Website: how to make a backup
Backing up a website is very important because it allows you to make a copy of all the files on your website, so that if for some reason, such as hacker attacks, bugs or hardware problems, you lose all your data, with a backup copy previously made you can recover them quickly and easily.
However, many are wondering how to make a backup of your website in a few simple steps. Generally, a site backup can be done by adopting different methods, one of the most used is the use of a plugin that can be easily installed on your website such as Duplicator Pro which allows you to create an automatic backup of the site.
Duplicator Pro: what it is and how it works
Duplicator is a free plugin for WordPress, which also has a Pro version, which allows you to backup your site, also offering the possibility of cloning and data transfer without having the site offline.
This tool allows you to perform manually and automatically backup of an entire site or parts of it. What you get after backing up with Duplicator is a .zip file that you can archive or transfer to any memory you want.
By paying the premium you have access to various features, including:
- database creation directly from the installer;
- email notifications and alerts;
- priority customer support.
Having the paid version available, you can also select an external location for saving the backup file (e.g. Dropbox, Amazon, Google Drive, etc.).
Why choose Duplicator Pro
With features like backup scheduling, backup logs, compression, local server options, remote server options, and web access/restore in one place, Duplicator Pro offers what are best end-to-end solutions built for web and Android apps.
Duplicator Pro allows you to quickly create a backup and upload it to popular cloud storage services (e.g. Google Drive), making sure you have plenty of free space locally. Furthermore, making a backup is extremely simple.
Finally, it is the most used solution for those who use a staging site to develop new features to your website and then release them on the live site.
How to make a backup
Making a website backup is an activity that can be done in different ways. In general, however, the use of a plugin such as Duplicator is recommended, which allows you to create a backup in simple steps without requiring particular technical knowledge.
By using a plugin you will not need special tools or programmer knowledge, but by installing the plugin on your website you will be able to configure it and save a backup of your website.
If you decide to use the Duplicator Pro plugin you can decide where to save your backup, on a local disk or in the cloud (e.g. Google Drive), you can also define which data to save, whether the whole site or just a part and finally you can protect the backup using a password.
How to restore backup
Obviously, in addition to knowing the procedure for saving a website backup, it is important to know how to do the backup restore in case it is necessary following data loss or external attacks that have compromised the website.
The restore procedure is a procedure that can be performed using the same plugin. Restoring the website takes place using the last backup made, therefore the most recent save made before the hacker attack or loss of important data.
To restore the backup it is advisable to remotely delete the residual files of the site that is no longer functional, empty the database and then restore the data you have kept in two successive phases, i.e. via FTP (upload) and via PHPMyAdmin (Import database). Otherwise, it will not be possible to recover your site in any way should the need arise. Finally, it is suggested to make a new backup after concluding any sensitive changes in the site and periodically according to the frequency of updating of the same, so that you can always have an updated copy of your website.
How to launch backup
A backup can be done manually or set up automatically as Duplicator Pro allows you to do. In case you want to use the manual backup option, you can start the data copying process whenever you want, following our guide. To manually back up a website, you only need a copy of the files for a static site, while if a CMS is used, in addition to copying the files, you also need to make a copy of the database. In any case, the downloaded data will be copied separately to an external drive, locally or in the cloud.
While there is the option to launch the backup manually whenever you want, having one always up-to-date data copy it is the best solution to best protect your website and the contents you create. The backup is, therefore, certainly an operation that must be done periodically in order to always have the latest modified version of your website. The frequency with which a backup should be done essentially depends on the amount of data that is produced every day, for example if there are few changes to the site you can think of setting a monthly frequency, if instead the contents and the changes made are many it is recommended define a weekly or even daily basis for your backup.
Duplicator Pro allows you to schedule your backup according to your needs. You can then decide whether to make a backup every day, once a week or once a month. To schedule the backup go to the section "Schedules” of the plugin and click on “Add New”. At this point you can assign a name to your programming and define where to save your backup: on local disk or in the cloud (such as on Google Drive). Later, you can define the repetition of the backup which can be:
- hourly (eg: every hour);
- daily (eg: every two days);
- weekly (eg: every Tuesday);
- monthly (eg: day 1 of each month).
Besides, it can also be defined the time to backup (for example 3:00 am), finally, save the type of programming chosen by clicking on "Save Schedule”.
This very simple and intuitive procedure allows you to schedule your backup according to your needs, without necessarily having to manually launch the data backup of your website. The functionality, however, is only available with the Pro version of the Duplicator plugin, as well as many other features, such as the ability to save the backup in the cloud.
Start making your first backup
In conclusion, making a backup of your website is very important and above all simple! Using a simple plugin like Duplicator Pro, you can create your backup in just a few steps and without the need for technical knowledge and skills.
Having a copy of all the files on your website is the ideal solution to be able to restore your website in case of a sudden data loss or an external attack. Rely on an external plugin immediately and in addition to making your first manual backups, you will be able to enjoy a series of features that will guarantee you the creation of a safe and effective automatic backup. Contact us to start to better protect your website.
