The impact of the new CMS has been huge. There is more harmony and efficiency, and we have higher-quality components than before. This also allows us to work better together across the company.
Martijn Spaargaren
International Ecommerce & Digital Transformation Manager, Stage Entertainment
Internal stakeholders are pleased with the heightened level of security that the new site offers. AnyforSoft leveraged a collaborative approach to deliver an excellent product. Customers can expect a great service.
Regina Wolf-Berleb
CEO, Projekt Magazin
With the AnyforSoft team's help, the company is able to forecast demand on inventory better. The team members treating the company as their own and doing what’s necessary to accomplish their tasks.
Scott Thompson
President & Founder, Bellame Beauty Inc
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9 min
A Complete Guide: Drupal Backup
As a website owner, you have to protect it from such dangers as viruses, hacking, faulty updates, and more. Even minor software malfunctions, CMS errors, or losing access to a host can be massive trouble to fix as well. If you fail to prevent these issues from happening, they can partially or entirely render your online resource unusable. Moreover, in a worst-case scenario, all of your confidential data can be lost or stolen. Needless to say that you will end up in a dire situation if this was to happen.
Thus, it is best to use Drupal backup if you want to restore your website successfully. You can do so automatically or manually, using the dedicated module, free of charge.
Read also: Drupal hosting comparison and how to choose the best option
Database and file backups are saved on the FTP server, Dropbox, or HPCloud. The process itself is quick and unnoticeable. You can effortlessly restore them no matter the situation. If you encounter any difficulties in doing it on your own, there is no need to worry. You can contact our AnyforSoft representatives to receive professional assistance with any issues you may need to fix. We can provide you with informative consultation regarding every possible aspect of Drupal. Our expert development team has a substantial amount of experience using it in many successful large-scale projects.
What Is Backup and Why Do You Need It?
To prevent your data from being lost, you have to copy it to safe storage. It can be a hard drive of your PC, a remote server of your provider, or a cloud-based file exchange service. Even if your website's vital files would end up being corrupted, you can restore them to their previous condition at any time. Moreover, it would be best to save your backups on multiple secure resources. Besides, you can protect your website by timely migrating to backup hosting.
Drupal backup is the best option for the job if you have to deal with:
Various server or PC malfunctions. If you did not create any backups for safety measures, there is a considerable risk that you would lose your website completely:
Software errors. It is impossible to restore any important files to their previous condition if you did not prepare their backup;
Hacking. Due to the hacker’s attack, your data can be corrupted or stolen. Moreover, criminals can use it intentionally for their material gain. Even the most secure antivirus or firewall cannot protect your website from this threat;
The human factor. In case you or your employers accidentally managed to lose some essential files, they can be easily restored from the backup.
You should not expect that leaving the safety of your website to chance would work out. If you do not protect your data, your files may eventually become corrupted or lost, and there would be no way for you to restore them. There are many ways and methods you can apply to the creation of a backup. Nevertheless, all of them have a specific purpose. They have to protect your website and its data in case of an emergency. Thus, we decided to give you some helpful pointers on how to use Drupal because our company has a lot of experience with it. In case you still have any questions after reading this article, do not worry. You can contact our knowledgeable representatives for further consultation at your convenience.
Read also: The business case of Drupal 8 to Drupal 9 migration.
How Often To Make Backups
Website owners usually make not one but multiple backups periodically for an extended duration of time. Sometimes, the problems with a portal can appear later, so you cannot fix your current issue using a backup file you created a long time ago. A virus can stealthily enter your system and remain there for days or weeks without being noticed.
Unfortunately, it is immensely challenging to get rid of the majority of them. Thus, the most sensible and practical solution would be to delete the affected files and restore them from a recently made backup.
So how frequently do you have to back up your data, and how many copies of it do you have to make? It depends on how often you introduce any modifications to your website. If you have to work with a significant amount of data that gets updated regularly, it is best to save your backup files more often. In some cases, you can even make a backup drupal site.
To ensure the safety of your website, you can use one of the following backup organization plans:
Arranging daily scheduled data backup;
Saving day-to-day backups during the month;
Creating weekly backups during the quarter of the year;
Making monthly backup files during the year.
However, we strongly advise you to create a backup of your website, even if it is unscheduled. It has to be done before each CMS, database, or plugin update. It would be ideal to have every backup file that you have made during the year at your disposal. In our experience, for most websites, you have to create at least one or two backups per month to have twelve or twenty-five of them overall.
Drupal Backup and Migrate
A free of charge Drupal Backup and Migrate module will allow you to backup or restore databases and files from your website with ease.
The installation of this module is simple:
Download it from drupal.org;
Install and connect it in the “Modules” directory.
How to backup a Drupal database in its current state?
On a module configuration page admin/config/system/backup_migrate, you can select the files that you want to archive and where to save them.To continue the process, you have to do the following steps:
Add and save a new profile on a dedicated tab. In its settings, there are only two options that you need to focus on: state the name and timestamp for your backup file and the way it is going to be compressed. Choose Zip as a compression format.
Go to the “Backup” directory. Clicking on “Backup now” will save a copy of your database on your PC. Alternatively, clicking on “Manual Backups Directory” will save it in sites/default/files/backup_migrate/manual. You can change the default path according to your exact specifications.
Click “Start backup now” and save the file on your PC.
How to configure an automatic database backup file and forward it to your email address?
Since it is an extremely easy task to accomplish, this short guide will tell you everything you need to know.
To configure an automatic scheduled backup with its forwarding to a designated email address, you have to:
Open the “Destinations” tab and click on “Add a destination”.
Select “Email” to attach an archive to a letter that will be sent to a designated email address. Here you need to choose and save a designation’s name and set your preferred email address.
Go to the “Schedule” tab and click on “Add a schedule”.
Here you need to fill in all forms without exception. You need to state a task’s name, select profile settings as well as backup frequency, and where it will be saved. All you need to do after that is to save your schedule.
Congratulations! The periodical backup will now be automatic, and all files will be sent to a designated email address. It concludes our guide on how to use the Backup and Migrate module.
How to make a Drupal backup file?
The backup itself is made by a Backup and Migrate Files module. However, it is worth mentioning that this process is more convenient to be done manually.
Thus it is vital to know what files and folders you have to focus on:
Catalog /sites ─ is a key folder in Drupal, containing a file with your settings, theme, and installed modules. It must be frequently saved to ensure that all your user profile settings can be restored no matter the circumstances.
Both .htaccess and robot.txt files are vital for the recovery of your website. Thus, it is necessary to have their backup files saved from the moment you have created your site. Ideally, you have to save these files every time you will implement any changes whatsoever.
How to use a backup file?
To recover your databases from a backup file, select “Restore,” then click on “Advanced settings”.All you need to do after that is to tick the “Take site offline” option and press “Restore now”.
If your site is working, it is also possible to restore any other files that you may need. You can select any backup files you may have that were created several days earlier. Pick an archive that contains all files you want to restore and click “Recovery.” However, you need to create a backup of the current state of your database first.
If your site does not work, then you have to do the following:
Load a database of your website from an archive made by the Backup and Migrate module.
Transfer all Drupal files onto your server. You can use a free FTP client called FileZilla.
Load .htaccess, robot.txt, and /sites folder into a root catalog. If your database's location has changed, you need to edit settings.php in /sites/default catalog.
Best practices of Drupal backup
General guidelines for creating and using backup:
Save your backup files before every Drupal update, without exception. Your database can become damaged in the process, or you can accidentally delete an /sites directory. You would not be able to run your website after that, so be sure to get it covered.
Make a backup file each time you have to update, transfer, or clean your database. Also, make sure to get it saved before every single optimization or even its entire replacement.
Use an automatic backup of your database and frequently save the copy of /sites folder on your PC. Make frequent daily, weekly, or monthly backups or create them whenever you deem necessary.
Date every single backup file you make and store them on a different web server. Remember that if your important data is not saved in at least three places, then it is not well-protected at all.
Learn more about the policies of your internet provider or web hosting. Many of them have a dedicated backup plan that can be used every 24 hours. If they do not have one, you need to make it yourself.
Assess the cyclicality of your backup by defining the amount of data you can afford to lose in case of an emergency. Document and thoroughly test both your backup and recovery procedures.
This is everything that you need to know about how to back up a website using Drupal. We hope that our article and recommendations listed in it will help you create a reliable backup system. By following these simple guidelines, you will avoid and prevent any issues that may happen with your website. If you have any doubts, contact our AnyforSoft support representatives at any time. We know everything about Drupal, so we will help you deal with any problem you may have with your site quickly and easily!
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