What is backed up on a VPS, and how often

What is backed up on a VPS, and how often

On our London VPS, you get free automatic weekly backups with three copies kept. You can upgrade to daily backups with five copies and a larger backup storage allowance. Restores are whole‑VPS snapshots in Virtualizor: you can roll the same VPS back to a chosen date, or bring a backup up as a new VPS so you can copy data out.

Before you start

• This picks up from a server you can already reach over SSH.
• Backups are image‑level snapshots stored off your server. The backup storage allowance is separate from your VPS disk and is sized per plan. As examples, entry plans show around 90 GB of backup space and larger plans up to 750 GB. The allowance is for snapshots, not extra space you can use on the VPS. See the table on our Linux VPS page for your plan’s figures.
• Our New York VPS and our Windows VPS also include weekly backups. See the product pages for details: US VPS, Windows VPS.
• Virtualizor’s VPS backups are whole‑server images. There is no in‑place, single‑file restore. If you need one file or a directory, the supported way is to restore the backup to a new VPS and copy data across.
• Restoring to the same VPS replaces the current disk state with the selected backup point. Any changes since that backup will be gone. Use “restore to new VPS” if you only need to retrieve files.
• “Re‑install OS” creates a fresh VPS without any of your data. It is not a restore. Do not use OS Re‑Install when your goal is to recover data.
• Backups exclude extra volumes you attach in Virtualizor. Virtualizor’s own documentation states that the backup of volume disks is not taken with VPS backups. If you store data on an attached volume, arrange your own backups for that volume.
• Application consistency: image‑level backups of a running database can be crash‑consistent. For better accuracy, enable the QEMU Guest Agent inside the VPS. For critical databases, take app‑level dumps before major changes.
• If you get stuck or want us to do a restore for you, open a support ticket.

Step 1: Check what your plan includes

Our London VPS includes free weekly backups with three copies kept. These are stored off your server and use the backup storage allowance shown for your plan on the Linux VPS page. That allowance is for snapshots and is not extra usable disk inside your VPS.

If your VPS is in New York or you run Windows Server, weekly backups are also included. Check the product pages for the specifics that apply to your plan: US VPS and Windows VPS.

Step 2: Decide if you want the daily backups upgrade

The daily backups upgrade changes two things:

• The schedule becomes daily, and five copies are kept.
• Your backup storage allowance increases. The “Upgradable to …” figures in the product table show the larger allowance for your plan on the Linux VPS page.

Think about how often your data changes. If you run active sites or databases that change most days, daily backups reduce how much work you would lose if you had to restore. If your VPS holds static content and changes are rare, the included weekly schedule may be enough. You can add the upgrade at any time and it takes effect after payment in your Hostworld client area.

Step 3: Enable the QEMU Guest Agent for better snapshot accuracy

The QEMU Guest Agent lets the host coordinate with the VPS at backup time. This improves the accuracy of image‑level snapshots. The following commands install the agent, enable it to start on boot and start it now. Run these as root or with sudo.

AlmaLinux 9

This installs the agent package, enables the service so it starts on boot, then restarts the service immediately.

yum --skip-broken -y install qemu-guest-agent && systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent && systemctl restart qemu-guest-agent

Ubuntu 24.04

This updates your package lists, installs the agent, enables the service so it starts on boot, then restarts the service immediately.

apt-get update -y && apt-get install -y qemu-guest-agent && systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent && systemctl restart qemu-guest-agent

Leave the agent installed. It has no visible impact day to day, but it helps the platform take more accurate snapshots.

Step 4: View backups in your Hostworld client area

You review and restore VPS backups from your Hostworld client area at portal.hostworld.uk. This is WHMCS, and it links through to Virtualizor for VPS actions.

In short: log in to your client area, go to Services then My Services, choose your VPS, then follow the link to the VPS management. From there, use the backups section to view available backup dates and pick the one you want. If you need a reminder of how to reach the VPS management, see our short how‑to: Where can I administer my server?

Do not start a Restore until you have decided whether you are restoring in place or to a new VPS. The next step explains the impact of both routes.

Step 5: Choose the right restore type for your goal

Virtualizor provides three restore options for VPS backups:

• Restore in place: rolls your current VPS back to that backup date. Use this when you want to return the whole server to a known point. Risk: everything changed since that backup will be gone after the restore finishes.
• Restore to a new VPS: brings that backup up as a separate VPS. Use this when you want to browse the filesystem and copy out files without touching the original VPS. When you are done, you can keep or remove the temporary VPS.
• Restore to a new server: if the original node is unavailable, you can restore into a different physical server.

Virtualizor’s backups are whole‑VPS images. There is no in‑place, file‑level restore. To recover a single file or directory, restore to a new VPS and copy the data across. If you need us to handle the restore with you, open a support ticket.

Step 6: Plan backups for anything the platform does not include

• Attached volumes: if you create additional volumes in Virtualizor and mount them in your VPS, those volumes are not included in the VPS backup set. Arrange your own backups for those volumes.
• Your own copy for peace of mind: the snapshots we include are helpful, but they are not a substitute for keeping your own copy of anything you cannot lose. Maintain an independent backup, for example to object storage or another provider, so that a problem in one place cannot take away your only copy.
• Databases and applications: image‑level snapshots of running databases can be crash‑consistent. Enable the QEMU Guest Agent as above, and for important changes consider taking an application‑level dump before you proceed.

Step 7: Upgrade to daily backups in your Hostworld account

You add upgrades in WHMCS, which is the Hostworld client area at portal.hostworld.uk. WHMCS handles the order, payment and applying the change once paid.

1. Go to portal.hostworld.uk and log in.
2. Open Services then My Services, and select your VPS.
3. Choose the upgrade options for the service. Pick the daily backups upgrade.
4. Complete checkout. WHMCS will generate an invoice and apply the upgrade on payment.

Daily backups keep five copies and increase your backup storage allowance. The “Upgradable to …” figures on the Linux VPS page show the allowance after upgrade for each plan.

Step 8: Keep perspective on retention and recovery

• Retention limits: on the included schedule we keep three weekly copies for London VPS. On the daily upgrade we keep five daily copies. Anything older than the copies kept will fall out of retention over time.
• Plan restores: before a major change, think about which restore you would use if you needed to go back. If you would not be comfortable losing the last few days of data, consider the daily upgrade and take app‑level dumps for critical services.
• Do not re‑install by mistake: if you are recovering data, do not use OS Re‑Install. That creates a fresh VPS without any of your data.

What next

If you want a click‑by‑click reminder of how to reach the VPS controls, start here: Where can I administer my server?

To compare backup allowances and see what the daily upgrade looks like per plan, check the tables on our Linux VPS page. If you are choosing location or operating system, you can also review our US VPS and Windows VPS.

Browse more topics in our VPS guides. If a restore needs a hand or you cannot see the backup you expect, open a support ticket and we will look with you.