A backup is a separate copy of your website’s files and database, so you can bring the site back after a mistake, a hack or a failed update. It is the one thing that turns a bad day into an inconvenience. Without a working backup, a broken update or an infected site can mean rebuilding from scratch.
What is a backup?
A website has two parts that both need saving. The files are the code, the themeA WordPress theme is a ready-made package that decides how your WordPress site looks and how its pages are laid out. Change the theme and the design changes., the plugins, the media library and the configuration. The database holds the content: pages, posts, comments, users, settings and, for a shop, orders. A backup that misses either part cannot bring back a working site.
The word “separately” matters. A copy that sits in the same folder or on the same server as the site disappears with it when the server fails or an attacker deletes everything. A useful backup is stored somewhere else, with its own login.
What a backup means for a PHP or WordPress site
On a PHPPHP is a programming language that builds your web pages on the computer that hosts your site, just before they reach the visitor. WordPress runs on it. site, a backup protects against four kinds of trouble. A failed update, where a new pluginA WordPress plugin is an add-on you install in WordPress to give your site extra features, such as contact forms, SEO tools or a webshop. or PHP versionA PHP version is a numbered edition of PHP, like 8.3. Each edition is looked after for a limited time, then gets security fixes only, then nothing. breaks the site. A mistake, such as a deleted page or a wrong setting. A hardware or web hostingWeb hosting is the service that keeps your website's files on a computer that is always online, so visitors can open your site at any time. failure. And an attack, where files are altered or encrypted.
For the attack case, the date of the backup matters. A copy made after the site was compromised restores the problem along with the site. Keep several generations, so you can go back to a point before the trouble began.
Restoring is also more than copying files back. After a restore you may need to update plugins, change passwords and close the hole the attacker used, or you will be back in the same place. A backup restores the state; it does not make the site safe.
How to check your own backups
Most people never test their backups. Do three checks. Find out what is included, how often it runs and how long copies are kept. Find out where they are stored and who can access them. And restore one onto a staging environmentA staging environment is a private copy of your website where you try updates first, so any mistakes happen there and not on the live site. to see that the site actually works with it.
If you discover on the day of a crisis that the backup is empty, the damage is done. A test takes an hour and tells you the real situation.
When to act
Make a fresh backup before every PHP update, plugin update or move. Make sure automatic backups are on for the live site and that old copies are kept long enough to reach a point before a problem started. A backup is also the starting point for a rollbackA rollback means going back to the last version of your website that worked, after an update has gone wrong. if an update fails. If the site is already down or hacked and you do not have a clean backup, we can help you fix your WordPress website and work toward a clean site, and the PHP upgrade service starts with a backup and a test.
Frequently asked questions
What does a website backup contain?
A full backup holds the files (themes, plugins, uploads, configuration) and the database with your pages, posts, users and orders. A backup of only one of the two usually cannot restore a working site.
How often should I make a backup?
As often as you can afford to lose data. A brochure site that rarely changes can manage with a daily or weekly backup, while a shop with orders benefits from more frequent copies of the database. Always make a fresh one right before an update.
Is the backup from my hosting provider enough?
It is a good start but check the details. Find out how long copies are kept, where they are stored and whether you can restore them yourself. A copy that lives only on the same server can be lost together with the site.