Backups are copies of your website and email that allow you to restore everything after a failure, human error or a hack.
Why backups are indispensable
Few things get an organisation into trouble as quickly as a website that has disappeared. The causes are rarely spectacular:
- A failed update
- An accidentally deleted folder
- A faulty hard drive
- An infection
In all those cases, a recent backup is the difference between an hour of inconvenience and weeks of redoing work. So do not see a backup as an extra, but as a basic necessity.
What should a backup contain?
A full backup consists of two parts. You need both of them:
The files
Pages, images, documents, style sheets and any CMS software.
The database
With a CMS this holds all the texts, settings, users and posts.
If you are missing the database, you have an empty shell. If you are missing the files, you have text without design. Do not forget your email either: it is often stored separately.
Good to knowDo you have a website without a database, such as a static HTML website? Then a backup simply consists of the files.
How often and how long should you keep them?
The rule of thumb: decide how much work you can afford to lose.
Most business websites
A daily automatic backup is sufficient.
Lots of publishing or an online shop
If you publish a lot or run an online shop with orders, more often is wise.
Also keep several points in time from the past, for example the last week plus a few older copies. That is essential: an infection is sometimes only discovered after days, and by then the newest backup may already be affected.
Do not keep everything in one place
A backup that is stored only on the same server as your website does not protect you against problems with that server. So make sure a copy is also kept off the server.
The well-known guideline: three copies, on two different types of storage, one of which is at another location.
Test whether restoring really works
This is the step that is skipped most often. A backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a certainty. Files may be incomplete, or the process may have quietly stopped.
- Check periodically whether a restore really works
- Check whether the site is complete afterwards
Good to knowAutomation is convenient, but checks are still needed.
Backups in the event of a hack
With an infected website, a clean backup is often the quickest way back. Do choose a version from before the infection, and close the underlying hole. Otherwise the problem will recur.
You can read how to tackle such a situation step by step in website hacked: what now.
Backups are simply part of regular website maintenance. We arrange them as standard with our web hosting, and they are also included in our maintenance package.