Site Backups, Remote Sync, and Restoration

Understand the differences between database backups, full/incremental file backups, update-specific backups, and remote backups.

Backup Types

Database backup saves the website database.
Full file backup saves the complete website directory.
Incremental file backup only saves changes relative to the baseline, and restoration still depends on the corresponding baseline.
Dedicated backups for WordPress updates are managed by the update process, and their retention method differs from regular backups.
Panel database backup only saves the WP Panel's own state, not website files or MariaDB data.

Restoration Principles

Before restoration, verify the website, time, and backup type. Database restoration does not automatically save the current database; if the current data is still valuable, create another backup first.

After restoration, check file permissions, database connection, WordPress site address, cache, and site health status.

Remote Backup

Remote backup settings are located on a separate page under the backup overview, centrally managing rsync, S3, path isolation, connection tests, and a remote server setup assistant. Upgrades will not clear previously saved credentials and backup policies.

The page status indicates the result of the most recent sync, not real-time browsing of remote files. First pass the connection test, then enable scheduled sync, and regularly perform an actual restoration drill.

„Connection successful“ only proves that the remote end is currently accessible, not that restoration will be possible in the future. Also check remote space, retention policies, and whether backup files are complete.

Batch Configure Backups

In the backup overview, you can set backup policies for all websites at once without configuring each site individually.

Database backup: Enable automatic backups uniformly and set the number of copies to retain.
File backup: You can choose smart incremental or scheduled full backups, with each website retaining at most one scheduled task per method.
File tasks will automatically stagger execution times to avoid slowing down the server due to simultaneous execution.
Unchecking only deletes the corresponding scheduled task, not the backup files that have already been generated.

What happens to backups when a site is paused?

After a site is paused, new automatic database backups and automatic file backups will be deferred, and remote backup background uploads, old chain cleanup, and full baseline rebuilds will also be deferred; existing policies will not be disabled or deleted. After re-enabling, tasks will naturally resume according to their original cycles, and tasks missed during the pause will not be caught up.

Normal deferrals caused by pausing or migration freeze will not be reported as automatic backup failures. Administrators can still explicitly perform manual backups and manual remote verification.

A successful backup does not mean it has been verified as recoverable. Please conduct recovery drills regularly; incremental backup recovery depends on the corresponding full baseline.