How to Take a cPanel Backup

Every website admin knows that backing up your website is important. The worst case scenario is not being able to restore a crashed or hacked site. Good backups are like health insurance and we can’t recommend it enough. But, like health insurance, there are a lot of options. There are many ways to take different types of backups. cPanel backups are one of those backups. 

cPanel, by nature, is a user interface to help you manage websites given to you by your web host. It’s designed to help you juggle maintenance tasks, backups being one of them. However, they can be tricky and are less reliable. cPanel backups are prone to failures and are difficult to store. Sometimes restores fail when the backup is too big. These issues can cause more problems for your site. 

Is there a way around them? 

We have been in the website backups sphere for over a decade. We have rescued thousands of sites over the years. We’ve compiled all the best practices for cPanel backups and put it into a guide for you. 

TL;DR: Manual backup methods like cPanel are not reliable and very resource-intensive. Use BlogVault instead. BlogVault offers automatic, reliable, and easy backups to keep your website safe and stress-free.

Should you use cPanel to backup your site?

Using cPanel for database backups or for your files might seem like a good idea at first. But the process has many flaws. 

• cPanel backups can be slow and clunky 
• They often fail with large sites 
• Restoring from cPanel backups can fail and become a nightmare
• You might end up losing more time than saving it

The only good thing about cPanel backups is that they are free. 

But there are many free backup plugins out there. These plugins are much better than cPanel. They offer more features and better reliability.

However, if you value your site, it’s best to invest in a high-quality option. BlogVault, for example, offers reliable and easy backups. It ensures your website stays safe without the hassle. Investing in a good backup solution now can save you a lot of trouble later.

1. Using cPanel’s Backup Wizard

The first method to backup your site is the cPanel Backup Wizard. This tool is built right into cPanel. It’s an easy way for beginners to start. The interface is simple and user-friendly. 

However it has its limitations. 

First, it struggles with large backups. As your site grows, backups can fail. Even restores are unreliable with big sites. This makes it hard—if not impossible—to get your site back up quickly.

Second, you have to do everything manually. This means you need to remember to back up your site regularly. If you forget, you risk losing crucial data. 

Taking a backup

1. Once you login, click Backup Wizard in the Files section

2. Click Backup to initiate the backup process.

3. Choose between Full Backup or Partial Backup. Partial backups include the file (Home Directory) or Database. and select the backup destination. 

4. Click Generate Backup and download the generated full backup file from the link provided.

Restoring a backup

1. Login to cPanel and click Backup Wizard. 
2. Select what you want to restore: root files, database, full site, etc

3. Click Choose File, select the file and click Upload. 

2. Using cPanel’s Backups feature

Another way to export your site is with cPanel’s Backup feature. This tool is different from the Backup Wizard. While the Backup Wizard guides you step-by-step, the Backup feature gives you more control. You can select specific parts of your site to back up, like files or databases.

The big difference is that you get more control over what you want to backup. You can choose between taking a cPanel database backup or files (commonly called home directory). But, we do not recommend partial backups. They are more likely to fail when you try to restore the backup. Additonally, it shares the same limitations as the Backup Wizard. It struggles with large backups and can be time-consuming. Restoring data is also unreliable with bigger files. Plus, you have to remember to run backups regularly. This manual process can be risky if you forget.

Taking a backup

1. Log in to your cPanel account and click Backup in the Files section

2. Click  Download a Full Website Backup and select the final destination. 

3. Click Generate Backup when you’re done. 

4. For partial backups, choose one of the different types of backups – the home directory or the database.

Restoring a backup 

Note: There is no option to restore your full site. Your options are to restore your site in parts – home directory and database.

1. Log into your cPanel account. 
2. Go to the Files section and click Backups.
3. Scroll down and choose the type of backup you want to restore.

4. Click Choose File and then find your backup file on your computer. 
5. After selecting the file, click Upload to start the restore process.

3. Using File Manager and phpMyAdmin

This is a combination of using File Manager and phpMyAdmin is another backup method. File Manager lets you manage site files, while phpMyAdmin handles your database. It gives you far more control than the Backups feature. However, this method can be complex for beginners. It’s more prone to errors, and it takes more time than automated tools.

Taking a backup

1. Once you login, click File Manager in the Files section.
2. Select your root folder, click Select All and click Compress.

3. Choose Zip Archive and click Compress File.

4. Download the compressed file by selecting it.
5. Go back to cPanel and click phpMyAdmin.
6. Select your database and click Export at the top menu.
7. Choose Quick and click Go. 

Restoring a backup

1. Login to cPanel and click File Manager in the Files section.
2. Select public_html and click Upload to upload your file.

3. Select the file and click Extract.
4. Back on cPanel,  click phpMyAdmin and select your database. 
5. Click Import and Choose File, select the file and click Go. 

How to store your cPanel backups

Once you’ve backed up your site, you need to find a secure place to store it. Keeping your backups secure is essential. Ideally, your data is encrypted, to prevent unauthorized access. 

We recommend that you limit the number of people who have access to your backups. This is to reduce the chance of human error or security breaches destroying your backups. 

You also need multiple copies of your site that are stored in different locations. Redundancy seems counter-intuitive but it ensures that you are protected against local disasters or hacks. 

A good rule of thumb is to secure your backups is to use 3-2-1 backup strategy. This means you should have 3 copies of your data: your live site and two more. You have to store two of those copies on different media—this could mean cloud services, your computer, a hard drive, etc. Keep one copy offsite—in a different physical location. This level of redundancy factors in security breaches, natural disasters and human error. 

Once you download the files to your computer from cPanel, we recommend that you store one copy elsewhere. Let’s say you store backups on Dropbox. 

• This way, there are three copies of your site: your live site, the one on your computer, and the one on the cloud. 
• They are stored in at least two different devices: your computer and the cloud servers. 
• Lastly, at least one is in a different physical location; the one stored on the cloud. 

How often should you take a backup?

cPanel backups are manual backups. You have to initiate a backup every time you need one. Add to that the time and server resources it takes to take a single backup. 

But, how do you setup a backup schedule? How often do you need to take a backup?. 

Generally, we recommend that you take a backup for how frequently your site changes. Let’s elaborate on that. 

• Static sites: The frequency should be at least once a day. This is because content changes less frequently, so fewer backups are needed. 
• High traffic sites: Ecommerce or news websites are constantly being updated. Orders are being created or articles are being published. This warrants multiple backups, ideally in real time, every day. This is to ensure that no data falls through the cracks. 

We also recommend taking on demand backups before making changes like when you update a plugin. This is because such tasks come with the risk of failing and causing your site to crash. You may need a recent backup to restore in those worst case scenarios. 

How long should you store cPanel backups?

Once you’ve set up how often to back up your site, the next question is how long to store those backups. Keeping backups for the right amount of time is important. It also varies depending on whether you take a WooCommerce backup or that of a portfolio site.

The short answer is to store your backups for at least one month. This period covers most issues you might encounter, allowing for a safe window to restore your site. It gives you time to notice and fix errors before they cause bigger problems.

However, if you have an ecommerce site, we recommend that you store backups for at least three months. Transaction records and customer data must be available for longer. There are often compliance guidelines that determine how long you need to store the data.

Is a cPanel backup a good site backup?

When considering whether a cPanel backup is worth it, several factors come into play. Let’s break them down:

• Frequency of backups: You can determine your backup schedule depending on the type of site. At a minimum, you should take one backup a day. For busy sites, more frequent backups are needed. Considering that a cPanel backup requires manual effort, this can drain your time and human resources. Combine that with the fact that it also affects server resources. It’s high effort for questionable returns.
• Storage: Storing backups can get pricey. For example, if you store backups on Dropbox, the lowest plan is $9.99 a month for 1TB. Our test site, for example, is 217MB and has just a couple of plugins and some fake posts. However, if you are an ecommerce site, the costs start to build. Not only are your sites larger, but you also have to take backups more often. 
  
  We also have to talk about managing the backups you store. You have to regularly delete old backups and ensure enough space in your cloud storage. This is frustrating and is another site maintenance task on your to-do list.
• Prone to failure: cPanel backups are also prone to failures. This risk increases with larger sites and more data. This can be a huge problem for several reasons. 
  
  First, they leave your site vulnerable. You won’t have a reliable copy to restore if something goes wrong. This can lead to data loss, downtime, and a bad experience for your users.
  
  Additionally, failed backups waste time and resources. You may spend hours creating a backup, only to find it doesn’t work when you need it most. This can be frustrating and time-consuming, diverting your attention from other important tasks. This is why we recommend that you test website backups, to confirm reliability.
  
  Moreover, restore failures can cause significant delays in getting your site back online. If a restore fails, you’ll have to troubleshoot the issue and try again. This extends the downtime and can hurt your site’s reputation and revenue.

Alternatives to cPanel backups

After discussing the drawbacks and challenges of using cPanel backups, it’s clear that relying on them isn’t the best option. They can be time-consuming, resource-intensive, and prone to failure. 

So what’s the best way to backup your website effectively? We recommend you install a backup plugin.

Enter BlogVault. BlogVault offers several powerful features that far exceed the capabilities of cPanel backups, making it a superior choice for website owners who need a reliable and hassle-free backup solution. 

Automated backups

BlogVault automatically backs up your site daily, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This means you won’t forget to take a backup and will always have an up-to-date copy of your site. 

In contrast, cPanel requires you to start backups manually, making the process time-consuming and prone to human error.

Incremental backups

BlogVault uses incremental backups, only backing up changes made since the last backup. This approach saves time and server resources, making the backup process faster and more efficient. 

On the other hand, cPanel backs up the entire site every time, which consumes more server resources and requires more storage space.

One-click restore

With BlogVault, you can quickly restore your site with a single click, reducing downtime significantly. This feature is essential for ensuring your site gets back online as soon as possible after an issue. 

cPanel’s restore process can be slow and often fails with larger backups, leading to longer downtimes and increased stress.

Offsite storage

BlogVault stores backups on secure, offsite servers automatically. This takes the burden off you to manage and secure storage manually, providing peace of mind that your backups are safe. In contrast, cPanel requires you to handle storage management yourself, adding extra tasks to your to-do list.

Real-time backups

BlogVault offers real-time backups, which is crucial for high-traffic and eCommerce sites. Real-time backing up protects critical data as changes occur, ensuring minimal data loss. cPanel often falls short for dynamic sites as it doesn’t offer real-time backups, making it practically useless for constantly updated websites.

Central dashboard

BlogVault allows you to manage all your backups from a single, intuitive dashboard. This centralized management makes it easy to keep track of your backup status and perform necessary actions seamlessly. In contrast, cPanel requires navigating through multiple sections, making overall management cumbersome and less efficient.

Test backups

Testing reliability of backup is crucial because it ensures that data can be accurately and efficiently restored in the event of data loss or disaster. A backup is only as good as its restore functionality; if a backup can’t be successfully restored, it’s essentially useless. 

When talking about cPanel backups, this process is complicated. It involves exporting a backup and using it to recreate the site on a different host. aThankfully, BlogVault offers an easy way to test website backups that requires no technical know-how. Just one-click. 

Final thoughts

cPanel backups are unreliable, time-consuming, and prone to errors, especially for larger or high-traffic sites. They require manual intervention and come with high storage costs and management hassles. For a more reliable, automated, and efficient backup solution, use BlogVault. 

BlogVault offers features like automated incremental backups, one-click restores, offsite storage, real-time backups, and additional security measures, making it the superior choice for keeping your website data safe and easily recoverable. Trust BlogVault for peace of mind and effortless website management.

FAQs:

How do I backup my cPanel completely?

1. Log into your cPanel account.
2. Go to the Files section and click Backups.
3. Under Full Backup, click Download a Full Account Backup.
4. Select the Backup Destination (Home Directory is most common).
5. Enter your email address if you want to receive a notification when the backup is complete.
6. Click Generate Backup.
7. Download the backup file once it’s ready.

Where are cPanel backups stored?

cPanel backups are stored in the directory you selected when creating the backup, typically within your home directory or root folder. You can then download the backup to your local device.

How do I backup my cPanel backup to Google Drive?

1. Create a full cPanel backup.
2. Download the file to your local computer.
3. Log into your Google Drive account.
4. Click the + button (New) and select File Upload.
5. Find the cPanel backup file on your computer and upload it to Google Drive.

If you prefer automation, consider using third-party scripts or tools that integrate backups with Google Drive for automatic backups.

How do I restore data in cPanel?

1. Log into your cPanel account.
2. Go to the Files section and click Backup Wizard.
3. Click the Restore button and select the type of backup.
4. Click Choose File and locate the backup file on your computer.
5. Click Upload to start the restoration process.

Restoring larger websites might sometimes fail due to the size limitation, so be cautious about that.