What is a .hydroignore file?

The .hydroignore file is Hydrodactyl's version of the .hydroignore file. It allows you to specify files and directories that should be excluded from server backups. When you create a backup, Hydrodactyl reads this file and skips any files or directories that match the patterns defined within.

How it works

The .hydroignore file should be placed in the root directory of your server. Each line in the file represents a pattern to exclude from backups.

Pattern matching

• Directory paths: Exclude entire directories and their contents
• File paths: Exclude specific files
• Wildcards: Use * to match multiple characters
• Trailing slash: Including a / at the end specifically targets directories

Examples

Basic server exclusion

plugins/dynmap
logs/
cache/

Advanced patterns

# Exclude all log files
*.log

# Exclude specific file types
*.tmp
*.cache

# Exclude entire directories
plugins/Dynmap/
plugins/WorldEdit/

# Exclude specific files
server.properties
banned-players.json

# Use wildcards for partial matches
temp*.*
*_backup/

Common use cases

Minecraft servers

# Large plugins that don't need backup
plugins/dynmap/
plugins/WorldEdit/cache/

# Log files
logs/
*.log

# Temporary files
cache/
*.tmp

General exclusions

# Configuration that doesn't change frequently
config.yml
settings.json

# Large data directories
data/cache/
temp/

# Development files
.git/
node_modules/

Tips

1. Place it in your server root - The file must be in the main server directory
2. One pattern per line - Each line is treated as a separate exclusion pattern
3. Comments are supported - Use # at the beginning of a line to add comments
4. Test your patterns - Create a test backup to verify your exclusions work correctly
5. Be specific - Avoid overly broad patterns that might exclude important files

Limitations

• The .hydroignore file only affects backups, not file operations in the live server
• Patterns are matched against the full file path from the server root
• Some system files may always be excluded regardless of the .hydroignore file