Regular backups are essential to protect your website from data loss. In this guide, we explain how to create and restore backups in DirectAdmin, so you always have a safe copy of your website.

Why Backups Are Important

A backup is a complete copy of your website, database, and settings. Without a good backup, you are vulnerable to various risks. Think of hacking attempts where malicious individuals breach your website, human errors such as accidentally deleting important files, problematic updates that make your website inaccessible, server issues due to hardware failures, or website migrations where you need to transfer all data.

With a good backup, you can quickly restore your website in all these situations without spending much time and effort.

What’s Included in a Backup?

A complete backup contains the following components:

• Website files: All files in your public_html folder, including images, scripts, and configuration files
• Databases: All your MySQL databases with all stored data such as posts, products, and user information
• Email: Email accounts, messages, and settings (optional to set up)
• Settings: DNS records, SSL certificates, and server configurations

Automatic Backups at Theory7

At Theory7, we create daily automatic backups of your hosting account. These backups are kept for 7 days on a separate backup server. If you need an automatic backup, please contact our support team. We can then restore the desired backup for you.

However, it is wise to also regularly create manual backups yourself. This way, you always have an extra safety net and can keep backups longer than the standard 7 days.

Creating a Manual Backup

Step 1: Navigate to Backup in DirectAdmin

1. Log in to DirectAdmin with your user credentials
2. Look for **Backup** or **Site Backup** in the menu
3. Click on **Create/Restore Backups** to open the backup tool

Step 2: Select What You Want to Backup

On the backup screen, you will see various options. Check what you want to include in the backup:

• Domain - All website files in your public_html folder
• Databases - Your MySQL databases with all content
• Email - Email accounts and stored messages (optional, takes up a lot of space)

For most websites, a backup of Domain and Databases is sufficient.

Step 3: Create and Download the Backup

1. Click the **Create Backup** button to start the process
2. Wait for DirectAdmin to create the backup (this may take a few minutes for large websites)
3. Download the generated file via the File Manager or via FTP
4. Save the file to a secure external location such as an external hard drive or cloud storage

Backup File Location

After creating a backup, you will find the file in the folder within your DirectAdmin account. The filename contains the date and time of the backup.

Database Backup via phpMyAdmin

Want to create a backup of just your database? You can do this quickly via phpMyAdmin:

1. Go to **MySQL Management** in DirectAdmin and click on **phpMyAdmin**
2. Log in and select the database you want to back up from the left
3. Click on the **Export** tab at the top
4. Select **Quick** as the export method and **SQL** as the format
5. Click **Go** and the file will be downloaded immediately

This method is handy if you want to quickly create a database backup for testing changes.

Restoring Backups

Full Restore from DirectAdmin

1. Go to **Create/Restore Backups** in DirectAdmin
2. Click on the **Restore** tab
3. Select the backup file you want to restore (upload first if necessary)
4. Check which components you want to restore (Domain, Databases, Email)
5. Click **Restore** to start the restoration process

Note: A restore overwrites all existing files and data. First, make a backup of the current situation before restoring an older backup.

Database Restore via phpMyAdmin

To restore just a database:

1. Open phpMyAdmin via DirectAdmin
2. Select the correct database in the left sidebar
3. Click on the **Import** tab
4. Click **Choose File** and select your backup file
5. Leave the default settings and click **Go**
6. Wait for the import to complete

Backup Strategy for Optimal Protection

A good backup strategy takes into account frequency and retention period:

Golden Rule: Keep backups in at least 2 different physical locations. For example, a local hard drive and a cloud storage service.

Practical Tips for Backup Management

1. Automate your backups - Use WordPress plugins like UpdraftPlus or BackWPup for automatic scheduled backups to cloud storage
2. Test regularly - Periodically check if your backups actually work by restoring them in a test environment
3. Document your backup locations - Note where your backups are located so you can quickly find them in an emergency
4. Remove old backups - Clean up outdated backups to save storage space, but always keep at least the last month
5. Make a backup before updates - Always make a backup before making major changes such as plugin updates or WordPress core updates

Common Mistakes with Backups

Avoid these common mistakes:

• Only backups on the same server - If the server crashes, you lose everything including the backups
• Never testing if backups work - A backup that you cannot restore is worthless
• Making too few backups - Once a month is too little for an active website
• Relying only on hosting backups - Also create your own backups for extra security

Related Articles

• Using the DNS Zone Editor in DirectAdmin
• Changing PHP Version in DirectAdmin
• Setting Up Cron Jobs in DirectAdmin

Need Help?

We are here for you! Are you facing any issues or have questions? Our support team is happy to assist you personally. Send us a message via the ticket system - we usually respond within a few hours and are happy to help.