Server Backups

Server Backups give you restore points for important parts of your Discord server. Archivian creates a backup automatically each day, and authorized staff can create additional backups before a risky or large change.

Backups are especially useful alongside Anti-Nuke, but you can also use them to recover from an accidental deletion or an unwanted configuration change.

What a backup includes

A backup can include supported server structure and settings such as:

• channels, categories, their order, and access rules,
• roles and role permissions,
• server settings,
• emojis, stickers, and soundboard sounds,
• bans,
• Discord AutoMod rules,
• images and other assets needed by supported server features.

Each backup in the dashboard shows what it captured. If Discord prevented an item from being read or an asset could not be copied, the backup can record that limitation instead of silently promising a complete restore.

Caution

Server Backups are not message backups. They do not restore deleted message history, deleted threads and their conversations, members who left, a deleted Discord server, or what roles members had assigned.

Types of backups

Daily

Archivian creates one automatically each day. These are your primary recovery points. It is enabled by default and cannot be turned off; no action is needed for this.

On-demand

Use Create Backup whenever you want a custom restore point, for example, before reorganizing channels, changing roles, or making another significant change. The dashboard shows your current allowance and when it resets.

System

These are Archivian’s own on-demand backups, which can be triggered for various internal reasons. You can use them for rollbacks, but you have no influence on their creation or retention.

Retention

All backups are normally kept for seven days and then expire automatically. Treat them as short-term recovery points, not permanent archives. If you notice damage, review your backups promptly so a useful restore point does not expire.

Compare before restoring

Open a backup and choose Compare to see how the server differs now. The comparison groups changes by resource and shows what was added, removed, or changed.

Review the comparison carefully. A rollback affects the current server, including legitimate changes made after that backup. If only a small item is wrong, it may be safer to correct it manually instead of restoring the whole backup.

Caution

Be especially aware of channels and roles that were created after the backup and would be deleted as part of a rollback. Messages and role assignments cannot be restored once those are deleted.

Immutable backups

Once a backup is created, it cannot be deleted or modified, nor can the daily backups be turned off — even by the server owner. This is an intentional decision to prevent accidental or malicious actions that would prevent you from having a backup to work with.

Restore from a backup

To start a rollback:

1. Open Backups in the server dashboard.
2. Choose a completed backup from before the unwanted change.
3. Compare it with the current server. Review changes carefully.
4. After reviewing, go back and choose Prepare Rollback.
5. Confirm only when you are comfortable replacing current server structure and settings.

Only one backup or rollback can run for a server at a time. Keep Archivian in the server and do not change its role or permissions while recovery is in progress. The dashboard shows progress and records the result when the rollback finishes.

What a rollback cannot guarantee

A rollback is a best-effort reconstruction, not a rewind button for Discord. In particular:

• Deleted messages and conversation history cannot be restored.
• A recreated channel or role is a new Discord item, even if its name and settings match.
• Integrations and other bots may still refer to the old channel or role and may need to be updated.
• Member role assignments may not always be recoverable, especially for roles managed by other bots or integrations. Archivian does not handle that.
• Some server features depend on Discord availability, server limits, or permissions and may need manual follow-up.
• Changes made after the selected backup will be undone, including legitimate ones.
• A vanity invite taken by another server cannot be recovered automatically.

After a rollback, review the result in the dashboard and check important channels, roles, AutoMod rules, integrations, and staff access in Discord. The rollback history highlights any parts that could not be completed.

Good backup habits

• Confirm that daily backups appear in the dashboard.
• Create an on-demand backup before large planned changes.
• Compare before every manual rollback.
• Choose a backup from before the problem began, not merely the newest backup.
• Act promptly after an incident because backups expire.
• Keep Archivian’s role and permissions in place throughout recovery.
• Check integrations and bot configuration after recreated channels or roles.