Backup

How It Works

A backup process collects the data needed to rebuild a site: application files (themes, plugins, uploads), databases (such as MySQL or PostgreSQL), and sometimes server settings (cron jobs, email accounts, DNS zone exports, SSL certificates, and control panel configuration). Backups can be full (everything each time) or incremental/differential (only changes since the last backup), which reduces storage and time. Many systems also create snapshots at the storage layer, capturing a point-in-time state of a volume or virtual machine.

After creation, backups are stored according to a retention policy, such as keeping daily copies for a week and weekly copies for a month. Storage location matters: onsite backups are fast to restore but can be lost in the same incident as the server, while offsite backups (separate storage or another region) improve resilience. A good backup strategy also includes verification (checksums, test restores) and a defined recovery plan: restore files, import the database, update configuration, and validate the site before reopening traffic.

Why It Matters for Web Hosting

Backups directly affect risk, downtime, and support effort when something goes wrong. When comparing hosting plans, look beyond whether backups exist and evaluate frequency, retention, offsite storage, and restore options (self-service vs support ticket). Also check what is included: database backups, email, and multiple restore points. The best plan is the one that meets your recovery time objective (how fast you need to be back online) and recovery point objective (how much data loss you can tolerate).

Common Use Cases

• Restoring a WordPress site after a failed plugin or theme update
• Recovering from malware infection or unauthorized changes
• Rolling back a database after accidental content deletion or bad import
• Migrating a site to a new server by restoring files and databases
• Disaster recovery after hardware failure or storage corruption
• Creating a pre-deployment restore point before major configuration changes

Backup vs Snapshot

A backup is typically an independent copy stored separately from the live system, often with longer retention and offsite options. A snapshot is usually a point-in-time capture of a disk or volume within the same storage system, designed for fast rollback. Snapshots are convenient for quick recovery, but they are not a complete backup if they share the same failure domain. For hosting decisions, the safest setup combines snapshots for rapid restores and offsite backups for true disaster recovery.