One of the crucial methods to increase your website security is to have your site back up periodically. This is to help you regain your files and database in case there is a malfunction in your site/server causing permanent data loss, or even in the worst situation when the server is hacked and you lose your access to the site. In this article, we will show you how to effortlessly back up your WordPress site using a plugin called UpdraftPlus.

What to back up

Different user practice and website scales determine the frequency of making a backup. The more posts and database you add, the more frequent you should back up your site.

There are two parts working together to build up your WordPress site – files and database.

A WordPress site consists of various files, which are:

  • WordPress Core Installation,
  • WordPress Themes,
  • WordPress Plugins,
  • Images and other media files,
  • JavaScript and PHP scripts and other code files,
  • Additional Files and Static Web Pages.

WordPress database, i.e. MySQL database, contains all information of your site. They are taxonomies (categories and tags), posts, comments, metadata, users info, and so on.

To have a complete replica of the site, you need to back up both those parts (files and database), and the backup process of each part are taken separately. If you just back up your files, you will have an empty theme with no posts, pages, etc. If you merely back up your database, you will get a copy of your site content (posts, pages, etc.) but your theme, theme appearance settings and functionality.

Backup Methods for Your WordPress site

There are two ways to back up your WordPress – without using a plugin (manually through your host (cPanel) or through phpMyAdmin) and with a plugin.

We must say that backing up manually is better than that using a plugin since you can control the process and avoid any potential risk, error or failure by automatic methods with technologies.

However, it’s a little simpler and easier to back up your site with a plugin, especially for non-techies. There are currently many backup plugins, both free and premium ones. If you own a large website or a serious, professional blog, you should go with a premium plugin (like BackupBuddy or VaultPress) for its rich features and services.

How to Back up WordPress using UpdraftPlus plugin

UpdraftPlus is a free backup plugin which allows you to automatically save backups to one of the various remote storage destinations such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon or Microsoft OneDrive, etc.. If you’d like to send a backup to more than one destination, you can buy an add-on. Following is how to back up your site using UpdraftPlus plugin.

First of all, you need to have the UpdraftPlus plugin installed and activated. For more details of how to install a WordPress plugin, see our step by step guide here.

Upon activation, go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups page for plugin settings.

Click on the Settings tab to choose an automatic backup schedule and set up remote storage for all your backups. (you can also reach this Settings page via UpdraftPlus > Settings on the admin bar). Choose a remote location and you will see further setup instructions underneath. Don’t forget to click Save changes when you’re done.

Besides, UpdraftPlus allows you to manually create backups any time you want. From your WordPress admin area, visit Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups page, then hit the Backup Now button in the Backup/Restore tab and follow its steps.

This manual backup process may take a while depending on the size of your website. You can see the progress on the settings page. Your backup files and database will be sent to the remote storage you have set up in tab Settings. That’s it!

One important thing to remember is that don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Failure can occur anytime, and it is a wise practice to keep your backups in different places. Similarly, manual backups should be made frequently together with automatic ones to make sure that you are highly secure.

Tags: ,