Your hosting company is usually in charge of this. This is so that you can test to make sure that the backup they have setup is complete and that you can actually restore your site if the need should arise.

This is usually a different process than backing up your website files. It also depends on what software you use to manage your database. This will allow you to quickly restore your entire system if needed.

The above examples are using a traditional two tier website setup. Larger types of web driven software can have multiple tiers and employ load balancing, replication and all sorts of redundancy measures. However, they will most likely have tools, procedures and plugins that you can install to export all of your files from the host.

Then you can store them anywhere you see fit so you will have an on-hand copy if you need to restore it. This is true for website files as well as your WordPress database.

They already make building your website much easier, so they will make backing it up easier as well. We have 3 overlapping backup systems for our website.

All of our backups are stored off-site in case of a geographic natural disaster. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the number of backups you should have on hand.

The trend is to keep at least 2 complete system images worth. You should do incremental backups that correspond to how much the system is changing.

Usually 2 months worth or a couple of different versions is sufficient. If you have major updates on a more aggressive timeline, then you may need more.

We backup our files weekly and databases nightly. In these instances, a backup is your ultimate fallback. It allows you to restore your website to its previously-untarnished state without having to begin from scratch.

A lack of backup could mean data loss, increased downtime, a decline in search engine rankings, the loss of customer trust, and ultimately, decreased revenue. The frequency of website backups should be determined by how often your site content changes. For instance, if your website is regularly updated with new content, like an online store or a news portal, real-time backups are essential.

If your site content changes less frequently, daily backups may be sufficient. While manual backups give you more control, they also require more time, technical expertise, and diligence. On the other hand, automated backup solutions are time-efficient and reliable.

They run in the background, saving you from the complexity and potential human error involved in manual processes. For most businesses, especially those without dedicated IT teams, automated backup solutions are recommended. The risks of not backing up your website are significant.

Not having a backup could lead to extended downtime for your website as you scramble to rebuild from scratch. The resulting loss of credibility, customer trust, and search engine rankings could cause considerable damage to your business.

Offsite storage means keeping your backup data at a different location from your original data. By storing your backups off-site, you ensure that even if your main server is compromised, you have an intact, secure copy of your data to restore your site.

Yes, many backup solutions, including VaultPress Backup, can be used to migrate your WordPress website to a new server. You can restore your website backup on the new server, effectively cloning your website without the need for manual transfer of files and databases. This can save a significant amount of time and technical effort, especially for larger websites.

After this comprehensive exploration, the choice of the right backup tool should be clear. VaultPress Backup offers real-time, automated backups. Every change, every new post, every comment is tracked, logged, and stored safely. With secure offsite storage, your data is safe from local server issues.

VaultPress encrypts your data during transit and storage, ensuring it remains private and secure. Restoration is a breeze with VaultPress Backup. Bundling these powerful WordPress security tools together offers greater cost efficiency compared to finding and purchasing solutions separately.

Or download the Jetpack VaultPress Backup plugin to start with backups only today. Jen is a Happiness Engineer for Jetpack. She has been working with WordPress and Jetpack for over a decade. Prior to starting at Automattic, Jen has helped small businesses, local non-profits, and Fortune 50 companies create engaging web experiences for their customers.

She is passionate about teaching others how to create on the web without fear. Comments are closed for this article, but we're still here to help!

Visit the support forum and we'll be happy to answer any questions. Email Address:. Website Backups: How to Choose the Right Tool or Service Updated on November 24, - Jen Swisher.

What is a website backup? Why are website backups important? How often should you back up your website? The importance of offsite storage Consider offsite storage as the secret, impenetrable vault where your treasures — your backups — stay secure. The different types of website backups Understanding different backup types is crucial to developing a robust backup strategy.

Full backups A full backup is a complete copy of your entire website. Incremental backups Incremental backups are about efficiency. Differential backups Differential backups strike a balance between full and incremental backups.

Database backups Database backups specifically target your website database, where all your content, user data, and key configurations reside. Factors to consider when choosing a website backup solution Choosing a backup solution is akin to choosing a business partner.

Backup methodology and reliability 1. Automated vs. manual backups Automation reigns supreme in modern business operations, and website backups are no exception. Real-time backups vs. scheduled backups For most websites where changes and updates can occur at any time of the day, real-time backups offer the best protection.

Verification and integrity checks A good backup is a reliable one. Security and storage 1. Encryption and data privacy Your backups contain sensitive data and should be protected accordingly. Storage location Consider where your backups will be stored.

Storage security Investigate how the backup provider secures its storage facilities. Restoration process and flexibility 1. Ease of restoration A backup is only good if you can restore it quickly and easily. Selective restoration Sometimes, you might only need to restore a specific file or database.

Compatibility and integrations 1. Platform or CMS compatibility Ensure your backup solution is compatible with your website platform or CMS, like WordPress. Integration with existing tools, plugins, or extensions A well-integrated backup solution seamlessly works with your existing setup.

Features of an effective website backup solution Identifying key features can guide you in choosing the best backup plugin or service. Automatic backups Automated backups ensure your website is backed up regularly without your intervention.

Explore the benefits of Jetpack Learn how Jetpack can help you protect, speed up, and grow your WordPress site. Click Activate to automatically redirect to the tab listing all the installed plugins on your site.

If you don't, click the Settings link underneath the UpdraftPlus listing in the plugins dashboard. If you'd like to schedule auto backups, you can set your backup schedule under the Settings tab. Next up, choose where to save your backups by selecting a remote storage provider.

For the sake of this demo, we'll choose Dropbox. Once you make your selection, a new section will appear with a link to authenticate your account with the provider after you save your settings. No action is necessary now.

Once you click Save Changes , a pop-up window will appear, asking you to verify your account with whichever remote provider you selected. To complete the process, click on the link.

It will automatically open a new window asking you to fill in your account information. You'll then be redirected to your WordPress dashboard and see a success message for authenticating your account. Most hosting providers offer cPanel to manage your website.

Its intuitive interface makes it easy to back up your files using cPanel's manual Backup Wizard tool. Alternatively, you can also create a partial backup of just the files Home Directory or just the database MySQL Databases.

Click the Generate Backup button to create your backup. You can also enter your email address to receive an email notification when the backup is completed.

Once the backup has been processed, you can go back to the Backup Wizard tool and download a copy of your backup to your local computer. It will appear under the Backups Available for Download heading in the final step of the Backup Wizard.

For more details, here's a full video on how to backup WordPress manually using cPanel Backup Wizard.

To begin the process, you need to connect to your server using FTP and an FTP client like FileZilla. You can get your FTP credentials from your hosting dashboard. Download all of the files and folders to your local computer to save a full copy of your site's files.

So, to take a complete WordPress manual backup, you also need to save a copy of your site's database. To start, log in to your hosting dashboard and access the phpMyAdmin tool.

How you access phpMyAdmin will depend on your host — consult your host's support if you need any help. Go to the Export tab on the top menu bar. Select Quick as the export method and SQL as the format. Then, click Go to download a copy of the database to your local computer.

Now that you have downloaded both your site's file and database, you have a complete backup of your WordPress site. If you're using managed WordPress hosting, your web host might offer its own custom backup tool that lets you create on-demand backups whenever needed.

These hosts typically will also automatically back up your site every day. The important thing about the backup tools at most managed WordPress hosts is that the hosts store the backups in a secure off-site location.

Because most managed WordPress hosts use a custom interface, the exact process for how to back up WordPress will depend on the specific host. Find the manual backup option. At Kinsta, manual backups are available via the Manual tab. Click the option to create a backup.

At Kinsta, you click the purple Back up now button. After a short wait, the backup should appear in the list. For added peace of mind, some hosts will also let you download the backup to your local computer. However, Kinsta does not let you download the backup.

Then you can store them anywhere you see fit so you will have an on-hand copy if you need to restore it. This is true for website files as well as your WordPress database. They already make building your website much easier, so they will make backing it up easier as well.

We have 3 overlapping backup systems for our website. All of our backups are stored off-site in case of a geographic natural disaster.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the number of backups you should have on hand. The trend is to keep at least 2 complete system images worth.

You should do incremental backups that correspond to how much the system is changing. Usually 2 months worth or a couple of different versions is sufficient.

If you have major updates on a more aggressive timeline, then you may need more. We backup our files weekly and databases nightly.

We also offer these services to our clients through our website maintenance program. Our retention period how many backups we keep is 90 days and for some clients that have compliance requirements, we have to keep backups for several years.

Our code repository backups for larger websites and web application projects, we utilize Git repositories where we keep every revision from day one. We can see the history of all code changes and can roll back to any specific point in time. There are several reasons that you might need to restore a backup.

It happens to even the largest development shops even if they have a dedicated testing department. If you have a good recent backup on hand, you can just restore it so that users can keep hitting the site.

This will give you time to figure out the problem and publish an update. Natural disasters can also impact hosting companies.

Power outages, fires, hurricanes and floods are just some of the natural disasters that can impact website hosting companies. If one of these events should occur and you have a solid recent backup of your system then you can quickly hire another company to host your site.

This may even be temporary until your hosting company gets back on their feet. But you can take comfort knowing you you were able to minimize your downtime because you had a good backup.

The most common reason we see for needing a backup comes from malicious digital attacks. Your site could be hacked, and your data could be corrupted. If you have decent backups, then you can quickly lock out the threat and restore to a different server. The most important thing is that you have your data backed up close to when the corruption takes place so that you minimize the amount of potential data loss.

This is also why we keep so many backups. Search for Domain Names Auctions for Domain Names Transfer Domain Names Appraise Domain Name Value Browse Domain Name Options. Web Security. Keep your business open during COVID Learn More. Call us. Help Center. Get Help. We are experiencing high volume today, and as a result, you may experience longer than usual wait times.

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