feat: Implements new robust/pluggable backup/archive system. (#2388)

## Summary

Overhauls the backup/archive system to address stability, robustness, fault tolerance, performance, and pluggability.

### Problems solved
- **Critical bug**: `Interlocked.CompareExchange` arguments were reversed — the concurrent archive guard never actually prevented concurrent archives
- **Brittle compression**: Relied on spawning external `zstd.exe`/`tar.exe`/`bsdtar.exe` processes with platform-specific workarounds (Windows two-step hack, auto-downloading bsdtar from libarchive.org)
- **No fault tolerance**: Partial archives possible if process killed mid-write; no recovery mechanism; originals deleted before verification
- **No extensibility**: No way to add remote backup destinations (S3, rsync) without modifying core code
- **Silent failures**: Bare `catch` blocks swallowed exceptions with no diagnostics

### What changed

**Cross-platform streaming compression** — Replaced external process spawning with `System.Formats.Tar` (built-in .NET) + `ZstdNet` (native libzstd P/Invoke). Single-pass streaming: `TarWriter → CompressionStream → FileStream`. No intermediate `.tar` file, no platform-specific code paths.

**Archive journal** — JSON-based operation journal (`Archives/.archive-journal.json`) tracks state machine: `Started → Archived → Distributed → Completed` (or `Failed`). On startup, recovers interrupted operations (cleans temp files, completes pruning).

**Verify before delete** — Archives are verified (entry count check) before deleting source backups. Temp-file-then-atomic-rename pattern prevents partial archives.

**Retry logic** — File operations (moves, deletes) retry with linear backoff for transient I/O failures (antivirus locks, file copy operations).

**Plugin architecture** — `IArchiveDestination` interface in `Projects/Server/` enables external plugins (loaded via `assemblies.json`) to receive completed archives. `ArchiveDestinationRegistry` tracks destinations. Conservative pruning: source backups preserved if any destination with retention fails.

**Configurable** — Retention counts (hourly/daily/monthly), compression level, retry settings, backup max age all configurable via `ServerConfiguration`.

### New admin commands
- `[ArchiveStatus` — Shows journal state, destinations, next scheduled archive times
- `[ArchiveNow` — Forces immediate rollup regardless of schedule

### Files

| Change | File |
|--------|------|
| New | `Server/Saves/ArchiveEnums.cs`, `IArchiveDestination.cs`, `ArchiveDestinationRegistry.cs`, `ArchiveEventArgs.cs` |
| New | `Server/Events/ArchiveEvents.cs` (partial EventSink) |
| New | `UOContent/Compression/ManagedArchive.cs` |
| New | `UOContent/World Saves/ArchiveJournal.cs`, `LocalArchiveDestination.cs` |
| Rewrite | `UOContent/World Saves/AutoArchive.cs` |
| Modified | `UOContent/World Saves/SaveCommands.cs`, `Server/Utilities/PathUtility.cs`, `UOContent.csproj` |
| Deleted | `UOContent/Compression/TarArchive.cs`, `ZstdArchive.cs` |
| Tests | 29 new tests (ManagedArchive, ArchiveJournal, AutoArchiveHelpers) |

### Backward compatibility
- Existing `.tar.zst` archives are fully readable by the new managed code
- Config keys preserved; new keys use sensible defaults
- `autoArchive.compressionFormat` setting removed (Zstd only)
- Legacy `bsdtar/` directory logged as removable on startup

### Plugin example (external repo)
```csharp
public static class S3Plugin
{
    public static void Configure()
    {
        ArchiveDestinationRegistry.Register(new S3Destination("my-bucket", "us-east-1"));
    }
}
```

## Test plan
- [x] 29 new unit tests covering archive create/extract/count, journal state machine, recovery, destinations
- [x] All 969 tests pass (671 Server + 298 UOContent)
- [x] Manual: run server, trigger save, verify backup created and archive rolled up
- [x] Manual: kill server mid-archive, restart, verify journal recovery
- [x] Manual: test with large save files (~500MB+) to benchmark streaming vs old approach

Projects/UOContent.Tests/Tests/WorldSaves/ArchiveJournalTests.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,230 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.IO;
+using Server.Saves;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace Server.Tests;
+
+[Collection("Sequential UOContent Tests")]
+public class ArchiveJournalTests : IDisposable
+{
+    private readonly string _testDir;
+
+    public ArchiveJournalTests()
+    {
+        _testDir = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"modernuo-journal-test-{Guid.NewGuid():N}");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(_testDir);
+    }
+
+    public void Dispose()
+    {
+        if (Directory.Exists(_testDir))
+        {
+            Directory.Delete(_testDir, true);
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Configure_LoadsCleanState()
+    {
+        // Arrange & Act
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+
+        // Assert - fresh directory should have no operations
+        // Note: ArchiveJournal is static, so we check the journal file doesn't exist
+        var journalPath = Path.Combine(_testDir, ".archive-journal.json");
+        Assert.False(File.Exists(journalPath));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void BeginOperation_CreatesStartedEntry()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+
+        // Act
+        var entry = ArchiveJournal.BeginOperation(
+            ArchivePeriod.Hourly,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 14, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            "/tmp/archive.tar.zst.tmp",
+            "/archives/hourly/2026-03-22-14.tar.zst",
+            ["backup1", "backup2"]
+        );
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(ArchiveOperationState.Started, entry.State);
+        Assert.Equal(ArchivePeriod.Hourly, entry.Period);
+        Assert.Equal("/tmp/archive.tar.zst.tmp", entry.TempFile);
+        Assert.Equal(2, entry.SourceDirectories.Count);
+        Assert.Contains(entry, ArchiveJournal.Operations);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void RecordArchived_TransitionsState()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+        var entry = ArchiveJournal.BeginOperation(
+            ArchivePeriod.Daily,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 0, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            "/tmp/test.tmp",
+            "/archives/daily/2026-03-22.tar.zst",
+            ["backup1"]
+        );
+
+        // Act
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordArchived(entry, 42, 1024000);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(ArchiveOperationState.Archived, entry.State);
+        Assert.Equal(42, entry.EntryCount);
+        Assert.Equal(1024000, entry.ArchiveBytes);
+        Assert.Null(entry.TempFile); // Temp file cleared after rename
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void RecordDistributed_StoresResults()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+        var entry = ArchiveJournal.BeginOperation(
+            ArchivePeriod.Monthly,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 1, 0, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            "/tmp/test.tmp",
+            "/archives/monthly/2026-03.tar.zst",
+            ["backup1"]
+        );
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordArchived(entry, 100, 5000000);
+
+        var results = new Dictionary<string, bool>
+        {
+            { "Local Filesystem", true },
+            { "S3 us-east-1", false }
+        };
+
+        // Act
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordDistributed(entry, results);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(ArchiveOperationState.Distributed, entry.State);
+        Assert.True(entry.DestinationResults["Local Filesystem"]);
+        Assert.False(entry.DestinationResults["S3 us-east-1"]);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void RecordCompleted_IsTerminal()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+        var entry = ArchiveJournal.BeginOperation(
+            ArchivePeriod.Hourly,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 14, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            "/tmp/test.tmp",
+            "/archives/hourly/test.tar.zst",
+            ["backup1"]
+        );
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordArchived(entry, 10, 500);
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordDistributed(entry, new Dictionary<string, bool>());
+
+        // Act
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordCompleted(entry);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(ArchiveOperationState.Completed, entry.State);
+        Assert.NotEqual(DateTime.MaxValue, entry.CompletedAt);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void RecordFailure_RecordsReason()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+        var entry = ArchiveJournal.BeginOperation(
+            ArchivePeriod.Hourly,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 14, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            "/tmp/test.tmp",
+            "/archives/hourly/test.tar.zst",
+            ["backup1"]
+        );
+
+        // Act
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordFailure(entry, "Disk full");
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(ArchiveOperationState.Failed, entry.State);
+        Assert.Equal("Disk full", entry.FailureReason);
+        Assert.NotEqual(DateTime.MaxValue, entry.CompletedAt);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Journal_PersistsToJsonFile()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+        ArchiveJournal.BeginOperation(
+            ArchivePeriod.Hourly,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 14, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            "/tmp/test.tmp",
+            "/archives/hourly/test.tar.zst",
+            ["backup1"]
+        );
+
+        // Assert - journal file should exist
+        var journalPath = Path.Combine(_testDir, ".archive-journal.json");
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(journalPath));
+
+        var content = File.ReadAllText(journalPath);
+        Assert.Contains("Hourly", content);
+        Assert.Contains("Started", content);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void RecoverInterrupted_CleansUpStartedOperations()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+
+        // Create a temp file that simulates an interrupted archive
+        var tempFile = Path.Combine(_testDir, "interrupted.tar.zst.tmp");
+        File.WriteAllText(tempFile, "partial archive data");
+
+        var entry = ArchiveJournal.BeginOperation(
+            ArchivePeriod.Hourly,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 14, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            tempFile,
+            Path.Combine(_testDir, "final.tar.zst"),
+            ["backup1"]
+        );
+
+        // Act
+        ArchiveJournal.RecoverInterrupted();
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(ArchiveOperationState.Failed, entry.State);
+        Assert.Equal("Interrupted during archive creation", entry.FailureReason);
+        Assert.False(File.Exists(tempFile)); // Temp file should be cleaned up
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void RecoverInterrupted_CompletesDistributedOperations()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        ArchiveJournal.Configure(_testDir);
+        var entry = ArchiveJournal.BeginOperation(
+            ArchivePeriod.Daily,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 0, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            "/tmp/test.tmp",
+            "/archives/daily/test.tar.zst",
+            ["backup1"]
+        );
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordArchived(entry, 50, 2000);
+        ArchiveJournal.RecordDistributed(entry, new Dictionary<string, bool> { { "Local", true } });
+
+        // Act - simulate restart
+        ArchiveJournal.RecoverInterrupted();
+
+        // Assert - should be marked completed
+        Assert.Equal(ArchiveOperationState.Completed, entry.State);
+    }
+}

Projects/UOContent.Tests/Tests/WorldSaves/AutoArchiveHelperTests.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+using System;
+using Server.Saves;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace Server.Tests;
+
+[Collection("Sequential UOContent Tests")]
+public class AutoArchiveHelperTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public void ArchiveDestinationRegistry_RegisterAndRetrieve()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var dest = new LocalArchiveDestination(24, 30, 12);
+
+        // Act
+        ArchiveDestinationRegistry.Register(dest);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Contains(dest, ArchiveDestinationRegistry.Destinations);
+
+        // Cleanup
+        ArchiveDestinationRegistry.Unregister(dest);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain(dest, ArchiveDestinationRegistry.Destinations);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void LocalArchiveDestination_SendArchive_ReturnsTrue()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var dest = new LocalArchiveDestination(24, 30, 12);
+
+        // Act
+        var result = dest.SendArchive("/fake/path.tar.zst", ArchivePeriod.Hourly, DateTime.UtcNow);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.True(result);
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData(ArchivePeriod.Hourly, 24)]
+    [InlineData(ArchivePeriod.Daily, 30)]
+    [InlineData(ArchivePeriod.Monthly, 12)]
+    public void LocalArchiveDestination_RetentionCounts(ArchivePeriod period, int expected)
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var dest = new LocalArchiveDestination(24, 30, 12);
+
+        // Act & Assert
+        Assert.Equal(expected, dest.GetRetentionCount(period));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ArchiveCompletedEventArgs_StoresValues()
+    {
+        // Arrange & Act
+        var args = new ArchiveCompletedEventArgs(
+            "/archives/hourly/test.tar.zst",
+            ArchivePeriod.Hourly,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 14, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            1048576,
+            2.5
+        );
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal("/archives/hourly/test.tar.zst", args.ArchiveFilePath);
+        Assert.Equal(ArchivePeriod.Hourly, args.Period);
+        Assert.Equal(1048576, args.FileSizeBytes);
+        Assert.Equal(2.5, args.ElapsedSeconds);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ArchiveFailedEventArgs_StoresException()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var ex = new InvalidOperationException("disk full");
+
+        // Act
+        var args = new ArchiveFailedEventArgs(
+            ArchivePeriod.Daily,
+            new DateTime(2026, 3, 22, 0, 0, 0, DateTimeKind.Utc),
+            ex
+        );
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(ArchivePeriod.Daily, args.Period);
+        Assert.Same(ex, args.Exception);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ArchiveJournalEntry_DefaultState()
+    {
+        // Arrange & Act
+        var entry = new ArchiveJournalEntry();
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.NotNull(entry.SourceDirectories);
+        Assert.Empty(entry.SourceDirectories);
+        Assert.NotNull(entry.DestinationResults);
+        Assert.Empty(entry.DestinationResults);
+        Assert.Null(entry.FailureReason);
+        Assert.Equal(DateTime.MaxValue, entry.CompletedAt);
+    }
+}

Projects/UOContent.Tests/Tests/WorldSaves/ManagedArchiveTests.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,325 @@
+using System;
+using System.Formats.Tar;
+using System.IO;
+using System.IO.Compression;
+using Server.Compression;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace Server.Tests;
+
+[Collection("Sequential UOContent Tests")]
+public class ManagedArchiveTests : IDisposable
+{
+    private readonly string _testDir;
+
+    public ManagedArchiveTests()
+    {
+        _testDir = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), $"modernuo-test-{Guid.NewGuid():N}");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(_testDir);
+    }
+
+    public void Dispose()
+    {
+        if (Directory.Exists(_testDir))
+        {
+            Directory.Delete(_testDir, true);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private string CreateTestDirectory(string name, params (string fileName, string content)[] files)
+    {
+        var dir = Path.Combine(_testDir, name);
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(dir);
+
+        foreach (var (fileName, content) in files)
+        {
+            var filePath = Path.Combine(dir, fileName);
+            var fileDir = Path.GetDirectoryName(filePath);
+            if (fileDir != null)
+            {
+                Directory.CreateDirectory(fileDir);
+            }
+
+            File.WriteAllText(filePath, content);
+        }
+
+        return dir;
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void CreateTarZstd_SingleDirectory_RoundTrips()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var sourceDir = CreateTestDirectory("source",
+            ("file1.txt", "Hello World"),
+            ("file2.bin", "Binary content here"),
+            ("subdir/nested.txt", "Nested file")
+        );
+
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "test.tar.zst");
+
+        // Act
+        var entryCount = ManagedArchive.CreateTarZstd(
+            [sourceDir], archivePath, _testDir, compressionLevel: 1
+        );
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.True(entryCount > 0);
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(archivePath));
+        Assert.True(new FileInfo(archivePath).Length > 0);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void CreateTarZstd_MultipleDirectories_IncludesAll()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var dir1 = CreateTestDirectory("backup1",
+            ("items.bin", "items data"),
+            ("items.idx", "items index")
+        );
+        var dir2 = CreateTestDirectory("backup2",
+            ("mobiles.bin", "mobiles data"),
+            ("mobiles.idx", "mobiles index")
+        );
+
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "multi.tar.zst");
+
+        // Act
+        var entryCount = ManagedArchive.CreateTarZstd(
+            [dir1, dir2], archivePath, _testDir, compressionLevel: 1
+        );
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(4, entryCount);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ExtractTarZstd_RecreatesFiles()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var sourceDir = CreateTestDirectory("source",
+            ("data.txt", "Test data content"),
+            ("config/settings.json", "{\"key\":\"value\"}")
+        );
+
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "extract-test.tar.zst");
+        ManagedArchive.CreateTarZstd([sourceDir], archivePath, _testDir, compressionLevel: 1);
+
+        var extractDir = Path.Combine(_testDir, "extracted");
+
+        // Act
+        var success = ManagedArchive.ExtractTarZstd(archivePath, extractDir);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.True(success);
+        Assert.True(Directory.Exists(extractDir));
+
+        // Verify extracted content matches
+        var extractedDataPath = Path.Combine(extractDir, "source", "data.txt");
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(extractedDataPath));
+        Assert.Equal("Test data content", File.ReadAllText(extractedDataPath));
+
+        var extractedConfigPath = Path.Combine(extractDir, "source", "config", "settings.json");
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(extractedConfigPath));
+        Assert.Equal("{\"key\":\"value\"}", File.ReadAllText(extractedConfigPath));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void CountEntries_MatchesCreateCount()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var sourceDir = CreateTestDirectory("source",
+            ("a.txt", "a"),
+            ("b.txt", "b"),
+            ("c/d.txt", "d"),
+            ("c/e.txt", "e")
+        );
+
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "count-test.tar.zst");
+        var createCount = ManagedArchive.CreateTarZstd(
+            [sourceDir], archivePath, _testDir, compressionLevel: 1
+        );
+
+        // Act
+        var verifyCount = ManagedArchive.CountEntries(archivePath);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(createCount, verifyCount);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void CreateTarZstd_EmptyDirectory_ReturnsZero()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var sourceDir = Path.Combine(_testDir, "empty");
+        Directory.CreateDirectory(sourceDir);
+
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "empty.tar.zst");
+
+        // Act
+        var entryCount = ManagedArchive.CreateTarZstd(
+            [sourceDir], archivePath, _testDir, compressionLevel: 1
+        );
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(0, entryCount);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void CreateTarZstd_NonexistentSource_SkipsGracefully()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "nonexistent.tar.zst");
+
+        // Act
+        var entryCount = ManagedArchive.CreateTarZstd(
+            [Path.Combine(_testDir, "does-not-exist")], archivePath, _testDir, compressionLevel: 1
+        );
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(0, entryCount);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void CreateTarZstd_TempFileCleanedUp()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var sourceDir = CreateTestDirectory("source", ("file.txt", "content"));
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "cleanup-test.tar.zst");
+
+        // Act
+        ManagedArchive.CreateTarZstd([sourceDir], archivePath, _testDir, compressionLevel: 1);
+
+        // Assert - no .tmp file should remain
+        Assert.False(File.Exists(archivePath + ".tmp"));
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(archivePath));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ExtractTarZstd_InvalidFile_ReturnsFalse()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var badFile = Path.Combine(_testDir, "bad.tar.zst");
+        File.WriteAllText(badFile, "this is not a valid archive");
+        var extractDir = Path.Combine(_testDir, "extract-bad");
+
+        // Act
+        var result = ManagedArchive.ExtractTarZstd(badFile, extractDir);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.False(result);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void CountEntries_InvalidFile_ReturnsNegative()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var badFile = Path.Combine(_testDir, "bad.tar.zst");
+        File.WriteAllText(badFile, "not a valid archive");
+
+        // Act
+        var count = ManagedArchive.CountEntries(badFile);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(-1, count);
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData(1)]
+    [InlineData(3)]
+    [InlineData(10)]
+    public void CreateTarZstd_DifferentCompressionLevels_AllWork(int level)
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var sourceDir = CreateTestDirectory($"level-{level}", ("data.txt", new string('X', 10000)));
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, $"level-{level}.tar.zst");
+
+        // Act
+        var entryCount = ManagedArchive.CreateTarZstd(
+            [sourceDir], archivePath, _testDir, compressionLevel: level
+        );
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.Equal(1, entryCount);
+        Assert.True(File.Exists(archivePath));
+
+        // Verify we can extract it back
+        var extractDir = Path.Combine(_testDir, $"extract-level-{level}");
+        Assert.True(ManagedArchive.ExtractTarZstd(archivePath, extractDir));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ExtractTarGz_RoundTrips()
+    {
+        // Arrange — create a .tar.gz using built-in .NET APIs
+        var sourceDir = CreateTestDirectory("gz-source",
+            ("data.txt", "GZip test data"),
+            ("sub/nested.txt", "Nested content")
+        );
+
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "test.tar.gz");
+
+        using (var fileStream = new FileStream(archivePath, FileMode.Create))
+        using (var gzStream = new GZipStream(fileStream, System.IO.Compression.CompressionLevel.Fastest))
+        using (var tarWriter = new TarWriter(gzStream, TarEntryFormat.Pax, leaveOpen: true))
+        {
+            foreach (var file in new DirectoryInfo(sourceDir).EnumerateFiles("*", SearchOption.AllDirectories))
+            {
+                var entryName = Path.GetRelativePath(sourceDir, file.FullName).Replace('\\', '/');
+                tarWriter.WriteEntry(file.FullName, entryName);
+            }
+        }
+
+        var extractDir = Path.Combine(_testDir, "gz-extracted");
+
+        // Act
+        var success = ManagedArchive.ExtractTarGz(archivePath, extractDir);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.True(success);
+        Assert.Equal("GZip test data", File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(extractDir, "data.txt")));
+        Assert.Equal("Nested content", File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(extractDir, "sub", "nested.txt")));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ExtractTar_PlainTarRoundTrips()
+    {
+        // Arrange — create a plain .tar using built-in .NET APIs
+        var sourceDir = CreateTestDirectory("tar-source",
+            ("plain.txt", "Plain tar test data")
+        );
+
+        var archivePath = Path.Combine(_testDir, "test.tar");
+
+        using (var fileStream = new FileStream(archivePath, FileMode.Create))
+        using (var tarWriter = new TarWriter(fileStream, TarEntryFormat.Pax, leaveOpen: true))
+        {
+            foreach (var file in new DirectoryInfo(sourceDir).EnumerateFiles("*", SearchOption.AllDirectories))
+            {
+                var entryName = Path.GetRelativePath(sourceDir, file.FullName).Replace('\\', '/');
+                tarWriter.WriteEntry(file.FullName, entryName);
+            }
+        }
+
+        var extractDir = Path.Combine(_testDir, "tar-extracted");
+
+        // Act
+        var success = ManagedArchive.ExtractTar(archivePath, extractDir);
+
+        // Assert
+        Assert.True(success);
+        Assert.Equal("Plain tar test data", File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(extractDir, "plain.txt")));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ExtractTarGz_InvalidFile_ReturnsFalse()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var badFile = Path.Combine(_testDir, "bad.tar.gz");
+        File.WriteAllText(badFile, "not a valid gzip archive");
+        var extractDir = Path.Combine(_testDir, "extract-bad-gz");
+
+        // Act & Assert
+        Assert.False(ManagedArchive.ExtractTarGz(badFile, extractDir));
+    }
+}

Projects/UOContent/Compression/ManagedArchive.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,279 @@
+/*************************************************************************
+ * ModernUO                                                              *
+ * Copyright 2019-2026 - ModernUO Development Team                       *
+ * Email: hi@modernuo.com                                                *
+ * File: ManagedArchive.cs                                               *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify  *
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  *
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or     *
+ * (at your option) any later version.                                   *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License     *
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. *
+ *************************************************************************/
+
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Formats.Tar;
+using System.IO;
+using System.IO.Compression;
+using Server.Logging;
+using ZstdNet;
+
+namespace Server.Compression;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Cross-platform archive creation and extraction using System.Formats.Tar + ZstdNet (native libzstd).
+/// Single-pass streaming: TarWriter → CompressionStream → FileStream.
+/// </summary>
+public static class ManagedArchive
+{
+    private static readonly ILogger logger = LogFactory.GetLogger(typeof(ManagedArchive));
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Creates a .tar.zst archive from one or more source directories.
+    /// Writes to a temp file first, then atomically renames to the destination.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="sourcePaths">Directories to include in the archive.</param>
+    /// <param name="destinationFile">Final .tar.zst file path.</param>
+    /// <param name="relativeTo">Base path for computing relative entry names.</param>
+    /// <param name="compressionLevel">ZSTD compression level (1-22, default 3).</param>
+    /// <returns>The number of entries written, or -1 on failure.</returns>
+    public static int CreateTarZstd(
+        IEnumerable<string> sourcePaths,
+        string destinationFile,
+        string relativeTo,
+        int compressionLevel = 3)
+    {
+        var tempFile = destinationFile + ".tmp";
+
+        try
+        {
+            new FileInfo(destinationFile).EnsureDirectory();
+
+            using var fileStream = new FileStream(
+                tempFile,
+                FileMode.Create,
+                FileAccess.Write,
+                FileShare.None,
+                bufferSize: 81920
+            );
+
+            using var compressionOptions = new CompressionOptions(compressionLevel);
+            using var zstdStream = new CompressionStream(fileStream, compressionOptions);
+            using var tarWriter = new TarWriter(zstdStream, TarEntryFormat.Pax, leaveOpen: true);
+
+            var entryCount = 0;
+            long totalBytes = 0;
+
+            foreach (var sourcePath in sourcePaths)
+            {
+                if (!Directory.Exists(sourcePath))
+                {
+                    logger.Warning("Source path does not exist, skipping: {Path}", sourcePath);
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                var sourceDir = new DirectoryInfo(sourcePath);
+                var relativeName = Path.GetRelativePath(relativeTo, sourcePath);
+
+                foreach (var file in sourceDir.EnumerateFiles("*", SearchOption.AllDirectories))
+                {
+                    var entryName = Path.Combine(relativeName, Path.GetRelativePath(sourcePath, file.FullName))
+                        .Replace('\\', '/');
+
+                    tarWriter.WriteEntry(file.FullName, entryName);
+                    entryCount++;
+                    totalBytes += file.Length;
+
+                    if (entryCount % 100 == 0)
+                    {
+                        logger.Debug(
+                            "Archive progress: {Count} entries, {Size:F1} MB",
+                            entryCount,
+                            totalBytes / 1048576.0
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Flush tar → zstd → file
+            tarWriter.Dispose();
+            zstdStream.Dispose();
+            fileStream.Dispose();
+
+            // Atomic rename on same filesystem
+            if (File.Exists(destinationFile))
+            {
+                File.Delete(destinationFile);
+            }
+
+            File.Move(tempFile, destinationFile);
+
+            logger.Information(
+                "Created archive at {Path} ({Count} entries, {Size:F1} MB)",
+                destinationFile,
+                entryCount,
+                totalBytes / 1048576.0
+            );
+
+            return entryCount;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            logger.Error(ex, "Failed to create archive at {Path}", destinationFile);
+
+            try
+            {
+                if (File.Exists(tempFile))
+                {
+                    File.Delete(tempFile);
+                }
+            }
+            catch
+            {
+                // Best-effort cleanup
+            }
+
+            return -1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Extracts a .tar.zst archive to a directory.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static bool ExtractTarZstd(string archiveFile, string outputDirectory)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(outputDirectory);
+
+            using var fileStream = new FileStream(
+                archiveFile,
+                FileMode.Open,
+                FileAccess.Read,
+                FileShare.Read,
+                bufferSize: 81920
+            );
+
+            using var zstdStream = new DecompressionStream(fileStream);
+            return ExtractTarFromStream(zstdStream, outputDirectory);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            logger.Error(ex, "Failed to extract archive {File}", archiveFile);
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Extracts a .tar.gz archive to a directory.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static bool ExtractTarGz(string archiveFile, string outputDirectory)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(outputDirectory);
+
+            using var fileStream = new FileStream(
+                archiveFile,
+                FileMode.Open,
+                FileAccess.Read,
+                FileShare.Read,
+                bufferSize: 81920
+            );
+
+            using var gzStream = new GZipStream(fileStream, CompressionMode.Decompress);
+            return ExtractTarFromStream(gzStream, outputDirectory);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            logger.Error(ex, "Failed to extract archive {File}", archiveFile);
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Extracts a plain .tar archive to a directory.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static bool ExtractTar(string archiveFile, string outputDirectory)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(outputDirectory);
+
+            using var fileStream = new FileStream(
+                archiveFile,
+                FileMode.Open,
+                FileAccess.Read,
+                FileShare.Read,
+                bufferSize: 81920
+            );
+
+            return ExtractTarFromStream(fileStream, outputDirectory);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            logger.Error(ex, "Failed to extract archive {File}", archiveFile);
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static bool ExtractTarFromStream(Stream stream, string outputDirectory)
+    {
+        using var tarReader = new TarReader(stream);
+
+        while (tarReader.GetNextEntry() is { } entry)
+        {
+            var destPath = Path.Combine(outputDirectory, entry.Name);
+
+            var destDir = Path.GetDirectoryName(destPath);
+            if (destDir != null)
+            {
+                Directory.CreateDirectory(destDir);
+            }
+
+            if (entry.EntryType is TarEntryType.RegularFile or TarEntryType.V7RegularFile)
+            {
+                entry.ExtractToFile(destPath, overwrite: true);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Counts entries in a .tar.zst archive without extracting content.
+    /// Used for verification after archive creation.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static int CountEntries(string archiveFile)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            using var fileStream = new FileStream(
+                archiveFile,
+                FileMode.Open,
+                FileAccess.Read,
+                FileShare.Read,
+                bufferSize: 81920
+            );
+
+            using var zstdStream = new DecompressionStream(fileStream);
+            using var tarReader = new TarReader(zstdStream);
+
+            var count = 0;
+            while (tarReader.GetNextEntry() is not null)
+            {
+                count++;
+            }
+
+            return count;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            logger.Error(ex, "Failed to count entries in archive {File}", archiveFile);
+            return -1;
+        }
+    }
+}

Projects/UOContent/Compression/TarArchive.cs

@@ -1,122 +0,0 @@
-using System;
-using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Diagnostics;
-using System.IO;
-using System.IO.Compression;
-using System.Net.Http;
-using Server.Text;
-
-namespace Server.Compression
-{
-    public static class TarArchive
-    {
-        private const string _libArchiveWindowsUrl = @"https://www.libarchive.org/downloads/libarchive-v3.5.2-win64.zip";
-        private static string _pathToTar;
-
-        private static string GetPathToTar()
-        {
-            if (!Core.IsWindows || File.Exists(@"C:\Windows\system32\tar.exe"))
-            {
-                return "tar";
-            }
-
-            var tarPath = Path.Combine(Core.BaseDirectory, "bsdtar/bsdtar.exe");
-            return File.Exists(tarPath) ? tarPath : DownloadTarForWindows();
-        }
-
-        private static int RunTar(string arguments, string compressionProgramPath)
-        {
-            var process = new Process
-            {
-                StartInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
-                {
-                    FileName = _pathToTar,
-                    Arguments = arguments
-                }
-            };
-
-            if (compressionProgramPath != null)
-            {
-                var envPaths = $"{process.StartInfo.EnvironmentVariables["PATH"]}:{compressionProgramPath}";
-                process.StartInfo.EnvironmentVariables["PATH"] = envPaths;
-            }
-
-            process.Start();
-            process.WaitForExit();
-
-            return process.ExitCode;
-        }
-
-        private static string DownloadTarForWindows()
-        {
-            var tempDir = PathUtility.EnsureRandomPath(Path.GetTempPath());
-
-            var libarchiveFile = Path.Combine(tempDir, "libarchive.zip");
-            // This isn't called often so we don't need to optimize
-            using (var hc = new HttpClient())
-            {
-                var result = hc.Send(new HttpRequestMessage(HttpMethod.Get, new Uri(_libArchiveWindowsUrl)));
-                using var stream = result.Content.ReadAsStream();
-                using var fs = new FileStream(libarchiveFile, FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write, FileShare.None);
-                stream.CopyTo(fs);
-            }
-
-            ZipFile.ExtractToDirectory(libarchiveFile, tempDir);
-            var libArchivePath = Path.Combine(tempDir, "libarchive");
-            PathUtility.MoveDirectoryContents(Path.Combine(libArchivePath, "bin"), Path.Combine(Core.BaseDirectory, "bsdtar"));
-            File.Delete(libarchiveFile);
-
-            return Path.Combine(Core.BaseDirectory, "bsdtar/bsdtar.exe");
-        }
-
-        public static bool ExtractToDirectory(
-            string fileNamePath,
-            string outputDirectory,
-            string compressCommand = null,
-            string compressionProgramPath = null
-        )
-        {
-            _pathToTar ??= GetPathToTar();
-
-            var useExternalCompression = compressCommand != null ? $"--use-compress-program \"{compressCommand}\" " : "";
-            var arguments = $"{useExternalCompression} -xf \"{fileNamePath}\" -C \"{outputDirectory}\"";
-
-            return RunTar(arguments, compressionProgramPath) == 0;
-        }
-
-        public static bool CreateFromPaths(
-            IEnumerable<string> paths,
-            string destinationArchiveFileName,
-            string relativeTo,
-            string compressCommand = null,
-            string compressionProgramPath = null
-        )
-        {
-            _pathToTar ??= GetPathToTar();
-
-            new FileInfo(destinationArchiveFileName).EnsureDirectory();
-
-            using var sb = ValueStringBuilder.Create();
-            var i = 0;
-            foreach (var path in paths)
-            {
-                var relativePath = Path.GetRelativePath(relativeTo, path);
-                if (i++ > 0)
-                {
-                    sb.Append($" \"{relativePath}\"");
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    sb.Append($"\"{relativePath}\"");
-                }
-            }
-            var pathsToCompress = sb.ToString();
-
-            var tarFlags = compressCommand == null ? "-acf" : "-cf";
-            var useExternalCompression = compressCommand != null ? $"--use-compress-program \"{compressCommand}\" " : "";
-            var arguments = $"{useExternalCompression}{tarFlags} \"{destinationArchiveFileName}\" -C \"{relativeTo}\" {pathsToCompress}";
-
-            return RunTar(arguments, compressionProgramPath) == 0;
-        }
-    }
-}

Projects/UOContent/Compression/ZstdArchive.cs

@@ -1,95 +0,0 @@
-using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.Diagnostics;
-using System.IO;
-using System.Reflection;
-
-namespace Server.Compression
-{
-    public static class ZstdArchive
-    {
-        private static readonly string _pathToZstd = new FileInfo(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location).Directory?.FullName;
-
-        public static bool ExtractToDirectory(string fileNamePath, string outputDirectory)
-        {
-            // bsdtar has a bug and hangs, so we are doing it in two steps.
-            if (Core.IsWindows)
-            {
-                var tempDir = PathUtility.EnsureRandomPath(Path.GetTempPath());
-                var tempTarArchive = Path.Combine(tempDir, "temp-file.tar");
-
-                try
-                {
-                    var process = new Process
-                    {
-                        StartInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
-                        {
-                            FileName = Path.Combine(_pathToZstd, "zstd.exe"),
-                            Arguments = $"-q -d \"{fileNamePath}\" -o \"{tempTarArchive}\""
-                        }
-                    };
-
-                    process.Start();
-                    process.WaitForExit();
-
-                    return process.ExitCode == 0 && TarArchive.ExtractToDirectory(tempTarArchive, outputDirectory);
-                }
-                catch
-                {
-                    return false;
-                }
-                finally
-                {
-                    File.Delete(tempTarArchive);
-                }
-            }
-
-            return TarArchive.ExtractToDirectory(fileNamePath, outputDirectory, "zstd -q -d", _pathToZstd);
-        }
-
-        public static bool CreateFromPaths(
-            IEnumerable<string> paths,
-            string destinationArchiveFileName,
-            string relativeTo
-        )
-        {
-            // bsdtar has a bug and hangs, so we are doing it in two steps.
-            if (Core.IsWindows)
-            {
-                var tempDir = PathUtility.EnsureRandomPath(Path.GetTempPath());
-                var tempTarArchive = Path.Combine(tempDir, "temp-file.tar");
-
-                try
-                {
-                    if (!TarArchive.CreateFromPaths(paths, tempTarArchive, relativeTo))
-                    {
-                        return false;
-                    }
-
-                    var process = new Process
-                    {
-                        StartInfo = new ProcessStartInfo
-                        {
-                            FileName = Path.Combine(_pathToZstd, "zstd.exe"),
-                            Arguments = $"-q \"{tempTarArchive}\" -o \"{destinationArchiveFileName}\""
-                        }
-                    };
-
-                    process.Start();
-                    process.WaitForExit();
-
-                    return process.ExitCode == 0;
-                }
-                catch
-                {
-                    return false;
-                }
-                finally
-                {
-                    Directory.Delete(tempDir, true);
-                }
-            }
-
-            return TarArchive.CreateFromPaths(paths, destinationArchiveFileName, relativeTo, "zstd -q", _pathToZstd);
-        }
-    }
-}

Projects/UOContent/UOContent.csproj

@@ -29,8 +29,7 @@
         <Delete Files="..\..\Distribution\Assemblies\LibDeflate.Bindings.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
         <Delete Files="..\..\Distribution\Assemblies\libdeflate.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
         <Delete Files="..\..\Distribution\Assemblies\libdeflate.dylib" ContinueOnError="true" />
-        <Delete Files="..\..\Distribution\Assemblies\Zstd.Binaries.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
+        <Delete Files="..\..\Distribution\Assemblies\ZstdNet.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
-        <Delete Files="..\..\Distribution\Assemblies\zstd.exe" ContinueOnError="true" />
         <Delete Files="..\..\Distribution\Assemblies\ModernUO.Serialization.Annotations.dll" ContinueOnError="true" />
     </Target>
     <ItemGroup>
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
         <PackageReference Include="Argon2.Bindings" Version="1.17.0" />
         <PackageReference Include="ModernUO.CodeGeneratedEvents.Annotations" Version="1.0.0" />
         <PackageReference Include="ModernUO.CodeGeneratedEvents.Generator" Version="1.0.3.2" PrivateAssets="all" />
-        <PackageReference Include="Zstd.Binaries" Version="1.6.0" />
+        <PackageReference Include="ZstdNet" Version="1.5.7" />
 
         <PackageReference Include="ModernUO.Serialization.Annotations" Version="2.14.2" />
         <PackageReference Include="ModernUO.Serialization.Generator" Version="2.14.2" />

Projects/UOContent/World Saves/ArchiveDestinationRegistry.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*************************************************************************
+ * ModernUO                                                              *
+ * Copyright 2019-2026 - ModernUO Development Team                       *
+ * Email: hi@modernuo.com                                                *
+ * File: ArchiveDestinationRegistry.cs                                   *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify  *
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  *
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or     *
+ * (at your option) any later version.                                   *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License     *
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. *
+ *************************************************************************/
+
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+
+namespace Server.Saves;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Registration point for archive destinations. Register during Configure() phase.
+/// No locks needed — registration is single-threaded, reading happens on one
+/// ThreadPool thread at a time (guarded by the archive concurrency flag).
+/// </summary>
+public static class ArchiveDestinationRegistry
+{
+    private static readonly List<IArchiveDestination> _destinations = [];
+
+    public static IReadOnlyList<IArchiveDestination> Destinations => _destinations;
+
+    public static void Register(IArchiveDestination destination) => _destinations.Add(destination);
+
+    public static void Unregister(IArchiveDestination destination) => _destinations.Remove(destination);
+}

Projects/UOContent/World Saves/ArchiveEnums.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/*************************************************************************
+ * ModernUO                                                              *
+ * Copyright 2019-2026 - ModernUO Development Team                       *
+ * Email: hi@modernuo.com                                                *
+ * File: ArchiveEnums.cs                                                 *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify  *
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  *
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or     *
+ * (at your option) any later version.                                   *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License     *
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. *
+ *************************************************************************/
+
+namespace Server.Saves;
+
+public enum ArchivePeriod
+{
+    Hourly,
+    Daily,
+    Monthly
+}

Projects/UOContent/World Saves/ArchiveEventArgs.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/*************************************************************************
+ * ModernUO                                                              *
+ * Copyright 2019-2026 - ModernUO Development Team                       *
+ * Email: hi@modernuo.com                                                *
+ * File: ArchiveEventArgs.cs                                             *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify  *
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  *
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or     *
+ * (at your option) any later version.                                   *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License     *
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. *
+ *************************************************************************/
+
+using System;
+
+namespace Server.Saves;
+
+public class ArchiveCompletedEventArgs(
+    string archiveFilePath,
+    ArchivePeriod period,
+    DateTime rangeStart,
+    long fileSizeBytes,
+    double elapsedSeconds
+)
+{
+    public string ArchiveFilePath { get; } = archiveFilePath;
+    public ArchivePeriod Period { get; } = period;
+    public DateTime RangeStart { get; } = rangeStart;
+    public long FileSizeBytes { get; } = fileSizeBytes;
+    public double ElapsedSeconds { get; } = elapsedSeconds;
+}
+
+public class ArchiveFailedEventArgs(ArchivePeriod period, DateTime rangeStart, Exception exception)
+{
+    public ArchivePeriod Period { get; } = period;
+    public DateTime RangeStart { get; } = rangeStart;
+    public Exception Exception { get; } = exception;
+}

Projects/UOContent/World Saves/ArchiveJournal.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,269 @@
+/*************************************************************************
+ * ModernUO                                                              *
+ * Copyright 2019-2026 - ModernUO Development Team                       *
+ * Email: hi@modernuo.com                                                *
+ * File: ArchiveJournal.cs                                               *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify  *
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  *
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or     *
+ * (at your option) any later version.                                   *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License     *
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. *
+ *************************************************************************/
+
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.IO;
+using Server.Json;
+using Server.Logging;
+
+namespace Server.Saves;
+
+public enum ArchiveOperationState
+{
+    Started,
+    Archived,
+    Distributed,
+    Completed,
+    Failed
+}
+
+public class ArchiveJournalEntry
+{
+    public string Id { get; set; }
+    public ArchivePeriod Period { get; set; }
+    public DateTime RangeStart { get; set; }
+    public ArchiveOperationState State { get; set; }
+    public string ArchiveFile { get; set; }
+    public string TempFile { get; set; }
+    public List<string> SourceDirectories { get; set; } = [];
+    public int EntryCount { get; set; }
+    public long TotalSourceBytes { get; set; }
+    public long ArchiveBytes { get; set; }
+    public DateTime StartedAt { get; set; }
+    public DateTime CompletedAt { get; set; } = DateTime.MaxValue;
+    public string FailureReason { get; set; }
+    public Dictionary<string, bool> DestinationResults { get; set; } = new();
+}
+
+public class ArchiveJournalData
+{
+    public List<ArchiveJournalEntry> Operations { get; set; } = [];
+}
+
+public static class ArchiveJournal
+{
+    private const int MaxJournalEntries = 100;
+
+    private static readonly ILogger logger = LogFactory.GetLogger(typeof(ArchiveJournal));
+
+    private static string _journalPath;
+    private static ArchiveJournalData _data = new();
+
+    public static IReadOnlyList<ArchiveJournalEntry> Operations => _data.Operations;
+
+    public static void Configure(string archivePath)
+    {
+        _journalPath = Path.Combine(archivePath, ".archive-journal.json");
+        _data = new ArchiveJournalData();
+        Load();
+    }
+
+    private static void Load()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            if (File.Exists(_journalPath))
+            {
+                _data = JsonConfig.Deserialize<ArchiveJournalData>(_journalPath) ?? new ArchiveJournalData();
+            }
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            logger.Error(ex, "Failed to load archive journal, starting fresh");
+            _data = new ArchiveJournalData();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void Save()
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            var tempPath = _journalPath + ".tmp";
+            JsonConfig.Serialize(tempPath, _data);
+
+            if (File.Exists(_journalPath))
+            {
+                File.Delete(_journalPath);
+            }
+
+            File.Move(tempPath, _journalPath);
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            logger.Error(ex, "Failed to save archive journal");
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static void Prune()
+    {
+        if (_data.Operations.Count > MaxJournalEntries)
+        {
+            // Remove oldest completed/failed entries beyond the limit
+            var toRemove = _data.Operations.Count - MaxJournalEntries;
+            for (var i = _data.Operations.Count - 1; i >= 0 && toRemove > 0; i--)
+            {
+                if (_data.Operations[i].State is ArchiveOperationState.Completed or ArchiveOperationState.Failed)
+                {
+                    _data.Operations.RemoveAt(i);
+                    toRemove--;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static ArchiveJournalEntry BeginOperation(
+        ArchivePeriod period,
+        DateTime rangeStart,
+        string tempFile,
+        string archiveFile,
+        List<string> sourceDirectories)
+    {
+        var entry = new ArchiveJournalEntry
+        {
+            Id = $"{rangeStart:O}-{period.ToString().ToLowerInvariant()}",
+            Period = period,
+            RangeStart = rangeStart,
+            State = ArchiveOperationState.Started,
+            TempFile = tempFile,
+            ArchiveFile = archiveFile,
+            SourceDirectories = sourceDirectories,
+            StartedAt = Core.Now
+        };
+
+        _data.Operations.Add(entry);
+        Prune();
+        Save();
+        return entry;
+    }
+
+    public static void RecordArchived(ArchiveJournalEntry entry, int entryCount, long archiveBytes)
+    {
+        entry.State = ArchiveOperationState.Archived;
+        entry.EntryCount = entryCount;
+        entry.ArchiveBytes = archiveBytes;
+        entry.TempFile = null; // Temp file has been renamed to final
+        Save();
+    }
+
+    public static void RecordDistributed(ArchiveJournalEntry entry, Dictionary<string, bool> results)
+    {
+        entry.State = ArchiveOperationState.Distributed;
+        entry.DestinationResults = results;
+        Save();
+    }
+
+    public static void RecordCompleted(ArchiveJournalEntry entry)
+    {
+        entry.State = ArchiveOperationState.Completed;
+        entry.CompletedAt = Core.Now;
+        Save();
+    }
+
+    public static void RecordFailure(ArchiveJournalEntry entry, string reason)
+    {
+        entry.State = ArchiveOperationState.Failed;
+        entry.FailureReason = reason;
+        entry.CompletedAt = Core.Now;
+        Save();
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Recovers from interrupted operations on startup.
+    /// Handles missing files/directories gracefully (e.g. admin cleaned up archives folder).
+    /// </summary>
+    public static void RecoverInterrupted()
+    {
+        var recovered = false;
+
+        foreach (var entry in _data.Operations)
+        {
+            switch (entry.State)
+            {
+                case ArchiveOperationState.Started:
+                    {
+                        // Archive creation was interrupted. Clean up temp file if it exists.
+                        if (entry.TempFile != null)
+                        {
+                            try
+                            {
+                                if (File.Exists(entry.TempFile))
+                                {
+                                    File.Delete(entry.TempFile);
+                                }
+                            }
+                            catch (Exception ex)
+                            {
+                                logger.Warning(ex, "Failed to clean up temp file {File}", entry.TempFile);
+                            }
+                        }
+
+                        logger.Warning(
+                            "Recovered interrupted archive operation {Id} (was in Started state)",
+                            entry.Id
+                        );
+                        entry.State = ArchiveOperationState.Failed;
+                        entry.FailureReason = "Interrupted during archive creation";
+                        entry.CompletedAt = Core.Now;
+                        recovered = true;
+                        break;
+                    }
+                case ArchiveOperationState.Archived:
+                    {
+                        // Archive was created but not distributed.
+                        // If the archive file was deleted (admin cleanup), mark as failed.
+                        if (entry.ArchiveFile != null && !File.Exists(entry.ArchiveFile))
+                        {
+                            logger.Warning(
+                                "Archive file for operation {Id} no longer exists (manually deleted?). Marking failed.",
+                                entry.Id
+                            );
+                            entry.State = ArchiveOperationState.Failed;
+                            entry.FailureReason = "Archive file missing on recovery";
+                            entry.CompletedAt = Core.Now;
+                            recovered = true;
+                        }
+                        else
+                        {
+                            logger.Warning(
+                                "Found unfinished archive operation {Id} (Archived but not distributed). " +
+                                "Will re-attempt distribution on next cycle.",
+                                entry.Id
+                            );
+                        }
+
+                        break;
+                    }
+                case ArchiveOperationState.Distributed:
+                    {
+                        // Sources should have been pruned but weren't.
+                        logger.Information(
+                            "Completing interrupted operation {Id} (was Distributed, pruning sources)",
+                            entry.Id
+                        );
+                        entry.State = ArchiveOperationState.Completed;
+                        entry.CompletedAt = Core.Now;
+                        recovered = true;
+                        break;
+                    }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (recovered)
+        {
+            Save();
+        }
+    }
+}

Projects/UOContent/World Saves/IArchiveDestination.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/*************************************************************************
+ * ModernUO                                                              *
+ * Copyright 2019-2026 - ModernUO Development Team                       *
+ * Email: hi@modernuo.com                                                *
+ * File: IArchiveDestination.cs                                          *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify  *
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  *
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or     *
+ * (at your option) any later version.                                   *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License     *
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. *
+ *************************************************************************/
+
+using System;
+
+namespace Server.Saves;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Represents a destination for completed archive files.
+/// Implementations run on a background thread (ThreadPool).
+/// </summary>
+public interface IArchiveDestination
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// A human-readable name for logging (e.g., "Local Filesystem", "S3 us-east-1").
+    /// </summary>
+    string Name { get; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Called after a local archive file is successfully created and verified.
+    /// Must be safe to call from a ThreadPool thread.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="archiveFilePath">Full path to the verified .tar.zst archive.</param>
+    /// <param name="period">The archive period (Hourly, Daily, Monthly).</param>
+    /// <param name="rangeStart">The start of the time range this archive covers.</param>
+    /// <returns>True if the destination successfully received the archive.</returns>
+    bool SendArchive(string archiveFilePath, ArchivePeriod period, DateTime rangeStart);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Returns the number of local archives to retain for this period.
+    /// Destinations that keep their own copies may return 0.
+    /// </summary>
+    int GetRetentionCount(ArchivePeriod period);
+}

Projects/UOContent/World Saves/LocalArchiveDestination.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/*************************************************************************
+ * ModernUO                                                              *
+ * Copyright 2019-2026 - ModernUO Development Team                       *
+ * Email: hi@modernuo.com                                                *
+ * File: LocalArchiveDestination.cs                                      *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify  *
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by  *
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or     *
+ * (at your option) any later version.                                   *
+ *                                                                       *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License     *
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. *
+ *************************************************************************/
+
+using System;
+
+namespace Server.Saves;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Built-in archive destination representing the local filesystem.
+/// The archive is already on local disk, so SendArchive is a no-op.
+/// Participates in the retention/pruning protocol via configurable counts.
+/// </summary>
+public class LocalArchiveDestination : IArchiveDestination
+{
+    public string Name => "Local Filesystem";
+
+    private readonly int _hourlyRetention;
+    private readonly int _dailyRetention;
+    private readonly int _monthlyRetention;
+
+    public LocalArchiveDestination(int hourlyRetention, int dailyRetention, int monthlyRetention)
+    {
+        _hourlyRetention = hourlyRetention;
+        _dailyRetention = dailyRetention;
+        _monthlyRetention = monthlyRetention;
+    }
+
+    // Archive is already on local filesystem — nothing to do.
+    public bool SendArchive(string archiveFilePath, ArchivePeriod period, DateTime rangeStart) => true;
+
+    public int GetRetentionCount(ArchivePeriod period) => period switch
+    {
+        ArchivePeriod.Hourly  => _hourlyRetention,
+        ArchivePeriod.Daily   => _dailyRetention,
+        ArchivePeriod.Monthly => _monthlyRetention,
+        _                     => 0
+    };
+}

Projects/UOContent/World Saves/SaveCommands.cs

@@ -1,68 +1,104 @@
 using Server.Saves;
 
-namespace Server.Commands
+namespace Server.Commands;
+
+public static class SaveCommands
 {
-    public static class SaveCommands
+    public static void Configure()
     {
-        public static void Configure()
+        CommandSystem.Register("Save", AccessLevel.Administrator, Save_OnCommand);
+        CommandSystem.Register("SetSaves", AccessLevel.Administrator, SetAutoSaves_OnCommand);
+        CommandSystem.Register("AutoSave", AccessLevel.Administrator, SetAutoSaves_OnCommand);
+        CommandSystem.Register("SaveFrequency", AccessLevel.Administrator, SetSaveFrequency_OnCommand);
+        CommandSystem.Register("PruneArchives", AccessLevel.Administrator, PruneArchives_OnCommand);
+        CommandSystem.Register("ArchiveStatus", AccessLevel.Administrator, ArchiveStatus_OnCommand);
+        CommandSystem.Register("ArchiveNow", AccessLevel.Administrator, ArchiveNow_OnCommand);
+    }
+
+    [Usage("PruneArchives"), Description("Prunes archives folder.")]
+    private static void PruneArchives_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e) => AutoArchive.PruneBackups();
+
+    [Usage("Save"), Description("Saves the world.")]
+    private static void Save_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e) => AutoSave.Save();
+
+    [Usage("AutoSave <on | off>"), Description("Enables or disables automatic shard saving.")]
+    public static void SetAutoSaves_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e)
+    {
+        if (e.Length == 1)
         {
-            CommandSystem.Register("Save", AccessLevel.Administrator, Save_OnCommand);
+            var enabled = AutoSave.SavesEnabled = e.GetBoolean(0);
-            CommandSystem.Register("SetSaves", AccessLevel.Administrator, SetAutoSaves_OnCommand);
+
-            CommandSystem.Register("AutoSave", AccessLevel.Administrator, SetAutoSaves_OnCommand);
+            e.Mobile.SendMessage(enabled ? "Saves have been enabled." : "Saves have been disabled.");
-            CommandSystem.Register("SaveFrequency", AccessLevel.Administrator, SetSaveFrequency_OnCommand);
-            CommandSystem.Register("PruneArchives", AccessLevel.Administrator, PruneArchives_OnCommand);
         }
-
+        else
-        [Usage("PruneArchives"), Description("Prunes archives folder.")]
-        private static void PruneArchives_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e)
         {
-            AutoArchive.PruneBackups();
+            e.Mobile.SendMessage("Format: AutoSave <on | off>");
-        }
-
-        [Usage("Save"), Description("Saves the world.")]
-        private static void Save_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e)
-        {
-            AutoSave.Save();
-        }
-
-        [Usage("AutoSave <on | off>"), Description("Enables or disables automatic shard saving.")]
-        public static void SetAutoSaves_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e)
-        {
-            if (e.Length == 1)
-            {
-
-                var enabled = AutoSave.SavesEnabled = e.GetBoolean(0);
-
-                if (enabled)
-                {
-                    e.Mobile.SendMessage("Saves have been enabled.");
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    e.Mobile.SendMessage("Saves have been disabled.");
-                }
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                e.Mobile.SendMessage("Format: AutoSave <on | off>");
-            }
-        }
-
-        [Usage("SaveFrequency <duration> [warning duration]"), Description("Sets the save frequency starting at midnight local to the server.")]
-        public static void SetSaveFrequency_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e)
-        {
-            if (e.Length < 1)
-            {
-                e.Mobile.SendMessage("Format: SaveFrequency <duration> [warning duration]");
-                return;
-            }
-
-            var saveDelay = e.GetTimeSpan(0);
-            var warningDelay = e.Length >= 2 ? e.GetTimeSpan(1) : AutoSave.Warning;
-
-            AutoSave.ResetAutoSave(saveDelay, warningDelay);
-
-            e.Mobile.SendMessage("Save frequency has been updated.");
         }
     }
+
+    [Usage("SaveFrequency <duration> [warning duration]"), Description("Sets the save frequency starting at midnight local to the server.")]
+    public static void SetSaveFrequency_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e)
+    {
+        if (e.Length < 1)
+        {
+            e.Mobile.SendMessage("Format: SaveFrequency <duration> [warning duration]");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var saveDelay = e.GetTimeSpan(0);
+        var warningDelay = e.Length >= 2 ? e.GetTimeSpan(1) : AutoSave.Warning;
+
+        AutoSave.ResetAutoSave(saveDelay, warningDelay);
+
+        e.Mobile.SendMessage("Save frequency has been updated.");
+    }
+
+    [Usage("ArchiveStatus")]
+    [Description("Shows archive system status, journal state, and registered destinations.")]
+    private static void ArchiveStatus_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e)
+    {
+        var mobile = e.Mobile;
+
+        mobile.SendMessage("--- Archive Status ---");
+        mobile.SendMessage($"Next hourly: {AutoArchive.NextHourlyArchive:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm}");
+        mobile.SendMessage($"Next daily: {AutoArchive.NextDailyArchive:yyyy-MM-dd}");
+        mobile.SendMessage($"Next monthly: {AutoArchive.NextMonthlyArchive:yyyy-MM}");
+
+        var destinations = ArchiveDestinationRegistry.Destinations;
+        mobile.SendMessage($"Registered destinations: {destinations.Count}");
+        foreach (var dest in destinations)
+        {
+            mobile.SendMessage(
+                $"  - {dest.Name} (retention: {dest.GetRetentionCount(ArchivePeriod.Hourly)}h/" +
+                $"{dest.GetRetentionCount(ArchivePeriod.Daily)}d/" +
+                $"{dest.GetRetentionCount(ArchivePeriod.Monthly)}m)"
+            );
+        }
+
+        var operations = ArchiveJournal.Operations;
+        var pending = 0;
+        var failed = 0;
+        for (var i = 0; i < operations.Count; i++)
+        {
+            var op = operations[i];
+            if (op.State is ArchiveOperationState.Started or ArchiveOperationState.Archived
+                or ArchiveOperationState.Distributed)
+            {
+                pending++;
+            }
+            else if (op.State == ArchiveOperationState.Failed)
+            {
+                failed++;
+            }
+        }
+
+        mobile.SendMessage($"Journal entries: {operations.Count} ({pending} pending, {failed} failed)");
+    }
+
+    [Usage("ArchiveNow"), Description("Forces an immediate archive rollup regardless of schedule.")]
+    private static void ArchiveNow_OnCommand(CommandEventArgs e)
+    {
+        e.Mobile.SendMessage("Forcing immediate archive rollup...");
+        AutoArchive.ForceRollup();
+    }
 }