Backup

3DPrintForge can back up all configuration, history, and data so you can easily restore in the event of system failure, server migration, or update issues.

Go to: https://localhost:3443/#settings → System → Backup

What is included in a backup

Data type	Included	Note
Printer setup and configurations	✅
Print history	✅
Filament inventory	✅
Users and roles	✅	Passwords stored hashed
Settings	✅	Incl. notification configurations
Maintenance log	✅
Projects and invoices	✅
File library (metadata)	✅
File library (files)	Optional	Can be large
Timelapse videos	Optional	Can be very large
Gallery images	Optional
data/model-cache/	Cached 3MF models	Optional
data/history-models/	3MF linked to history	Recommended
data/toolpath-cache/	Cached gcode toolpath	Optional

Creating a manual backup

1. Go to Settings → Backup
2. Choose what to include (see the table above)
3. Click Create backup now
4. A progress indicator is shown while the backup is being created
5. Click Download when the backup is ready

The backup is saved as a .zip file with a timestamp in the filename:

3dprintforge-backup-2026-03-22T14-30-00.zip

Downloading a backup

Backup files are stored in the backup folder on the server (configurable). You can also download them directly:

1. Go to Backup → Existing backups
2. Find the backup in the list (sorted by date)
3. Click Download (download icon)

Storage folder

Default storage folder: ./data/backups/. Change under Settings → Backup → Storage folder.

Scheduled automatic backup

1. Enable Automatic backup under Backup → Scheduling
2. Choose interval:
   • Daily — runs at 03:00 (configurable)
   • Weekly — a specific day and time
   • Monthly — first day of the month
3. Choose Number of backups to keep (e.g. 7 — older ones are deleted automatically)
4. Click Save

External storage

For important data: mount an external disk or network drive as the backup storage folder. That way backups survive even if the system disk fails.

Restoring from backup

Restore overwrites existing data

Restoring replaces all existing data with the contents of the backup file. Make sure you have a fresh backup of the current data first.

From an existing backup on the server

1. Go to Backup → Existing backups
2. Find the backup in the list
3. Click Restore
4. Confirm in the dialog
5. The system restarts automatically after restoration

From a downloaded backup file

1. Click Upload backup
2. Select the .zip file from your computer
3. The file is validated — you can see what is included
4. Click Restore from file
5. Confirm in the dialog

Backup validation

3DPrintForge validates all backup files before restoring:

• Checks that the ZIP format is valid
• Verifies that the database schema is compatible with the current version
• Shows a warning if the backup is from an older version (migration will be performed automatically)