How to Create and Restore a Website Backup

Every website owner has faced the possibility of losing valuable data. A hacker attack, technical failure, or accidental deletion can have serious consequences. This article will explain how to create a website backup and quickly restore a site from it.

What is a Website Backup?

A website backup is a saved copy of all critical resource data, including files, documents, databases, and media files. It is necessary to restore a website in case of failures, breaches, or other unforeseen situations. Regular backups allow you to quickly restore the site to an operational state and minimize losses when problems arise.

Why is it Necessary to Make Website Backups?

• Technical failures and hardware malfunctions. Even reliable hosting providers do not guarantee absolute protection against server hardware failures or network issues;
• Hacks, cyberattacks, and data breaches. Malicious actors may gain access to the site’s admin panel, steal confidential information, or damage files;
• Website infection with viruses and malware. Malicious code may be embedded in the website files or database;
• Incorrect operation after updates or changes. A new plugin, theme, or script often leads to incompatibility with current settings;
• Errors during development or testing. Developing new functionality, testing a design, or modifying the database structure—all of these can lead to unforeseen consequences;
• Eliminating human error. Sometimes, problems arise due to staff mistakes: someone deleted the wrong folder or made incorrect changes to the code;
• Transferring the website to another hosting or domain. When changing hosting providers or transferring a website to a new domain, backups are often used for a fast and correct migration;
• Compliance with regulatory requirements. Some industry standards (e.g., GDPR or other local data protection laws) require storing archived copies of user data or the entire database;
• Archiving and storing historical versions. Sometimes, it is necessary to keep several old versions of the website to analyze trends or track changes in content;
• Long-term savings in time and costs. Restoring a site from scratch, mainly if it contains unique data, can be significantly more expensive and complicated than regular backups.

How Often Should You Create a Backup?

The frequency of backups depends on how often content is updated on the website.

Below is a table showing recommended backup intervals and examples of sites with varying degrees of activity.

It is recommended that several previous versions of backups be stored to have the option of selecting the most suitable one for restoration.

How to Create a Backup Using ISPmanager?

In ISPmanager, backups are automatically performed once a day by default.

1. Log in to the ISPmanager control panel.
2. Go to the “Sites” section.
3. Select the site for which you need to create a backup.
4. In the left-hand context menu, under the “Tools” section, click “Backups”.
5. If you have not previously configured backups, you will be prompted to fill in the missing settings. Click “OK.”
6. Specify the backup storage location:
   • Local directory: stored on the current server;
   • Remote storage: choose from FTP, SFTP, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Amazon S3.
7. Specify the necessary restrictions:
   • Total size – set a limit for the total backup storage size in bytes, e.g., 100MiB. If left blank, backups will be stored until the storage space is full;
   • Number of full backups – set the maximum number of full backups that can be stored;
   • Number of daily backups – specify the limit for daily backups;
   • Exclude files – list the files or folders that should not be included in the backup. Paths should be relative to the user’s home directory;
   • Exclude databases – specify the names of databases that should be excluded from the backup. Each database should be listed on a new line.
8. After filling in all required fields, click “OK”.
9. Done. Backup creation will run on schedule for all users.

How to Restore a Website on Hosting?

Restoring a website from a backup is done as follows:

1. In the “Backups” section, select the necessary backup.
2. Click the “Details” button.
3. Select the required user and click “Restore”.
4. After some time, the user will be restored.

Important: Existing files will not be replaced. Before restoring a user’s database, the identical database on the server must be deleted. Otherwise, ISPmanager will not perform a full restore from the backup but will only supplement the existing database.

To restore a specific folder or file, follow these steps:

1. In the “Backups” section, select the necessary backup.
2. Click the “Data” button.
3. Specify the type of data to restore: databases, email, or files.
4. Select the required elements from the list.
5. Click the “Restore” button.

FAQ

How often should backups be checked?

It is recommended that backups be checked at least once a month to ensure their integrity and functionality.

How to verify that the website was successfully restored?

After restoring the website, check the availability of all pages, the functionality, and the absence of errors in the server logs.

How to properly store website backups?

Store backups on multiple independent storage devices (local and remote) to minimize the risk of loss or damage.