A backup is a copy of your website and email that you can return to after a mistake, a failed update, a hack or a hardware problem. The question is never whether you will need one, but whether it will be recent and complete when you do.
What a complete backup contains
- Files: everything in your home directory, including
public_html, uploads and configuration. - Databases: the content of WordPress and other apps. Files alone are useless without them.
- Email: mailboxes, filters and forwarders.
- Settings: DNS zones, cron jobs, SSL certificates and account configuration.
Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Full backup | A complete copy of everything at one moment. |
| Incremental backup | Only what changed since the last backup; fast and space-saving, restored as a full point in time. |
| Retention | How many days or versions are kept. |
| Off-site | Stored on different hardware or in a different location from the live site. |
| Restore point | A date you can roll back to. |
The 3-2-1 rule
Keep 3 copies of your data, on 2 different kinds of storage, with 1 copy off-site. For a website that usually means: the live site, the host's automatic backups, and your own downloaded copy or cloud storage.
Host backups and your own
MdmHost makes daily backups with JetBackup, which you can restore yourself from cPanel: individual files, databases, emails or the whole account. They are your first line of recovery. Still keep occasional copies of your own, for example before major changes and once a month, so you are covered if you leave the host or need an older version than the retention period.
Test your restores
A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a plan. Now and then restore a single file or a database into a test folder or staging site to confirm it works.