KeyHelp can create backups on a schedule and keep them in a chosen repository. Setting this up is worth a few minutes: a backup you have to remember to make is one you will eventually forget.
Setting up a scheduled backup
Open the backup section and create a backup task. The fields are:
- This backup task is enabled — tick to activate the schedule.
- Start backup at this time — the start time in HH:MM. Choose a quiet period; a backup competes with your site for disk and processor.
- Backup interval — how often it runs.
- Backup content — shows what will be included.
- Destination repository — where the backup is stored. See Setting up a remote SFTP repository in KeyHelp for storing backups off the server.
- Maximum number of files in the repository — once the limit is reached, the oldest backup is deleted to make room for the new one. 0 or an empty field means no limit — which sooner or later fills the disk, so set a real number.
- Email address for notification — where to send a message if the backup fails. Tick the option below it if you also want confirmation of successful runs.
- Password protection — encrypts the backup. Recommended if it contains confidential data.
Save the settings to apply them.
A password-protected backup cannot be restored without the password. There is no recovery route if it is lost — the archive is simply unreadable. Store it somewhere other than the server being backed up.
Where to keep backups
A backup stored on the same server as the data protects you against your own mistakes and against a failed update. It does not protect you against loss of the server itself: if the server is gone, so are the backups on it.
For anything important, use a remote repository or download the backups. Our Backup Stor service is intended for this — see Подключение услуги Backup Stor Pro по протоколам SMB/CIFS и FTP/FTPS.
Viewing existing backups
Each repository has its own list, and the drop-down menu above the file list switches between repositories. Backups are shown with the date they were created, the file name and the size.
- Download — use the download icon next to the file name. Note that downloading is only possible from the local repository.
- Delete — tick the backups you no longer need and use the delete button.
Check this list occasionally rather than assuming the schedule is working. A backup task that has been failing silently for months is a common and unpleasant discovery.
Before a risky change
Run a backup manually before updating your CMS, changing the PHP version or installing an unfamiliar extension — regardless of when the next scheduled one is due.
To restore data, see Restoring a backup in KeyHelp.
