Cypherpunk Demo

Tag: backups

  • Restoring a website from a backup, step by step

    When something goes wrong, a calm, practised restore gets the site back quickly. Work through these steps in order.

    1. Put the site into maintenance mode
    2. Restore the files
    3. Restore the database
    4. Check the home page, a post and the contact form
    5. Take the site out of maintenance mode

    Keep a note of when the backup was taken, so you know which changes need to be made again afterwards.

  • Backup schedules: how often is often enough?

    A backup is only useful if it is recent enough to restore from without losing work you care about. The right backup schedule depends on how often the site changes.

    Match the schedule to how often you publish

    A brochure site that changes once a month is well served by a weekly backup. A shop or a busy blog that takes orders or comments every day needs a daily backup at the very least.

    • Brochure site: weekly
    • Blog: daily
    • Online shop: daily, plus before every update

    Test a restore

    A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a plan. Restore a copy to a test site every few months and check that it works.