Backing up your blog is super important. You need to make it not only a priority but a habit.
Now, you can easily go overboard and do full-on copies of everything, which is fine, but it’s not absolutely essential.
In this brief tutorial, I’ll show quickly how to backup the “important stuff” so that you can get backup and running if something goes bad.
Please note that I’ve attempted to simplify this process to the point where you’ll have the smallest backup (size) possible in the quickest time possible in a way that anyone can do it, without having to use some fancy plugin or phpMyAdmin or mySQL databases, or voodoo magic.
No excuses!
Ready? Here we go…
1. Create a Folder for your Backup
This is the easiest part! Create a new folder on your desktop (or wherever you’ll be saving the copy) and give it a name with a timestamp.
For example, I typically create a file like this: churchcrunch_090619 which is the blogname with the date (2009-June-19) numerically.
What will go in this folder is everything that’ll I’ll be backing up.
Ready? Step 2 is next.
2. Taking Screenshots of Your Settings
I’m lazy, so what I typically do is just take pictures of settings that are important and that I’ll need to make sure are the same if I have to do a re-install of WordPress.
So, I take screenshots of my settings. If you’re fairly comfortable with this, you probably can skip this step entirely, but a few settings you’re going to definitely want to record is your “Permalink” structure, your “Media” settings, and the “Miscellaneous” settings.
The reason I do this is because I’ve customized the upload sizes of my images, and I want to make sure that I have the same dimensions set for the new install, if I need.
Also, the most important thing for your content (media, etc) is that you have the same folder structure for your uploads. Most people may have never messed with these settings, which means you can skip “Media” and “Miscellaeous,” but if you did touch it make sure you have a record of what you did.
3. Plugins
Plugins are awesome, so you’re going to want to make sure that you have the right ones when you restore your busted blog.
Again, I’m lazy, so I simply take a screenshot of my active plugins. The reason I do this is to capture not only which ones I’m actually using but also the version of the plugin. If you’re going to want to restore you blog accurately you’re going to want to make sure you have the the right version of the plugin, because “updated” ones may break your restored blog.
If I need to restore my blog, I’ll just download the plugins again myself, making sure I’m downloading the correct version of the plugin that my blog was using. Again, this is saving me space and time.
For example, this is what mine looks like:
Again, I can’t stress this enough: Make sure you have not only what they are but their current version.
Finally, take screenshots of the plugins that you’ve actually customized in terms of their individual settings, especially if they are complicated.
For example, I’ve customized one of my plugins like this, and I want to make sure I can duplicate this look if I have to restore:
Done? Ok, put all those screenshots in your folder for later.
4. Export Your Content
Next up is simply exporting your content and saving the file. 4 clicks and you’re done:
Cool? Save that file and then put it in the folder that you created for backup.
5. WP-Config.php
There are hundreds of files that come standard in the WordPress package, about 800+. You don’t need all of them. In fact, the only “file” that you really need to save is wp-config.php.
Using your favorite FTP client, grab that file and put it in your backup folder.
Good times, good times.
On to step 6…
6. WP-Content Folder
The next thing you’ll need to make sure you backup is your WP-Content folder.
This will include your themes, plugins, and your media (uploads folder) that you’ve uploaded (assuming you haven’t changed the path).
It may also include a number of other folders and files as well.
Typically, you can probably just copy the entire folder and you’ll be set.
As you can see from my screenshot, I’ve got a bunch of extra files and folders in there.
I honestly will only backup the themes folder and the uploads folder. Everything else is unnecessary and having old “cached” files and folders could mess up your re-install.
After you download it all, go ahead and put it in your backup folder and you should be all set.
You can now breathe easy, knowing all your media is safe!
Ready? Step 7 is next…
7. Everything Else
Most people can probably stop here, but if you’ve added any additional folder or files that are critical to your blog installation, then you’ll want to back those up as well.
For example, I’ve got certain folders off the root that hold all my advertisements and additional collateral media. I’ll go ahead and back that up as well.
I also have a few other WordPress installs on my box, so I’ll back those up individually, as well as a Forum, etc.
Just make sure you get those too!
8. Ok, So Now What?
Now that you’ve got your backup folder with screenshots of your settings, plugins (with versions), your wp-config file, your wp-content folder, and anything additionally that you’ve added, you’re ready to zip it up and put it somewhere safe.
I have not only a “local” copy on my computer, but I also put a copy on the actual server itself and a physical copy on DVD.
You can be as paranoid as you’d like to be here. Have at it.
9. Great! So, How Often Should I do This?
This is one of the best questions ever, and the answer is this: “It depends.”
The reason it “depends” is simply due to how often you blog and how insecure you are with losing your blog entries and content.
For example, if you blog once a month, then it’s reasonable to believe that you’d only need to do this once a month. If you blog 4-5 times a day, then even a week’s worth of data loss would be significant.
Ultimately, you decide.
For ChurchCrunch, I make backups daily. Every night. Every single day. It’s like brushing my teeth before going to bed: I feel “gross” if I don’t do it.
Did I miss anything?
Daniel_Berman says
Excellent Post!
Josh Wagner says
Great post! I was going to ask you about this on your Sunday Special posts, but you beat me to it. Thanks again, John.
human3rror says
sure thing!
Dave Sandell says
Timely post for me. In the last couple weeks I've become very aware of the need to back everything up. Is there value in backing up your MySql database too?
human3rror says
You can, but, you don't have to if you don't want to in this tutorial.
dewde says
John:
Awesome dude. Way to "scratch your own itch".
peace|dewde
human3rror says
…
rhettsmith says
John,
What about this WP Database Backup plugin I saw? Is that useful? Does that do this job, or not really? I started using that a month ago and everynight the file is emailed to me for the blog backup. But that seems like it's not really doing sufficiently what you describe here.
Rhett
human3rror says
Rhett.
This is one way to do it. I don't put my trust in plugins as much as others do…
rhettsmith says
very wise
Evan Courtney says
What’s an option so that I only download and backup those files that have changed, instead of all of my content daily/weekly.