Manual vs Automatic: Which is better for website backup and restore?

As a website owner, you know how important it is to keep your website up and running.

One of the most crucial aspects of website management is backup and restore.

In this guide, we will discuss the differences between manual and automatic backup, and which one is best for you.

Getting Started

This guide is for website owners who want to learn more about website backup and restore.

Whether you have a small personal blog or a large e-commerce website, you need to have a backup plan in place.

A backup plan ensures that you can restore your website in case of a disaster, such as a server crash, hacking, or accidental deletion.

How to: Manual vs Automatic Backup

1. Manual Backup: To manually backup your website, you need to download your website files and database to your local computer. You can do this using an FTP client or cPanel. Here are the steps to manually backup your website:
1. Log in to your cPanel or FTP client.
2. Download all your website files to your local computer.
3. Export your website database to your local computer.
4. Store your website files and database in a safe location, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage.
2. Automatic Backup: Automatic backup is a process where your website is backed up automatically at regular intervals. You can set up automatic backup using a backup plugin or your web host. Here are the steps to set up automatic backup:
1. Install a backup plugin or check with your web host if they provide automatic backup.
2. Configure the backup settings, such as backup frequency, backup location, and backup type.
3. Monitor your backups to ensure that they are working correctly.

Best Practices

• Always have a backup plan in place.
• Backup your website regularly, at least once a week.
• Store your backups in a safe location, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage.
• Test your backups regularly to ensure that they are working correctly.

Examples

Let’s say you have a small personal blog that you update once a week.

You have decided to manually backup your website.

Here’s how the conversation would go:

You: I want to backup my website.

Should I do it manually or automatically?

Me: For a small personal blog, manual backup is the best option.

It’s easy to do and doesn’t require any additional plugins or tools.

You: How do I manually backup my website?

Me: You can do it using an FTP client or cPanel.

Log in to your cPanel or FTP client, download all your website files to your local computer, export your website database to your local computer, and store your website files and database in a safe location, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage.

You: How often should I backup my website?

Me: At least once a week.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

You: How do I test my backups?

Me: You can test your backups by restoring them on a test server or a local environment.

This will ensure that your backups are working correctly and that you can restore your website in case of a disaster.

Now that you know the difference between manual and automatic backup, and which one is best for you, you can ensure that your website is always safe and secure.