version bump), then start and watch the console.

A backup you never tried to restore is only a hopeful file. Practice restore on a quiet afternoon before a big event night.

Restore discipline

1. Stop the process.
2. Restore the named backup from the panel.
3. Start; confirm “Done” / world load with no error loops.
4. Join and check spawn, a known build, and a chest or two.

Verify / done

• Named backup exists from before the risky change.
• After a bad experiment, restore returns the world to that known-good state.
• Friends are not invited back until you have walked spawn yourself.

Related: SFTP mods and plugins, upload a world. KB: backups and Minecraft guides.