What Data Would You Typically Select For Site Backups?

Website data backup is critical but many find themselves failing to recover their site. when a crisis strikes. The biggest cause for failed restores is incomplete data. Different types of backups come with different parts of your site being backed up. So, choosing what data is essential is integral to your backup strategy.

But, what data should be backed up? Websites are complex and made of so many components. Additonally, backups are resource intensive and take up storage. Do you have to choose what you backup? How do you know what is integral and what can be left out? Can you afford to leave things out?

In this article, you’ll find a straightforward guide to understanding your data. This information will help determine which data should be included in your backup plan. 

TL;DR: You must backup everything that makes your site functional. This can be a lot of work and take up a lot of resources. Instead of doing it manually, use a backup tool to automate the whole process. 

When crafting a backup strategy, there are numerous factors to weigh, and the type of data is a crucial one. Your website consists of various files and database tables, each serving its unique purpose. These components work together to ensure your site functions smoothly. So the straightforward advice is to back up everything. It might sound like overkill, but each piece can be integral to your website’s overall functionality. 

So, let’s break it down. 

Database tables

Backing up database tables is like saving the blueprints of your website. Just as blueprints dictate how to construct a stable structure, database tables organize and manage crucial information that keeps your site running smoothly.

Database tables includes the following elements:

• User data that stores login information and personal preferences
• Content archives that save posts, articles, and updates for retrieval
• Comments and feedback data to manage user interactions and engagement
• Metadata that provides additional information about other data
• Form submissions that capture user responses to site forms
• Product details including descriptions, prices, and availability in an online store
• Order history and transaction records for tracking purchases or sales

Changing these tables carelessly can disrupt your site’s functionality, potentially leading to data loss or corruption. Understanding database management and syntax is crucial. Therefore we strongly advise that you take on-demand backups before making any changes to these tables.

There are several ways to backup your database tables. Automatic solutions like BlogVault offer affordable and reliable backups which include database backups by default. 

Alternatively, you can backup your database using cPanel, phpMyAdmin or command-line utilities. Some of these manual backup methods are more complex than others but all of them come with the risk of data loss. 

Let’s breakdown of what a database backup includes:

User-generated content

User-generated content such as comments, forum posts, and user profiles forms an integral part of your website community and engagement. Typically stored within the database, this content should be verified for completeness during regular backup processes to ensure nothing is overlooked or lost.

Regularly backing up user-generated content safeguards the interactive aspect of your site. It preserves the valuable contributions and data from your users, which are crucial for maintaining 

Files

Site files are like the building blocks of your website, similar to bricks in a house. Just as each brick contributes to the stability and structure of a building, every file on your website plays a role in its overall performance and appearance. 

Making modifications to these files willy-nilly can make the site crash. You need the technical know-how to understand coding and syntax. This is why we recommend you generate a backup before making any changes. 

There are a few different ways to backup your files. You can use affordable backup plugins like BlogVault to do it automatically. You can also manually backup your site using tools like File Manager or an FTP client. The latter method comes with its own risks and we don’t recommend it.

But what does it mean to backup site files? Site files is a catch-all term for the following things: 

• HTML files that define the structure and layout of web pages
• CSS files which control the styling and appearance of the site
• JavaScript and PHP files enable interactive features and functionality
• Image files include all photos you add to your blog or product listings
• Video files that you created to generate engagement
• Configuration files that set parameters for software and server operations
• Font files that ensure consistent text appearance
• Audio files that you may have uploaded to your site

Some of these will be core files, while others are plugin or theme files. The third major type is media files, which are user content. We’ll elaborate on some of these types of files in the next few sections. 

Core files

Core WordPress files are the essential framework that powers your website, including the core code, configuration files, and scripts that facilitate site functionality and management. Safeguarding these files through regular backups is vital because their loss or corruption could incapacitate your entire website, leading to downtime and potential data loss. These files are the backbone of your website, enabling themes, plugins, and customizations to function seamlessly.

Due to their critical role, these files need to be secured and maintained consistently to ensure compatibility with updates and modifications. While these files are generally lightweight, they serve as the foundation for loading heavier media and content, making them instrumental in maintaining efficient website operations. For example, you can use the wp-config file to secure your website, in tandem with a security plugon.

Alterations in core files can impact site stability, possibly leading to errors or vulnerabilities. You have to safely edit wp-config and other core files to reduce the risk. To mitigate these risks, employing security and backup solutions is crucial. Tools like VaultPress can automate the backup process, ensuring that your core files remain intact and can be swiftly restored in case of any issues. By securing and optimizing your core WordPress files, you help ensure that your website remains robust, efficient, and adaptable to future changes and improvements.

Plugins and extensions

Plugins and extensions are vital components that add specific functionalities to your website. Whether it’s enhancing site security, improving SEO performance, or creating contact forms, these tools expand your website’s capabilities beyond its core features. They enable you to customize and optimize your site according to your specific requirements and goals.

Backing up plugins and extensions is essential, particularly if you’ve made customizations or rely on premium plugins. Custom configurations and settings tailored to your site are great for the look and feel of your site. But, if you set up auto-updates, you could crash your site because of an incompatibility. Premium plugins often come with unique features that are critical to your site’s operation, making their backup crucial to preserve functionality.

Picture this. Your thriving online store, built with Elementor, is attracting more customers every day. Your website is beautiful and generates a lot of revenue. However, everything suddenly goes awry. You had set up auto-updates and an Elementor update caused your site to crash. This is because of conflict with the update and another extension. You could rollback the plugin but it doesn’t recover your custom pages. Having a backup allows you to quickly restore the site to its stable version, fixing the crash and bringing functionality back.

Themes and templates

Themes and templates dictate the overall look and feel, influencing layout, colors, typography, and interactive features, directly impacting user experience and how your content is displayed.

Custom themes or modifications tailored to your brand or functionality needs should be regularly backed up. Such unique customizations are vulnerable during updates, which can occasionally lead to the loss of these personalized settings. If you update a theme from a zip folder, you might overwrite those customizations.

Imagine your WordPress site has custom code for unique design and features. During a theme update, this code gets overwritten, causing your site to lose its custom look and functionality. Users see a generic design, leading to confusion and a poor experience. Recreating the code is time-consuming without a backup. This is why backups are the first step to safe theme updates.

Media files

Media files are the visual backbone of your website, including all images, videos, and documents that engage your audience with rich content. Ensuring these files are backed up is crucial because losing them could impact your site’s visual appeal and the overall user experience. They provide vital context and detail that text alone cannot convey.

These files tend to be heavy because high-resolution images and videos are often required to maintain quality across various devices and screen sizes. As a result, they can occupy significant storage space, especially if your website hosts a large volume of content. 

The high data demand of these files can also affect site performance, leading to slower load times and decreased responsiveness.

To address these challenges, using performance optimization tools becomes essential. A plugin like Airlift can help optimize images by reducing their size without sacrificing quality, improving load speeds and saving storage space. Implementing such plugins ensures that your media files not only enhance your site’s appearance but also contribute positively to its overall performance and efficiency.

Configuration files

Configuration files are crucial components of your website, storing essential settings that dictate how your site behaves under various conditions. 

For example, you can use .htaccess to secure your site. It also manages everything from redirects and access permissions, to database connections and security configurations. Given their role in maintaining site functionality and security, it is of utmost importance to keep them backed up.

Losing or damaging configuration files can lead to significant disruptions, such as server errors or vulnerabilities. In fact, a corrupt wp-config file will crash your site. In such cases, you will need access to an external dashboard like BlogVault that will implement an emergency connector. You will then be able to restore your site to the last functional backup. Yes, this implies that you know when your file got corrupt. Blindly restoring your site will only put you in a loop of restoring and crashing your site. 

Should you take partial backups?

A partial backup like a cPanel database backup involves saving only selected components or segments of your website’s data, rather than capturing the entirety of your site’s data and settings. While this might seem like a time-saving approach, it introduces several risks and complications. 

• Important files or settings might not be included: Partial backups may exclude critical files or settings, leading to an incomplete restoration if issues arise. Suppose your website’s backup includes only content files but not configuration settings or the `wp-config.php` file. When you attempt to restore, you find that database connections fail because the restored site lacks these necessary configuration details.
• Difficulties in restoring the website to full functionality: Without a comprehensive backup, re-establishing the site’s complete operations can be complex and time-intensive. Consider a scenario where a backup includes web pages but excludes custom scripts or plugins. Restoring from this backup results in missing functionality, requiring additional time and effort to manually reinstall and configure those plugins and scripts.
• Disparities in data can cause errors throughout your website: Inconsistent or incomplete data during backup and restoration can lead to discrepancies and errors. Imagine backing up your ecommerce site’s product data but excluding the order history table. After a restoration, mismatched product details and order records could lead to customer confusion and fulfillment errors.
• Partial backups may ignore necessary dependencies: Key dependencies, like libraries or plugin files required for certain features, might not be captured in a partial backup, affecting site functionality. Say a backup captures only the main content but misses associated theme files or JavaScript libraries. After restoring, the site’s design might display improperly, or features such as sliders and interactive elements might not work due to missing theme components.

What to consider when creating a backup strategy?

Creating an effective backup strategy involves considering several key factors to ensure your website’s data is secure and easily recoverable:

• Type of backup: Decide between full, incremental, or differential backups. Full backups capture the entire site, while incremental saves changes since the last backup, and differential saves changes since the last full backup. Each type has its benefits and should be chosen based on your site’s specific needs.
• Frequency: Determine how often backups should be taken. This depends on the frequency of updates to your site. More frequent updates require more frequent backups to ensure all data is current and nothing is lost.
• Storage: Consider where and how your backups will be stored. Options include local storage, cloud solutions, or off-site servers. Ensuring sufficient and secure storage space is vital for protecting your backups against data loss events. A rule of thumb is to create redundnacy.
• Security: Incorporate security measures, such as encryption and access controls to protect backup data from unauthorized access or corruption. Safe storage solutions are critical to safeguard sensitive information.
• Test integrity: Regularly test restore to confirm that data has been backed up correctly. Performing test restorations ensures that backups are reliable and that recovery will be successful when needed.
• Compliance: Ensure your backup strategy complies with industry regulations or legal requirements, particularly if your site handles sensitive information. This helps avoid potential legal issues and ensures the protection of user data.

Best way to take a backup

When it comes to safeguarding your website’s data, BlogVault’s backups stands out as a premier choice for efficient and reliable site backups. As a comprehensive backup solution, it offers a range of features that simplify the backup process while ensuring maximum security and ease of use.

• Automatic backups: BlogVault provides automated backups, eliminating the need for manual intervention and ensuring that your site is consistently protected against data loss.
• Incremental backups: Incremental backups capture only the changes made since the last backup, optimizing storage space and reducing server load without compromising on data security.
• One-click restore: With BlogVault, restoring your site to a previous state is effortless. Its one-click restore functionality allows you to recover your website quickly and efficiently, minimizing downtime.
• Off-site storage: All backups are stored securely on independent servers, protecting your data from local hardware failures and ensuring availability even in the event of a site compromise.

Final thoughts

Creating a comprehensive backup strategy involves many considerations, with determining what to back up being a critical element. While the short answer is to back up everything, this encompasses a long list of components, from site files and database tables to themes, plugins, and user-generated content. Ensuring all these elements are backed up can be both time and resource intensive. However it is essential for maintaining your website’s integrity and functionality.

Partial backups, while seemingly more manageable, are not recommended, as they leave your site vulnerable to data loss and recovery challenges. 

So use BlogVault. Installing a robust backup solution streamlines the process, ensuring all your critical data is securely backed up and easily recoverable. Don’t sacrifice data backup to save resources. A well-rounded backup strategy is a cornerstone of effective website management, providing peace of mind and continuity in the face of potential disruptions.

FAQs

What is usually used to backup data?

Data is typically backed up using a range of methods and tools such as external hard drives, cloud storage services, and automated backup software like BlogVault. These tools ensure data is securely saved and can be easily accessed when needed.

What is the best type of data backup?

The best type of data backup is often a combination of full and incremental backups. Full backups provide a complete snapshot of all data, while incremental backups save changes since the last backup, optimizing efficiency and storage space.

What to backup?

You should back up all components that contribute to your website’s functionality and content, including site files, database tables, themes, plugins, user-generated content, and configuration files. This ensures comprehensive protection and easy recovery.

When to backup your website?

It’s ideal to back up your website before any major changes, updates, or maintenance tasks. Additionally, regular backups should be scheduled based on the frequency of updates to your site, ensuring all new data is continuously protected.

How often do you take a backup?

The frequency of backups depends on how often your site is updated. High-traffic sites or those that update content daily may require daily backups, while others might suffice with weekly backups. The key is to ensure no vital data is ever at risk of being lost.

What are the different types of backups?

There are several types of backups but the three main ones are:

• Full: Complete copies of all data.
• Incremental: Only changes since the last backup are saved.
• Differential: Only changes since the last full backup are saved.

Each type comes with its own pros and cons. The best strategy is to use a combination of the first two. Take a full backup once a week. Take incremental backups in between. 

Why do you need a backup?

Backups are essential to protect against data loss due to hardware failures, cyberattacks, accidental deletions, or software errors. They ensure that you can quickly recover your site and maintain its functionality, preserving both data integrity and user trust.