Manual WordPress Backup: Step-by-Step Guide Without Plugins

Understanding WordPress Backups

A complete WordPress backup includes both your WordPress files and the database.

1. WordPress Files

These comprise your site’s structure, themes, plugins, and uploads. They are essential for maintaining the look and functionality of your site.

2. Database

Contains all your posts, pages, comments, and settings. This is where the content of your site is stored.

Both components are crucial for a full restoration. Without the files, you lose the visual and functional aspects of your site. Without the database, you lose all your content and configurations. Ensuring both are backed up guarantees that you can completely restore your site in case of data loss.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that when you’re considering changing domains, having a recent backup can make the transition smoother. Furthermore, during times of uncertainty or when facing challenges such as those posed by quarantine periods, having a reliable backup system in place can serve as a radar to ensure your website remains secure and recoverable.

Step 1: Backing Up WordPress Files

Backing up WordPress files is crucial for preserving your site’s layout, themes, plugins, and media uploads. To do this manually, you can use an FTP client or cPanel. However, before diving into the backup process, it’s important to ensure that your website is hosted on a secure, reliable and fast WordPress hosting platform. Investing in a professional hosting service can significantly benefit your business’s online success.

Using an FTP Client

An FTP client like FileZilla is a reliable way to connect to your website server and download the necessary files. Here’s how to use FileZilla for backing up your WordPress website:

Download and Install FileZilla: If you haven’t already, download FileZilla from FileZilla’s official site and install it on your computer.
1. Connect to Your Server:Open FileZilla and enter your FTP credentials (host, username, password, port) provided by your hosting service.
1. Click ‘Quickconnect’ to establish the connection.
1. Navigate to Your WordPress Directory:In the ‘Remote Site’ section of FileZilla, navigate to the directory containing your WordPress installation (usually named public_html or www).
1. Download Files:Select all the files and directories within the WordPress directory.
1. Right-click and choose ‘Download’ to save them to a local folder on your machine.

Using cPanel’s File Manager

If you prefer not to use an FTP client, cPanel offers a straightforward method for downloading your entire WordPress directory as a ZIP file:

Access cPanel: Log in to your hosting account and navigate to the cPanel dashboard.
- Open File Manager: Locate and click on ‘File Manager’ under the ‘Files’ section.
- Compress Your WordPress Directory: In the file manager, find your WordPress installation directory (often named public_html).
- Select this directory, right-click, and choose ‘Compress’.
- Opt for ZIP compression and confirm.
- Download the ZIP File: Once compressed, you’ll see a new ZIP file in your directory.
- Select it, right-click, and choose ‘Download’ to save it to your local machine.

Both methods effectively ensure you have a backup of all essential components like themes, plugins, and uploads. Using an FTP client like FileZilla gives you more control over individual files, whereas CPanel’s file manager offers a quick way to compress and download everything at once.

Step 2: Backing Up the Database

Backing up your WordPress database is critical for preserving your site’s content and settings. The database contains all your posts, comments, and site configurations. Here’s how you can back it up manually:

Accessing phpMyAdmin through Your Hosting Provider’s Control Panel

Log in to Your Hosting Control Panel: Most hosting providers offer access to phpMyAdmin through their control panel (e.g., cPanel, Plesk).
Open phpMyAdmin: Locate the phpMyAdmin icon or link within your control panel and click on it.
Select Your Database: In phpMyAdmin, find your WordPress database from the list of databases on the left side of the screen. It typically has a name that includes ‘wp_’ or is named after your site.
Export the Database:
1. Click on the “Export” tab at the top of the page.
1. Choose the export method. Selecting Quick is sufficient for a basic backup.
1. Ensure the format is set to SQL.
1. Click “Go” to download an SQL file of your database.

Using WP-CLI for Database Backup via Command Line

For those with SSH access, WP-CLI offers a streamlined way to back up your database:

Access Your Server via SSH:
1. Open your terminal application (e.g., Terminal on macOS/Linux, PuTTY on Windows).
1. Connect to your server using SSH with a command like ssh username@yourserver.com.
Navigate to Your WordPress Directory:
1. Use the cd command to change directories to where WordPress is installed (e.g., cd /path/to/wordpress).
Run WP-CLI Database Export Command:
1. Execute wp db export backup.sql.
1. This command generates an SQL file named backup.sql in your current directory.

By following these steps, you ensure that both methods will provide you with a complete copy of your WordPress database, ready for restoration if needed.

Ensuring regular backups of both files and databases is essential for maintaining site security and integrity. Consider investing in improved hosting provision with a reliable provider, which can offer better support and resources for managing backups effectively.

Step 3: Determining Backup Frequency and Storage Recommendations for Backups

Backup Frequency Guidelines

The frequency of your backups should align with the activity level and content updates of your site. Here are some general guidelines:

High Activity Sites: If your site sees daily updates such as blog posts, user comments, or e-commerce transactions, consider backing up daily.
Moderate Activity Sites: For sites with weekly content updates, a weekly backup schedule is often sufficient.
Low Activity Sites: Websites updated monthly or less frequently can typically manage with monthly backups.

Regular backups ensure that you have the most current version of your site available for restoration in case of any issues.

Local Storage Solutions

Storing backups on local hard drives or external storage devices has its own set of benefits and drawbacks:

Benefits:

Accessibility: Immediate access to your backups without needing an internet connection.
Control: Complete control over where and how your data is stored.

Drawbacks:

Risk of Data Loss: Physical devices can fail, become corrupted, or be lost/stolen.
Limited Space: Hard drives have finite storage capacity which might not suffice for large websites with extensive media libraries.

Cloud Storage Solutions

Using cloud services for storing backups provides several advantages that local storage cannot match:

Advantages:

Reliability: Cloud services often include redundancy measures to ensure that your data is preserved even if one server fails.
Accessibility: Access your backups from anywhere with an internet connection.
Scalability: Easily increase storage capacity if needed without the hassle of physical hardware upgrades.

Popular cloud storage options include Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon S3. These services provide easy-to-use interfaces and robust security features to keep your data safe.

Balancing between local and cloud storage solutions can offer a comprehensive backup strategy. Keeping multiple copies in different locations mitigates risks associated with data loss and ensures you always have access to the latest version of your site.

Step 4: Restoration Process from Backup

Restoring your WordPress site from a backup involves uploading the saved files back to your server. Here are the detailed steps to perform this task using either FTP or cPanel.

Using FTP:

Connect to Your Server: Open your FTP client (e.g., FileZilla) and connect to your website’s server using your FTP credentials.
Navigate to the WordPress Directory: Locate the WordPress installation directory on your server, typically found in the public_html folder.
Upload Files: Drag and drop the backed-up files from your local storage into the WordPress directory on your server. Ensure that all files, including themes, plugins, and uploads, are properly transferred.

Using cPanel:

Access File Manager: Log in to your hosting provider’s cPanel and navigate to the File Manager.
Go to WordPress Directory: Find the directory containing your WordPress installation, usually within public_html.
Upload ZIP File: Click on the Upload button and select the compressed ZIP file of your backup.
Extract ZIP File: Once uploaded, right-click on the ZIP file and choose Extract to decompress all files into their respective locations.

By following these steps, you ensure that all components of your WordPress site are correctly restored, enabling smooth functionality and appearance as before any data loss occurred.

Considerations When Backing Up Manually

When backing up WordPress manually, there are a few potential issues to keep in mind:

Time-consuming: Manual backups can take a lot of time. You’ll need to set aside time and put in effort to make sure every file and database entry is copied and stored correctly. This process usually involves several steps, like using an FTP client such as FileZilla or going through cPanel.
Error-prone: Mistakes can happen during the backup process, leading to incomplete or corrupted backups. Human errors can occur, such as forgetting to include an important file or incorrectly exporting your database, which can result in restoration failures when you need them the most.

In comparison, automated plugin solutions offer a more streamlined approach. Plugins like UpdraftPlus and BackupBuddy simplify the process by scheduling regular backups and automatically storing them in secure locations such as cloud services. These tools reduce the risk of human error and save you time.

However, manual backups provide a deeper understanding of your site’s structure and data, which can be beneficial in troubleshooting and fine-tuning your backup strategy. Balancing manual methods with automated solutions ensures comprehensive coverage for your backup needs.

Conclusion

Maintaining regular backups is crucial for ensuring the security of your WordPress site. By following this guide on How to Back Up WordPress Manually: A Step-by-Step Guide Without Plugins, you can effectively protect your site from data loss. Regular backups provide a safety net, enabling quick restoration in case of unexpected issues. Make backups a routine part of your site management to safeguard your content and maintain uninterrupted service. Prioritizing regular and secure WordPress site backup practices will keep your site resilient against potential threats.