Website Backup.

A website usually consists of more than files. In a CMS such as WordPress, texts, settings and users sit in a database, images and documents in the media folder, design and functions in the theme and plugins. On modern websites the code lives in a Git repository, content in a CMS or a database, and form submissions in yet another database. A backup is only complete if it covers all of these parts — and if someone knows how to put them back together.

The 3-2-1 rule has proved its worth: three copies of the data, on two different media or systems, one of them at another location. For websites this means in practice: do not store backups only on the same server as the website, because a hack or server failure would otherwise hit the site and the backup at the same time. How often you back up depends on how much data loss you can tolerate. A company website that rarely changes can manage with daily backups; an online shop with a constant flow of orders needs far more frequent database backups.

The most common mistake is a backup that has never been tested. Only in an emergency does it turn out that the database is missing, the backup is corrupt or nobody knows how the restore works. A backup plan therefore includes a regular test: restore the backup to a separate environment and check that the website runs completely.

Equally important are backups before every major change — before updates, plugin installations, theme switches or structural rebuilds. With a fresh restore point, a failed update can be rolled back in minutes instead of hunting for errors under time pressure.