💾 Backups & Restore
Backups snapshot your server's structure (channels, roles, permission overwrites, and settings) so it can be rebuilt after an incident, an accident, or a nuke attempt. Backups run on a schedule, on demand, and automatically when Monitoring detects an incident; restore is diff-based, so you can bring back exactly what was deleted or changed.
Overview
When configured, the agent can:
- Take automatic backups on a recurring interval, keeping a rolling set of recent snapshots
- Back up channels & categories, roles, permission overwrites, and server settings: you choose which
- Take a manual backup any time with "Back up now", and import a previously exported backup file
- Restore a backup in full, or selectively recreate just the deleted or modified channels and roles
- Take a safety backup before every restore, and alert your workspace inbox when the restore finishes
Configuration
To configure backups:
- Open your workspace in the Fren One webapp.
- In the sidebar under Channels, select the Discord server you want to configure. Its pages open beneath it.
- Select Server Protection, then the Backups tab.
- Toggle "Keep server backups" on.
Automatic backups
Toggle "Back up automatically" on to take scheduled snapshots on a recurring interval.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Backup interval | Time between automatic backups, in hours or days. Minimum 1 hour; default 1 day. |
| Backups to keep | Older backups are pruned past this count. Minimum 1; default 5. |
Once automatic backups have run, the card shows the date of the last automatic backup.
What to back up
Four toggles control what each snapshot includes:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Channels & categories | The server's channel and category structure. |
| Roles | The server's roles. |
| Permission overwrites | Per-channel permission overwrites. |
| Server settings | The server's settings. |
Manual backups, import, and download
The Recent Backups list below the configuration card offers immediate actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Back up now | Takes a snapshot immediately: "Backup started. It will appear below in a few seconds." |
| Import | Loads a backup from a previously exported backup file. |
| Download (per row) | Exports a backup as a file you can store outside Fren One. |
| Restore (per row) | Opens the "Restore from backup" modal. |
Restoring a backup
Selecting restore on a backup opens the "Restore from backup" modal. Restore is diff-based: the agent compares the backup against the server's current state and recreates what's missing or changed.
Under "What to restore" you choose:
- Full restore: restore everything in the backup.
- Selective: pick the specific deleted or modified channels and roles to bring back, with an option to "Reapply permission overwrites on selected channels".
Before anything runs, the agent takes a safety backup of the server's current state, and the modal requires you to type a confirmation keyword: restores are deliberate, not one-click. Once started, you'll see "Restore started. You'll get an inbox alert when it finishes. A pre-restore safety backup will appear below."
A restore recreates channels and roles through the agent, directly modifying your live server configuration. Restored channels and roles get new Discord IDs: anything referencing the old IDs (integrations, hardcoded links, permission setups outside the backup) won't automatically point at the recreated items. Prefer a Selective restore when only a few things were damaged, and lean on the automatic safety backup if a restore doesn't go as planned.
Saving your changes
The backup configuration (the "Keep server backups" card) uses a batched save: edits stay local until you select Save in the bar at the bottom of the page, and leaving with unsaved changes shows a warning. The Recent Backups list is different: Back up now, Import, download, and restore apply immediately.
Best practices
- Keep all four content toggles on unless you have a reason not to: a backup missing permission overwrites restores channels everyone can see.
- Shorten the Backup interval on servers where staff frequently reorganize channels and roles.
- Download a backup occasionally and keep it outside Fren One: you can Import it later.
- Take a manual "Back up now" before big structural changes, so the pre-change state is one restore away.
Troubleshooting
No automatic backups are appearing?
- Check both toggles: "Keep server backups" and "Back up automatically".
- Backups older than your "Backups to keep" count are pruned: the most recent ones remain.
A restored channel or role doesn't work with an existing integration?
- Restored items get new Discord IDs. Re-point integrations, links, and settings that referenced the old IDs.
Not sure whether a restore finished?
- Check your workspace inbox: the agent sends an alert when the restore completes.
Related features
- 👁️ Monitoring: Incidents can trigger an emergency backup automatically
- Anti-Raid: Lock down joins during an attack; backups recover the aftermath