What can be worse than losing data that you have no backup of? Imagine losing the entire content of a website. It is the worse thing that can happen to anyone. If you want to safeguard yourself, you can check this article on 13 dangerous mistakes people make and get their websites hacked & how to avoid these.
It is a worthwhile saying – “Prevention is better than Cure.” It is important to safeguard your data so that you always have peace of mind. If you have taken a backup, you can rest assured that you would be able to recover your data.
An effective backup solution is one in which the entire backup is done and not parts of it. It must be powerful enough to withstand technical glitches over time. In one of our previous posts, you got to know about iThemes Security Pro, which is an amazing tool to secure your website. In this one, we would be talking about a popular and reputed backup solution from the same company that provides iThemes Security Pro – Backup buddy.
BackupBuddy from iThemes is one of the best tools on the market today. Let us dig deeper.
What does BackupBuddy do?
BackupBuddy takes a backup of the entire site in case of:
· Malware.
· Hackers.
· User errors.
· Deleted files.
· Bad commands.
· Server crashes.
It backups the entire contents of your WordPress site, including:
· Posts.
· Comments.
· Pages.
· Widgets.
· Themes.
· Plugin files.
· WordPress settings.
· Media library uploads.
· Theme and plugin settings.
· WordPress database.
· Categories and tags.
· WordPress core files.
· Images and videos.
· Users.
· Custom post types.
How can your website benefit from using BackupBuddy?
Considering that BackupBuddy performs a solid backup of your site and the contents, your site is as safe as can be.
1. Customize your backup.
When you perform a backup with BackupBuddy, you can choose to backup:
· Individual files such as those having .htaccess, .html or .php extensions.
· Database – this is a savior when you have encountered accidental deletion of a comment, post, or even a page.
· The entire site.
· Smart Backup Profiles of BackupBuddy 8.0 allows you to back up plugins only, themes only or media files only. They can later be downloaded as well.
2. Schedule backups.
BackupBuddy allows you to schedule backups of your site ranging from hourly, to twice a day, once daily, all the way up to weekly, bi-weekly and so on. The automatic WordPress backup executes the activity, which saves you time.
3. Remote storing of backup files.
When the backup is completed, you can store your files on remote storage apps such as Google Drive, Amazon 53, Rackspace Cloud, Dropbox, BackupBuddy Stash, or email. This ensures the complete safety and security of your site as well as the contents.
4. Download zip files.
After the backup is done, the entire contents of the site can be compressed into a zip folder and downloaded into your system.
5. Restore with the backup files.
Migrating or restoring your site with the backup files is possible. ImportBuddy is the tool that assists in this. You can even migrate your site to a new domain or a host with this tool. It can be downloaded within the BackupBuddy menu itself. This is particularly helpful when there is an unexpected error.
6. Email notifications.
You can Get notifications on email when the BackupBuddy completes the backup. You also get alerts when there is a malfunction detected during the backup.
7. Real-time backup.
Using the BackupBuddy Stash Live, it performs a backup in real-time. It is capable of backing up large files, and it also takes a periodic snapshot of your site. You can preview the contents before you make your site live with the Deployment feature. The plugins or the files that are going to be transferred can be viewed and modified.
How can I update to the new version?
BackupBuddy very recently underwent an upgrade. Many users have 7.0, but the latest is BackupBuddy 8.0. Making an upgrade can be done is three different ways.
1. For licensed sites, access the WordPress dashboard. Locate the Update page and click on it. The update will commence automatically.
2. The second method requires you to access the iThemes Sync Dashboard. Here you can choose to Update All and update BackupBuddy as well as plugins and themes that need to be updated.
3. If you are a client of Current BackupBuddy, Toolkit, or Plugin Suite, you will need to download the file manually first. Locate the iThemes Member Panel and go to the Download page. A zip file of BackupBuddy 8.0 will be available for download.
Final thoughts.
Unlike many tools that have a negative aspect attached to it, BackupBuddy is literally the best backup tool for WordPress websites. It is easy to use but very robust in performance. With different packages for individuals, bloggers, and a Gold package, it caters to everyone’s needs.
