Featured Products
Hosting Solutions
Proxy, IPs & VPN
Featured
Community
Security & Hosting
Site backup and restore
A backup is what gets a site back after a bad update, a deleted file or a server failure. Here is why to keep one, what to back up, and how to test that a restore actually works.
5 chapters and a backup checklist
A backup is the way back after a hard drive fails, an update breaks something, or a file or database table is deleted by mistake. Without one, that work is gone.
It matters most right before a risky change, such as a plugin update, a theme change or a migration.
Key points
A common rule of thumb for backups: keep 3 copies of your data, on 2 different types of storage, with at least 1 copy kept off-site, away from the original server.
The off-site copy is what protects you if the server itself is lost, not just a single file.
Key points
For a website, that usually means three things: the site files (code, themes, plugins, uploads), the database (pages, posts, orders, settings) and, separately, your email if it is hosted with the site.
Missing any one of these makes a restore incomplete, even if the others are fine.
Key points
A backup is a copy of specific files and data, stored separately from the server, good for keeping history and restoring individual items.
A snapshot is a point-in-time image of a whole server or disk, such as a droplet snapshot, good for a fast rollback of the entire machine. Droplet snapshots
Key points
Back up as often as your data changes: daily for a store or an active blog, less often for a site that rarely changes, and always before a major update or migration.
A backup you have never restored is unproven. Test a restore on a copy of the site now and then, not only when something has already gone wrong.
Key points
Where backups live
3-layer backups with extra backup storage on every plan. Premium Shared hosting
Separate backup storage from 1.1 TB to 22 TB, from €4.17/month, with up to 40 snapshots. Storage Box plans
A point-in-time image of a VPS, for a fast rollback. Droplet snapshots guide
Checklist
Do
Not only on the same server as the site.
Updates, migrations and major edits.
A partial backup makes for a partial restore.
Before you actually need one.
Avoid
One failure can take the backup with it.
Most sites need both to work at all.
They serve different jobs; see the difference above.
Test a restore before you are relying on it.
Related
FAQ
Premium Shared hosting includes 3-layer backups with extra backup storage. You can also keep your own backups on a Storage Box, or take snapshots of a VPS.
Keep 3 copies of your data, on 2 different types of storage, with at least 1 copy off-site.
A backup copies specific files and data for restoring individually. A snapshot is a point-in-time image of a whole server, for a fast full rollback.
As often as your content changes: daily for an active site or store, less often otherwise, and always before a major update.
Restore it to a copy of the site and check it, rather than assuming it will work when you need it.
Somewhere separate from the live server, such as a Storage Box, so a problem with the server does not also take out the backup.
Storage Box plans from 1.1 TB, from €4.17/month.
