Backup and disaster recovery

What is backed up on shared hosting, and how often

“What backups do I get with my hosting package? Explain what is taken, how often, how far back it goes, how to reach it yourself, and be clear about what a host backup is for and why you should still keep your own copy.”

8 min read

What is backed up on a VPS, and how often

“What backups do I get with my VPS? Explain the included schedule and how many copies are kept, what upgrading to daily backups changes, what a whole-server backup does and does not let you restore, and what remains your responsibility.”

7 min read

Restoring a single file

“I deleted or broke one file and need it back. How do I restore just that, without rolling back the whole site? Cover finding the file in the backup, restoring it to a safe location first rather than straight over the live one, and what to do when the file you need is in the database rather than on d”

9 min read

Restoring a whole site

“My site is broken and I need to roll the whole thing back. How do I do it? Cover choosing which restore point, what happens to anything created since that point such as orders and form submissions, restoring files and database together, and what to check immediately afterwards.”

10 min read

Taking a snapshot before a risky change

“I am about to do something risky to my server. How do I take a restore point first? Cover taking a backup or snapshot before a major upgrade, how long it takes and whether the server stays up, how to roll back, and why this five minute habit prevents most emergencies.”

8 min read

Backing up a VPS, and testing the restore

“How do I back up my VPS and know the backup works?”

11 min read

Keeping a backup somewhere other than your server

“Why do I need an off-site backup and how do I set one up? Explain the failure the on-server copy cannot survive, cover automating a copy to remote storage, encrypting it, and testing that the remote copy actually restores.”

10 min read