VestaCP includes a dedicated Backup section where backups are created, downloaded and restored.
Creating a backup
Open the Backup section and use the add button. The task is placed in a queue, which is processed by a separate cron job running every five minutes — so a backup does not begin the instant you click, and a large site takes a while after that.
You receive an email notification when it finishes, and the backup can then be downloaded through the web interface.
What a backup contains
- website files, their SSL certificates, and the web server and panel configuration for each domain;
- the system profile configuration files for the account;
- MySQL database dumps together with their settings;
- the account's cron file.
An archive of this kind can be restored either through the panel or onto another server, which makes it usable for migration as well as recovery.
Scheduled backups
The panel creates backups automatically on a daily schedule and keeps a limited number of them, and the retention settings are configured per user. Check what is actually configured on your server rather than assuming: the defaults keep only a few copies, and once the limit is reached the oldest is deleted.
Where the backups are kept
By default backups are stored on the same server, in the account's own directory. That protects you against your own mistakes and against a failed update, but not against loss of the server: if the server is gone, so are the backups on it.
For anything important, download the backups or configure remote storage. Our Backup Stor service is intended for this — see Подключение услуги Backup Stor по протоколам SMB/CIFS и FTP/FTPS.
Bear in mind too that backups count towards the disk space of the account they belong to. A site whose backups fill the disk starts producing errors that look nothing like a disk problem.
Before a risky change
Create a backup manually before updating a CMS, changing the PHP version or installing an unfamiliar extension — regardless of when the scheduled one is due. Given the five-minute queue, start it a little earlier than you think you need to.
Check that it works
Look in the Backup section from time to time to confirm that recent backups are actually there, and download one occasionally to check that the archive opens. A backup schedule that has been failing silently is discovered at the worst possible moment.
If a backup fails or you need help restoring one, open a ticket from your client area.
