Frequently asked questions

Does it work with Pterodactyl 1.x? No. It needs the 2.0 extension system: Panel 2.0 beta 2 or newer, with SDK 2.0.0-beta.6 or newer.

Do I have to edit core files? No. It installs as one .pteroext from Admin → Extensions and can be disabled or removed from there. Nothing in the panel core is patched, so panel updates do not overwrite it.

Which storage works? Any S3-compatible service — Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, Hetzner, DigitalOcean Spaces, Linode, Scaleway, MinIO, Ceph — and SFTP. See Storage providers.

Can I replace local backups with S3 completely? Yes. Backup storage → Directly in S3 storage, panel-wide or per server. The normal New backup button then uploads straight to the bucket, and nothing is written to the node's disk.

Will large backups slow down my panel? No. Transfers run in their own worker and stream, so memory stays flat — a 2 GB backup used about 16 MB extra. Bandwidth limits and upload windows are available if you share the link.

What happens if a node dies? Copies are in your bucket, not on the node. Customers restore from Kept off-site on their Backups page. If the server itself was deleted, its copies are kept for the orphan-retention period and can be restored into another server.

Can customers restore without me? Yes, if their role has the restore permission and the server is not suspended. You can turn downloads and restores off per role.

Is the data encrypted? Optionally, client-side, before it leaves the panel. Export the recovery kit before relying on it: without the kit and the panel's APP_KEY, encrypted copies cannot be opened by anyone.

Where should the recovery kit go? Outside the panel — a password manager, a printed copy in a safe, or an offline vault. Not in the same bucket, and not only in the panel database.

Does it delete my local backups? Only if you tell it to. There is a separate setting for how many local backups stay on the node, and Delete the node copy after upload is off by default. Locked and unverified backups are never deleted.

How much storage will I need? Copies are the same size as the archives. Ten servers with 5 GB and seven copies each is about 350 GB. B2, Hetzner and R2 are the cheaper options; R2 and Hetzner do not charge for downloads, which matters for restores.

Can I sell backups as an add-on? Yes. Per-server allowances — on or off, maximum copies, maximum size, and where backups are stored — are on the server form and in the Application API, so a billing system can turn the add-on on with an invoice. See Billing & API.

Does it work behind Cloudflare? The panel does, but your nodes must be able to reach the panel to fetch archives for restores. Set Settings → Panel URL for nodes to an address that works from the node, and allow the node's address through Cloudflare.

Can I use MinIO on my LAN? Yes — tick Allow private network addresses on that destination. It is off by default because it weakens SSRF protection for everything else.

What happens on a panel update? The extension stays installed. If the menu disappears, clear the panel cache and hard-reload. Panel updates do not overwrite the extension.

Can I move the extension to another panel? Export the recovery kits, install on the new panel, re-add the destinations (their credentials cannot be copied between panels), then import the bucket. The licence is per production panel.

Does it support multiple destinations at once? Yes. A rule can tick several; the first is the primary copy and the rest are extra copies. SFTP and S3 can be mixed.

What if the worker is down for a day? Nothing is lost. Copies stay queued and start when it returns. Scheduled backups that came due while it was down are created at the next run — check Upcoming runs afterwards.

Does it work with a remote database or Redis? Yes, as long as the worker can reach them. Docker installs must give the worker container the same environment and network as the panel.

How do I uninstall cleanly? Disable first, which stops transfers, copy out anything you want from the bucket, then remove the extension. Objects in your bucket are never deleted by the uninstall.