Console Commands & Backup

This page covers the most useful OpenSim console commands and how to back up your world. Commands are typed at the simulator (OpenSim) or Robust console prompt.

Useful console commands

Command What it does
help List available commands (context-sensitive).
quit / shutdown Stop OpenSim/Robust cleanly.
restart Restart the simulator in place.
config show Print the effective merged configuration.
show regions List configured regions and their status.
show users List avatars currently connected.
show assets Show asset cache/storage statistics.
show stats Show simulator performance statistics.
show threads List running threads (debugging).
create user Create a new user account interactively.
reset user password Reset an account’s password.
delete user Remove a user account.
force update Force the simulator to resend prim/terrain data to viewers.
backup Force a scene save of all changed objects to the database now.
save oar / load oar Export/import a whole region to/from an .oar archive.
save iar / load iar Export/import an avatar’s inventory to/from an .iar archive.
save prims / load prims Export/import prims (objects) to/from XML.
export map / import map Save/load the region terrain heightmap.
change region <name> Switch the console’s focus to a specific region (multi-region).
region restart Restart a single region.
alert <message> Send an in-world alert to all connected users.

Commands may vary slightly by version; help is always authoritative. Some commands accept extra arguments (e.g. save oar <region> <file.oar>).

Backing up your world

There are three layers of backup; use the ones appropriate to your situation.

1. Database backup (authoritative)

All persistent data (regions, assets, inventory, accounts) lives in the database.

This is the primary backup. The archives below are convenient but the database is the source of truth.

2. Region archives (OAR)

An OAR is a single-file snapshot of a region (terrain, objects, parcels, scripts).

Region (My region) # save oar MyRegion-2026-01-01.oar

Restore it later (to the same or another region):

Region (My region) # load oar MyRegion-2026-01-01.oar

OARs are great for moving a region between installations or keeping point-in-time snapshots.

3. Inventory archives (IAR)

An IAR snapshots an avatar’s inventory. Useful before making risky changes or to move an inventory between grids (where permitted).

Region (My region) # save iar <first> <last> MyInventory.iar

Restore with load iar <first> <last> MyInventory.iar.

Automatic backups with the AutoBackup module

OpenSim can save OARs on a schedule via the AutoBackup module (OpenSim/Region/OptionalModules/World/AutoBackup). Enable it in OpenSim.ini:

[AutoBackupModule]
    AutoBackupModuleEnabled = True
    AutoBackup = True
    ; Interval in minutes between backups (default 720 = 12h)
    AutoBackupInterval = 720
    ; Directory to write OARs to (default ".")
    AutoBackupDir = "backups"
    ; Keep files for this many days (0 = keep forever)
    AutoBackupKeepFilesForDays = 7
    ; Naming: Time | Overwrite | Sequential
    AutoBackupNaming = Time
    ; Skip bundling assets into the OAR (smaller files, assets stay in DB)
    AutoBackupSkipAssets = False
    ; Optionally run a script after each backup
    ; AutoBackupScript = "backup_done.sh"

You can also trigger a one-off auto-backup manually on the console:

Region (My region) # dooarbackup

This writes OARs for the region (or all regions) using the AutoBackup settings and resets the timer.

Backup best practice