One of the important things not to forget in maintaining your WordPress site is creating a backup before updating or changing anything on the site. Be it a new plugin installation, updating of the WordPress core, or even adding a new theme, taking a backup will ensure restoration to the previous state if something goes wrong. In this post, we’ll take you through how to backup your WordPress site, including a number of different methods, and why it’s so important.
Why You Really Need to Backup Your WordPress Site
Imagine you’ve just updated your WordPress core, added a new plugin, or changed your theme, only for something to go wrong. A plugin can conflict with another, a theme update can break a layout, and a simple mistake can make a site unreachable. You run the risk of losing important data, hours of work, and functionality without a backup. In this respect, you create a safety net for yourself by backing up your site to restore everything back into order if anything goes wrong.
Backup Methods for WordPress
There are a few ways to back up your WordPress site, each suited for different levels of technical expertise and convenience. Let’s explore the most common methods:
1. Using Backup Plugins
Using a backup plugin is the easiest and most efficient way for most WordPress users to ensure their site is safe. Popular plugins like UpdraftPlus, Duplicator, and BackWPup handle backups with just a few clicks.
Steps:
- Install Plugin: From the WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New, search for your favorite backup plugin, and click Install and Activate.
- Configure Settings: Once the plugin is activated, you’ll be able to set your backup configuration. Choose how often you want the backup to run: daily, weekly, etc.; what to back up (site files and/or database); and where to save those backups: cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, or local to your server.
- Schedule Backups: With the majority of the plugins, you can schedule backups, so you will not need to start them each and every time.
- Restore Backup: In case something goes wrong, you can easily restore your site by using the Restore section within the plugin.
Why a Plugin?
The backup plugins are perfect for those who enjoy having a straightforward, automated solution. They take the hassle out of backing up your site, covering your back without you having to lift a finger.
2. Backing Up Your WordPress Site Manually via FTP
Of course, you can also perform a backup manually by using FTP and phpMyAdmin if you want more control over this process or you want to avoid plugins for whatever reason.
Steps:
- Connect via FTP: Use an FTP client like FileZilla to connect to your server with your FTP credentials.
- Download Site Files: Once connected, navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation, where you’ll find key folders such as wp-content, wp-admin and files like wp-config.php. Download these files to your local computer.
- Export Database: Open phpMyAdmin from within your hosting control panel, select your WordPress database, click on Export. Then select the Quick export method and SQL format for an easy export of your database.
Why Manual Backup?
Manual backups are ideal for advanced users who want to have complete control over every step of the process. Though this method requires a little more effort, it offers complete control over what gets backed up and where the backups are stored.
3. Using cPanel Backup Tools
Many hosting providers offer cPanel, which comes with built-in tools to help you back up your site with minimal effort.
Steps:
- Log in to cPanel: You can access cPanel at yourdomain.com/cpanel, or you can access it through the portal provided by your hosting company.
- Backup Wizard: In the Files section of cPanel, click on Backup Wizard.
- Full Backup: Under this section, you have Full Backup, which consists of your site files and database. Once generated, you can download the backup to your machine.
Why cPanel?
If your web hosting offers cPanel, this is the faster and simpler procedure that does not require any additional plugins or knowledge in using FTP. Therefore, this makes it a good option for beginners and anybody looking for ease in one-click backup.
4. Cloud-Based Backup Solutions
It is always a good practice to store your backups in different locations for redundancy. It is good enough to store backups on your local hard drive, but storing them on the cloud- Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3-provides extra security in case something goes wrong with your local backups.
Why Cloud Storage?
Cloud backup solutions give you peace of mind; even if your computer goes down, your backup files are safe. Some backup plugins, such as UpdraftPlus, store all these data on behalf of users directly on cloud platforms. No need to transfer them manually.
5. Regularly Test and Monitor Your Backups
That will not be enough just to back up and forget about them. You need, from time to time, to check if your backups run according to the schedule that you have set up and test the restorative possibilities of your backups. That will save you from unpleasant surprises if one day you need to rely on them.
Backups using Softaculous
If your hosting company provides Softaculous, this is a very popular app installer, and it’s great for backing up your WordPress site.
Steps:
- Log into cPanel and open Softaculous.
- Select Your WordPress Installation: Under the Installations tab, locate your WordPress site and click the Backup icon.
- Choose Backup Options: Choose whether to backup your site files, your database, or both.
- Download Backup: After the backup is done, you can download the backup on your computer or put it into cloud storage for safekeeping.
Softaculous is ideal for people who like to use an integrated backup system and don’t want to bother with additional plugins.
Staging vs. Backup: What’s the Difference?
While the point of backups is recovery in case something goes wrong and data is lost, staging environments are for altogether different purposes. Staging allows you to test new features, plugins, or updates in a safe environment without affecting your live site.
Backup is for data recovery, while staging is for testing and development. Both are important but play complementary roles. Always have reliable backups before making changes, and use staging environments for experimentation and testing.
Third-Party Backup Plugins to Consider
If you’re looking for additional options, there are plenty of reliable third-party backup plugins for WordPress:
- UpdraftPlus: A popular choice with cloud storage support and one-click restores.
- BackWPup: Offers full site backups and cloud integration, including Dropbox and Amazon S3.
- WPvivid: A simple plugin with backup scheduling and cloud storage integration.
- Jetpack VaultPress: Automated backups with offsite cloud storage.
Each of these plugins has different features, so think about your particular needs when you select one.
The backup of a WordPress site before updating or changing it is an important measure to ensure the safety and security of your site. Whether using a plugin, manually backing up via FTP, or using cPanel, the most important thing is to have a current backup before you perform any updates.
Furthermore, backups stored in different locations and tested on functionality may once save you from sudden disasters. In addition, creating backups will let your WordPress website stay up and running smoothly and securely!
