Overview
Regular backups are essential for protecting your TeamSpeak 6 Server data, including server configuration, user permissions, channels, and file uploads. This guide covers backup strategies for both Docker and binary installations.
What to Backup
Your TeamSpeak 6 Server backup should include:
| Component | Description | Critical |
|---|
| Database | Server configuration, users, channels, permissions | Yes |
| Files | Uploaded files, avatars, icons | Yes |
| License | licensekey.dat file | Yes |
| Configuration | tsserver.yaml or docker-compose.yaml | Recommended |
| Logs | Server logs for troubleshooting | Optional |
| SSL Certificates | HTTPS query certificates | If applicable |
| SSH Keys | SSH query host keys | If applicable |
Always stop the server before creating backups to ensure data consistency, or use database-specific backup tools that support hot backups.
Docker Backup Strategies
Volume Backup
For Docker installations, back up the entire data volume:
Stop the server
docker compose stop teamspeak-server
# Or if using docker run
docker stop teamspeak-server
Create backup
# Backup named volume to tar archive
docker run --rm \
-v teamspeak-data:/data \
-v $(pwd):/backup \
alpine tar czf /backup/teamspeak-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz -C /data .
Restart the server
docker compose start teamspeak-server
# Or if using docker run
docker start teamspeak-server
Verify backup
# List backup contents
tar tzf teamspeak-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.tar.gz | head -20
# Check backup size
ls -lh teamspeak-backup-*.tar.gz
Automated Docker Backup Script
Create a backup script for automated backups:
#!/bin/bash
set -e
# Configuration
BACKUP_DIR="/backups/teamspeak"
CONTAINER_NAME="teamspeak-server"
VOLUME_NAME="teamspeak-data"
RETENTION_DAYS=30
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
BACKUP_FILE="${BACKUP_DIR}/teamspeak-backup-${TIMESTAMP}.tar.gz"
# Create backup directory
mkdir -p "${BACKUP_DIR}"
echo "[$(date)] Starting TeamSpeak backup..."
# Stop container
echo "[$(date)] Stopping container..."
docker stop "${CONTAINER_NAME}"
# Create backup
echo "[$(date)] Creating backup..."
docker run --rm \
-v "${VOLUME_NAME}":/data \
-v "${BACKUP_DIR}":/backup \
alpine tar czf "/backup/teamspeak-backup-${TIMESTAMP}.tar.gz" -C /data .
# Restart container
echo "[$(date)] Restarting container..."
docker start "${CONTAINER_NAME}"
# Remove old backups
echo "[$(date)] Cleaning up old backups..."
find "${BACKUP_DIR}" -name "teamspeak-backup-*.tar.gz" -mtime +${RETENTION_DAYS} -delete
echo "[$(date)] Backup completed: ${BACKUP_FILE}"
ls -lh "${BACKUP_FILE}"
chmod +x backup-teamspeak.sh
# Add to crontab for daily backups at 3 AM
crontab -e
0 3 * * * /path/to/backup-teamspeak.sh >> /var/log/teamspeak-backup.log 2>&1
Test your backup script manually before relying on automated execution.
Bind Mount Backup
If using bind mounts instead of volumes:
services:
teamspeak:
volumes:
- ./teamspeak-data:/var/tsserver
# Stop server
docker compose stop
# Create backup
tar czf teamspeak-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz teamspeak-data/
# Restart server
docker compose start
Binary Installation Backup
Full Backup
Stop the server
# If using systemd
sudo systemctl stop teamspeak
# Or if running directly
pkill tsserver
# If running as service
Stop-Service TeamSpeak6
# Or stop the process
Stop-Process -Name tsserver
Create backup
# Backup entire server directory
tar czf teamspeak-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
/opt/teamspeak/ \
--exclude='/opt/teamspeak/logs' \
--exclude='/opt/teamspeak/crashdumps'
# Or copy to backup location
rsync -av --exclude='logs' --exclude='crashdumps' \
/opt/teamspeak/ \
/backups/teamspeak-$(date +%Y%m%d)/
# Create compressed backup
Compress-Archive -Path "C:\TeamSpeak" `
-DestinationPath "C:\Backups\teamspeak-backup-$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd').zip" `
-CompressionLevel Optimal
# Or use robocopy
robocopy "C:\TeamSpeak" "C:\Backups\teamspeak-$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd')" /MIR /XD logs crashdumps
Restart the server
sudo systemctl start teamspeak
# Or
cd /opt/teamspeak && ./tsserver --accept-license
Start-Service TeamSpeak6
# Or
Start-Process -FilePath "C:\TeamSpeak\tsserver.exe"
Database-Specific Backups
SQLite Backup
For SQLite databases, use the SQLite backup command:
# Online backup (server can keep running)
sqlite3 /var/tsserver/ts6server.sqlite ".backup /backups/ts6server-$(date +%Y%m%d).sqlite"
# Verify backup integrity
sqlite3 /backups/ts6server-$(date +%Y%m%d).sqlite "PRAGMA integrity_check;"
SQLite’s .backup command creates a consistent backup even while the server is running, but stopping the server is still recommended for critical backups.
MariaDB Backup
For MariaDB databases, use mysqldump:
Create database backup
# Full database backup
mysqldump -h localhost -u teamspeak -p teamspeak \
--single-transaction \
--routines \
--triggers \
--events \
> teamspeak-db-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
# Compress the backup
gzip teamspeak-db-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
Backup with credentials file
Create a credentials file for automated backups:[client]
user=teamspeak
password=your_password
host=localhost
chmod 600 ~/.my.cnf
# Backup without password prompt
mysqldump teamspeak \
--single-transaction \
--routines \
--triggers \
> teamspeak-db-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
Automated MariaDB backup script
#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/backups/teamspeak-db"
DB_NAME="teamspeak"
RETENTION_DAYS=30
mkdir -p "${BACKUP_DIR}"
mysqldump "${DB_NAME}" \
--single-transaction \
--routines \
--triggers \
| gzip > "${BACKUP_DIR}/teamspeak-db-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).sql.gz"
find "${BACKUP_DIR}" -name "*.sql.gz" -mtime +${RETENTION_DAYS} -delete
Always use --single-transaction for InnoDB tables to ensure consistent backups without locking tables.
Docker MariaDB Backup
For MariaDB running in Docker:
# Backup from Docker container
docker exec teamspeak-mariadb mysqldump \
-u teamspeak -p teamspeak \
--single-transaction \
--routines \
> teamspeak-db-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
# Or access via docker compose
docker compose exec mariadb mysqldump \
-u teamspeak -p teamspeak \
--single-transaction \
> teamspeak-db-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
Restore Procedures
Restore Docker Volume
Stop the container
docker compose stop teamspeak-server
Restore from backup
# Extract backup to volume
docker run --rm \
-v teamspeak-data:/data \
-v $(pwd):/backup \
alpine sh -c "rm -rf /data/* && tar xzf /backup/teamspeak-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.tar.gz -C /data"
This command deletes all existing data in the volume before restoring. Ensure you have the correct backup file.
Restart the container
docker compose start teamspeak-server
# Verify server starts correctly
docker logs -f teamspeak-server
Restore Binary Installation
Stop the server
sudo systemctl stop teamspeak
Backup current installation
# Safety backup of current state
mv /opt/teamspeak /opt/teamspeak-old-$(date +%Y%m%d)
Restore from backup
# Extract backup
tar xzf teamspeak-backup-YYYYMMDD.tar.gz -C /opt/
# Or restore from rsync backup
rsync -av /backups/teamspeak-YYYYMMDD/ /opt/teamspeak/
Set permissions
chown -R tsserver:tsserver /opt/teamspeak
chmod +x /opt/teamspeak/tsserver
Restart the server
sudo systemctl start teamspeak
# Check status
sudo systemctl status teamspeak
Restore SQLite Database
# Stop server
sudo systemctl stop teamspeak
# Restore database file
cp /backups/ts6server-YYYYMMDD.sqlite /var/tsserver/ts6server.sqlite
# Verify integrity
sqlite3 /var/tsserver/ts6server.sqlite "PRAGMA integrity_check;"
# Set permissions
chown tsserver:tsserver /var/tsserver/ts6server.sqlite
# Restart server
sudo systemctl start teamspeak
Restore MariaDB Database
Stop the TeamSpeak server
# Stop to prevent writes during restore
sudo systemctl stop teamspeak
Drop and recreate database
mysql -u root -p
DROP DATABASE teamspeak;
CREATE DATABASE teamspeak CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON teamspeak.* TO 'teamspeak'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
Restore from backup
# Restore from uncompressed backup
mysql -u root -p teamspeak < teamspeak-db-YYYYMMDD.sql
# Or from compressed backup
gunzip < teamspeak-db-YYYYMMDD.sql.gz | mysql -u root -p teamspeak
Restart TeamSpeak server
sudo systemctl start teamspeak
# Verify connection
tail -f /var/tsserver/logs/ts6server_*.log
Disaster Recovery
Complete System Recovery
Prepare new server
- Install the same OS as the original server
- Install Docker or TeamSpeak binary
- Install any required dependencies
Restore configuration
# Copy docker-compose.yaml or tsserver.yaml
# Restore license key
cp licensekey.dat /opt/teamspeak/
Restore data
Follow the appropriate restore procedure for your installation type: Verify and test
- Start the server
- Check logs for errors
- Connect with TeamSpeak client
- Verify channels, permissions, and files
Migration to New Server
Use backups to migrate to a new server:
Create backup on old server
Follow standard backup procedures for your installation type.
Set up new server
Install TeamSpeak 6 Server on the new system with the same configuration.
Transfer backup files
# Copy via SCP
scp teamspeak-backup-*.tar.gz user@newserver:/backups/
# Or use rsync
rsync -avz /backups/ user@newserver:/backups/
Restore on new server
Follow the restore procedures on the new server.
Update DNS and firewall
- Update DNS records to point to new server IP
- Configure firewall rules on new server
- Test connectivity
Run both servers in parallel during migration to minimize downtime. Switch DNS once you’ve verified the new server.
Backup Best Practices
Regular schedule
- Daily backups for production servers
- Weekly backups for development servers
- Before any major changes or updates
Multiple locations
Store backups in at least two locations:
- Local storage for quick recovery
- Remote storage for disaster recovery
- Cloud storage (S3, Google Cloud, Azure)
Test restores regularly
# Quarterly restore testing
# 1. Restore to test environment
# 2. Verify data integrity
# 3. Test server functionality
# 4. Document any issues
Retention policy
- Keep daily backups for 7 days
- Keep weekly backups for 4 weeks
- Keep monthly backups for 12 months
- Keep yearly backups indefinitely (if required)
Security
# Encrypt backups
gpg --encrypt --recipient [email protected] \
teamspeak-backup-YYYYMMDD.tar.gz
# Set restrictive permissions
chmod 600 teamspeak-backup-*.tar.gz
Cloud Backup Solutions
AWS S3 Backup
# Install AWS CLI
apt-get install awscli
# Configure credentials
aws configure
# Upload backup to S3
aws s3 cp teamspeak-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
s3://my-backups/teamspeak/ \
--storage-class STANDARD_IA
# Automated backup script with S3
#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_FILE="teamspeak-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz"
# ... create backup ...
aws s3 cp "${BACKUP_FILE}" s3://my-backups/teamspeak/
rm "${BACKUP_FILE}" # Remove local copy after upload
Backup to Remote Server
# Backup via SSH
tar czf - /var/tsserver | ssh user@backup-server "cat > /backups/teamspeak-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz"
# Automated backup with rsync
rsync -avz --delete \
/var/tsserver/ \
user@backup-server:/backups/teamspeak/
Consider using automated backup solutions like Duplicity, Borg, or Restic for advanced features like encryption, compression, and incremental backups.
Troubleshooting
Backup Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Backup file too large | Including logs and crash dumps | Exclude unnecessary directories |
| Permission denied | Insufficient access rights | Run as root or use appropriate user |
| Database locked | SQLite database in use | Stop server before backup |
| Incomplete backup | Disk space full | Check available space before backup |
Restore Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Server won’t start | Corrupted backup | Verify backup integrity, try older backup |
| Permission errors | Wrong file ownership | Set correct permissions with chown |
| Database errors | Incompatible version | Restore matching server version |
| Missing files | Incomplete backup | Restore from complete backup |