We keep backups of banking statements, receipts, and other
miscellaneous items so why should your web hosting account
be any different? I am sure by now you even backup your
files and content on your own computer. The most important
advice I could give you about your web hosting account is
to backup your information. Usually when you bring up the
topic of backing up your data though, most people squirm
in their seats. It really is not that hard of an experience;
there is no reason to worry!
Why should you backup? You should backup for the same reasons
you would want to keep more than one copy of just about
anything. Just in case the worst would, could, or should
happen you will be ready. With most hosting companies, they
do server-wide backups, but in all honesty you can never
be too safe.
There are several different methods you can use to backup
your web site. The first and easiest method would be to
login to your favorite FTP client and then navigate yourself
to your "public_html" folder. Once you are in
your "public_html" folder, select everything inside
and download it to a folder inside your computer. Of course
this will not be effective if your site uses MySQL databases
or any other in-depth content management. This is the preferred
method if you are in a hurry, and if your site is, for the
most part, just basic HTML pages.
The second and more in-depth way to create a backup of your
web site would be to do so through your cPanel. If something
happens that causes your files on the server to be destroyed
or lost, this is the method you would use to create a perfect
backup of your account settings. Where the FTP method I
described earlier might seem simpler, this method is quicker
and more in depth.
One you have gotten into the backup page inside your cPanel,
you see a plethora of choices, boxes and options.
Generate/Download a Full Backup - Here you will see several
options. You will need to choose what directory to put the
file in (I recommend to stay with the home directory) then
put in your e-mail address and your ftp login information.
Then click on the "Generate Backup" button and
you are all set!
Download Today's Home Backup - This link will download
you the day's backup of your basic files you need to get
your web site back up and running.
You can also download backups of your MySQL databases you
might have currently running. All you need to do is click
the name of the database, and download it to a location
on your computer. Please remember, depending on the size
of your web site, some files might take longer to download
than others. This is just one more reason to get up and
get a cup of coffee or go out and see what daylight looks
like again before old man winter shows up at your doorstep.
You can also restore from a previous backup here as well.
All you need to do is browse for the location of the file,
and choose upload.
What have we learned today? You need to backup your web
site! The last question I have to answer is how often do
you back up? Well, this is different for every person and
every web site. Some sites change on a daily basis, so for
them I would say to back up your site after it changes.
With other people, or less important web sites, you can
back up maybe once a week or maybe once a month. The choice
is yours!
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