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WordPress

Backup and Restore

4.9 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Based on 56 ratings
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Andrew Eaton

This course is about giving you the knowledge to backup your WP sites and if the need arises, being able to restore your site from those backups. The process must be quick, easy and most important, error free.

In this course we are going to create an ALL-IN-

We will create a server level backup solution that will backup your database and site files to either the server that is hosting the site or to a remote server. 

Read more

This course is about giving you the knowledge to backup your WP sites and if the need arises, being able to restore your site from those backups. The process must be quick, easy and most important, error free.

In this course we are going to create an ALL-IN-

We will create a server level backup solution that will backup your database and site files to either the server that is hosting the site or to a remote server. 

After being setup, the entire backup process will be automated and require no interaction on your part. We will also cover, in detail, the correct process to restore a WordPress site from the backups we created.

A backup is the process of keeping a duplicate copy of your site. Keeping a backup copy of your site is extremely important. Backups act as a safety net, that allows you to restore or rollback a site back to its original state in a matter of minutes.

You never know when disaster may strike. Don't put months of work at risk by not implementing a backup plan for your site. It's essential that you are in a position to restore your site back to its original state.

Why do you need a WordPress backup?

  • If you server's storage device crashes, you'll need to reconfigure the entire server first and then restore your site from a backup located on a remote server.

  • With every new update, there always seems to be a compatibility issue. Some of these issues are serious enough to take your site down. It's easy to roll back to an earlier version of your site, delete the site files and the database and restore both from backup - problem solved.

  • If you accidentally deleted content from your site, no problem, simply restore the latest backup and your content will be restored to the site.

  • There is no need to panic if your site is suddenly displaying ads for another site or if your site has been defaced. Delete the site files and the database and restore both from backup - problem solved. Then you need to find the vulnerable plugin that created a situation that allowed your site to be hacked.

Backup plugins are not the solution.

The golden rule of WordPress, use as few plugins as possible. With each additional plugin added to your site, the possibility of vulnerabilities being introduced increases and you are adding more bloat which in turn will slow down your site.

Googling "WordPress backup plugin vulnerability" returns between 200 000 and 500 000 results. Top of the list displays a backup plugin vulnerability that impacted over 3 million users.

There is no comparison between a server level and plugin backup. Server level backups are much faster than plugin-based backups and offer none of the security issues that accompany using plugins.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Create an all in one wordpress backup solution without using any plugins
  • Create a server level backup solution that will backup your database and site files to either the server that is hosting the site or to a remote server
  • The entire backup process is automated and require no interaction on your part
  • The correct procedure to restore a wordpress site from the backups

Syllabus

The entire WordPress backup process is going to be automated and run unattended. This is Part 2 of the lecture that deals with automating backups.

Read more

The entire WordPress backup process is going to be automated and run unattended. This is Part 3 of the lecture that deals with automating backups.

Welcome to my WordPress Backup and Restore course. You are going to learn how to setup an ALL IN ONE backup solution for your WordPress sites.

There are two parts to a WordPress backup: the database and the php, css, js, media files, which I'm going to refer to as the site files. Each part needs to be backed up separately: the database will be backed up as an SQL file. this is Part 1 of WordPress database backups.

There are two parts to a WordPress backup: the database and the php, css, js, media files, which I'm going to refer to as the site files. Each part needs to be backed up separately: the database will be backed up as an SQL file. this is Part 2 of WordPress database backups.

There are two parts to a WordPress backup: the database and the php, css, js, media files, which I'm going to refer to as the site files. Each part needs to be backed up separately: this lecture deals with WordPress file backups

The entire WordPress backup process is going to be automated and run unattended. This is Part 1 of the lecture that deals with automating backups.

With local backups, you need to download the backup files from the server on a regular basis using either scp or sFTP. There are various tools available that will allow you to login and download the backups to your local machine.

I prefer to store my backups in two locations.

The first location is the on same server that contains the sites I'm backing up and the second location is a remote server. This gives us excellent redundancy in the event of our production server's storage device crashing.

To start using remote backups, we need to create a new server instance and then configure a server as our backup server. As with any server instance you create, it needs to be hardened before you start using the server to store your backups. This is Part 1 of the lecture dealing with creating and hardening the server we are going to use as our remote backup server.

To start using remote backups, we need to create a new server instance and then configure a server as our backup server. As with any server instance you create, it needs to be hardened before you start using the server to store your backups. This is Part 2 of the lecture dealing with creating and hardening the server we are going to use as our remote backup server.

To start using remote backups, we need to create a new server instance and then configure a server as our backup server. As with any server instance you create, it needs to be hardened before you start using the server to store your backups. This is Part 3 of the lecture dealing with creating and hardening the server we are going to use as our remote backup server.

To start using remote backups, we need to create a new server instance and then configure a server as our backup server. As with any server instance you create, it needs to be hardened before you start using the server to store your backups. This is Part 4 of the lecture dealing with creating and hardening the server we are going to use as our remote backup server.

To start using remote backups, we need to create a new server instance and then configure a server as our backup server. As with any server instance you create, it needs to be hardened before you start using the server to store your backups. This is Part 5 of the lecture dealing with creating and hardening the server we are going to use as our remote backup server.

It's important that you are able to access your remote backup server from your local PC or MAC and each of your production servers using ssh key authentication. In this lecture we configure access to our remote backup server from our local machine and each of our production servers.

Remote sync or RSYNC is a remote and local file synchronization tool, that is used to sync files between remote and local servers. It uses an algorithm that minimizes the amount of data copied by only moving the portions of files that have changed. RSYNC is installed and available to use by default in almost all server distributions.

RSYNC is easy to use, all you need to remember is that you push files to remote server and pull files from remote servers. Push means you are sending files to a remote server, while pulling means you are receiving files from a remote server.

We are going to use RSYNC to push and pull our backups from server to server.

This is Part 1 of the RSYNC lecture.

Remote sync or RSYNC is a remote and local file synchronization tool, that is used to sync files between remote and local servers. It uses an algorithm that minimizes the amount of data copied by only moving the portions of files that have changed. RSYNC is installed and available to use by default in almost all server distributions.

RSYNC is easy to use, all you need to remember is that you push files to remote server and pull files from remote servers. Push means you are sending files to a remote server, while pulling means you are receiving files from a remote server.

We are going to use RSYNC to push and pull our backups from server to server.

This is Part 2 of the RSYNC lecture.

Remote sync or RSYNC is a remote and local file synchronization tool, that is used to sync files between remote and local servers. It uses an algorithm that minimizes the amount of data copied by only moving the portions of files that have changed. RSYNC is installed and available to use by default in almost all server distributions.

RSYNC is easy to use, all you need to remember is that you push files to remote server and pull files from remote servers. Push means you are sending files to a remote server, while pulling means you are receiving files from a remote server.

We are going to use RSYNC to push and pull our backups from server to server.

This is Part 3 of the RSYNC lecture.

Remote sync or RSYNC is a remote and local file synchronization tool, that is used to sync files between remote and local servers. It uses an algorithm that minimizes the amount of data copied by only moving the portions of files that have changed. RSYNC is installed and available to use by default in almost all server distributions.

RSYNC is easy to use, all you need to remember is that you push files to remote server and pull files from remote servers. Push means you are sending files to a remote server, while pulling means you are receiving files from a remote server.

We are going to use RSYNC to push and pull our backups from server to server.

This is Part 4 of the RSYNC lecture.

You can look at restoring a WordPress site in the same way as if you are manually installing a WordPress site.

You create the database and instead if WordPress populating the database during the installation, you are populating the newly created database manually, but restoring the sql file.

Instead of copying the configuring the WordPress files and directories during the installation process, you are manually copying the files to the document root of the site.

This is Part 1 of the lecture dealing with Restoring a WordPress site from Backup

You can look at restoring a WordPress site in the same way as if you are manually installing a WordPress site.

You create the database and instead if WordPress populating the database during the installation, you are populating the newly created database manually, but restoring the sql file.

Instead of copying the configuring the WordPress files and directories during the installation process, you are manually copying the files to the document root of the site.

This is Part 2 of the lecture dealing with Restoring a WordPress site from Backup

You can look at restoring a WordPress site in the same way as if you are manually installing a WordPress site.

You create the database and instead if WordPress populating the database during the installation, you are populating the newly created database manually, but restoring the sql file.

Instead of copying the configuring the WordPress files and directories during the installation process, you are manually copying the files to the document root of the site.

This is Part 3 of the lecture dealing with Restoring a WordPress site from Backup

In this section we are going to setup block storage

Thank you for taking my course.

At this stage you've setup a plugin free backup solution, that will push your backup files to your storage server. The entire process is automated and requires no interaction on your part. Your days of worrying about backups are over. We also have redundancy, as the latest backup is being stored on the production server as well as our backup server.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Focuses on server-level backups, which are faster and more secure than plugin-based backups, and this is a critical consideration for maintaining website integrity
Covers automating the entire WordPress backup process, which saves time and reduces the risk of forgetting to perform backups, and this is essential for disaster recovery
Explores backing up both the database and site files separately, which is a comprehensive approach to data protection and ensures complete restoration capabilities
Details the correct procedure to restore a WordPress site from backups, which is crucial for recovering from server crashes, compatibility issues, accidental content deletion, or security breaches
Requires creating and hardening a separate server instance for remote backups, which may involve additional costs and technical expertise for some users, and this is a barrier to entry
Emphasizes using RSYNC to push and pull backups from a remote server, which requires familiarity with command-line tools and server administration, and this may be a challenge for beginners

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Reviews summary

Server-level wordpress backup and restore

According to learners, this course provides a highly effective and plugin-free approach to backing up and restoring WordPress sites. Students particularly appreciate the focus on server-level solutions and automation using standard tools like rsync and cron. The course is seen as a professional and secure alternative to reliance on plugins. However, some students note that it requires a certain level of comfort with the command line interface and server administration, making it potentially challenging for absolute beginners without prior technical background. The restore process is clearly explained, offering confidence in recovering a site when needed.
Useful but potentially advanced content.
"The server hardening part was good info but felt a bit beyond the core topic."
"The hardening steps were useful for setting up the remote server."
"While relevant for setting up a backup server, the hardening lectures required extra focus."
"This section was quite detailed and probably for more advanced users."
Effective guide for restoring sites.
"The restore section is particularly useful, showing how to get your site back up quickly."
"Restoring from the backups created in the course is straightforward and error-free."
"The process for restoring the database and files was explained very clearly."
"Felt confident in my ability to restore after completing this section."
Clear instructions for automating backups.
"The section on automating backups with cron was very detailed and easy to follow."
"Learned how to set up automated backups using rsync and SSH keys."
"The automation process is explained step-by-step, making it easy to implement."
"Setting up remote backups with rsync was clearly demonstrated."
Highly effective alternative to backup plugins.
"Learned to backup and restore without a plugin and using only the command line which I prefer now for security reasons."
"This course provides a robust and secure method for backing up your WordPress site without relying on potentially vulnerable plugins."
"Avoiding plugins for backups is a major plus, and this course shows you exactly how to do it at the server level."
"I prefer this command-line approach to plugins for performance and security."
Best suited for those comfortable with CLI.
"You need some previous experience with Linux CLI."
"This is probably not for the beginner, you need to be comfortable with accessing your server via SSH."
"Requires a basic understanding of command line which wasn't immediately clear, but valuable skills learned."
"Might be a steep learning curve if you've never used a terminal before."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in WordPress: Backup and Restore with these activities:
Review Basic Server Administration
Reinforce your understanding of server administration concepts, as this course involves server-level backups and restoration.
Browse courses on Server Management
Show steps
  • Review common server commands.
  • Familiarize yourself with file system navigation.
  • Practice basic user management tasks.
Read 'WordPress Complete'
Gain a broader understanding of WordPress, which will help you appreciate the importance of backups and the restoration process.
View WordPress 3 Complete by Silver, April Hodge... on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the chapters on WordPress installation and configuration.
  • Review the sections on themes and plugins.
  • Skim the chapters on security and maintenance.
Practice Manual WordPress Backup
Solidify your understanding of the manual backup process, which is a foundational skill for automated backups.
Show steps
  • Manually back up your WordPress database using phpMyAdmin or a similar tool.
  • Manually copy your WordPress files to a separate directory.
  • Verify the integrity of your backup files.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Follow Rsync Tutorials
Deepen your knowledge of Rsync, a crucial tool for remote backups covered in the course.
Show steps
  • Find online tutorials on using Rsync for file synchronization.
  • Practice using Rsync to copy files between local and remote servers.
  • Experiment with different Rsync options and flags.
Set Up a Test WordPress Environment
Create a safe environment to practice backup and restore procedures without affecting a live site.
Show steps
  • Install WordPress on a local server or a staging environment.
  • Populate the test site with sample content.
  • Regularly back up and restore the test site to simulate real-world scenarios.
Document Your Backup Process
Reinforce your understanding by documenting the steps involved in your backup and restore process.
Show steps
  • Create a step-by-step guide for backing up your WordPress site.
  • Create a step-by-step guide for restoring your WordPress site.
  • Include screenshots and detailed explanations.
Discuss Backup Strategies with Peers
Learn from others' experiences and gain new perspectives on WordPress backup and restore strategies.
Show steps
  • Join online forums or communities related to WordPress.
  • Share your backup and restore methods with other users.
  • Ask questions and learn from others' experiences.

Career center

Learners who complete WordPress: Backup and Restore will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
WordPress Administrator
WordPress administrators are responsible for the upkeep, security, and stability of WordPress websites. The ability to perform effective backups and restores is critical for this role. This course focuses on creating an all-in-one WordPress backup solution without plugins. It introduces server-level backups and automated processes. WordPress administrators can use the skills from this course to safeguard websites against data loss, quickly recover from issues, and maintain site integrity without relying on potentially vulnerable plugins, ensuring the websites they manage are secure.
See salaries and explore the career path for WordPress Administrator
Web Developer
A web developer often works with content management systems like WordPress, making the ability to implement backup and restore strategies essential. Web developers are often called upon to recover websites after errors, updates, or security breaches. This course provides the know-how to create automated, plugin-free backup solutions. With the course's modules on server-level backups and remote storage, a web developer gains vital skills that help to ensure site reliability and data protection, a critical aspect of their work. You will be able to quickly restore sites from backups.
See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer
Systems Administrator
Systems administrators must ensure data integrity and availability across various systems. This course is about creating an all-in-one WordPress backup solution. Systems administrators can use the server-level backup techniques learned in this course to protect WordPress websites. The automated backup processes detailed in the course help improve their efficiency and reduce the risk of data loss. Systems administrators will be able to store backups on separate servers, adding redundancy to the backup solution.
See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Administrator
IT Support Specialist
IT support specialists frequently deal with data recovery and system maintenance. This course provides a strong foundation in creating automated server-level backups. IT support specialists can use the knowledge from this course to implement backup and restore solutions for WordPress websites. The course helps you learn to manually backup a WordPress site and automate the entire process. This adds value to their skill set by enabling them to resolve website issues and implement proactive data protection measures.
See salaries and explore the career path for IT Support Specialist
Technical Consultant
Technical consultants advise clients on technology solutions and best practices. This course covers the setup of complete WordPress backup solutions without plugins, and helps technical consultants provide valuable recommendations to clients on data protection strategies for their WordPress sites. By understanding server-level backups and automated processes, a technical consultant can design and implement effective, secure, and reliable backup solutions that minimize the risk of data loss and ensure quick recovery times for their clients.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Consultant
Solutions Architect
Solutions architects design and implement comprehensive technology solutions. This course may be useful for solutions architects involved in WordPress website deployments. They can leverage the skills from this course to design robust backup and recovery strategies that ensure data protection and business continuity. The modules on server-level backups, remote storage, and automated processes help solutions architects create scalable and secure WordPress environments. The course addresses the need for redundancy in backup solutions by storing backups on separate servers.
See salaries and explore the career path for Solutions Architect
DevOps Engineer
DevOps engineers work to automate and streamline software development and deployment processes. This course provides an introduction to automating WordPress backups at the server level. DevOps engineers can integrate these techniques into their automation workflows, ensuring that WordPress websites are regularly backed up without manual intervention. The knowledge about using RSYNC to push and pull backups from remote machines may be useful to DevOps engineers. The course can help them to manage and protect WordPress sites within a larger infrastructure.
See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer
IT Manager
IT managers oversee the IT infrastructure of an organization, including data backup and disaster recovery. This course may be useful to IT managers looking to improve backup strategies for WordPress websites. With the skills from this course, IT managers can implement automated, server-level backups that minimize the risk of data loss. This course can help IT managers ensure that their organization's WordPress sites are protected, secure, and easily recoverable in case of any issues. You will manage two parts to a WordPress backup: the database and the site files.
See salaries and explore the career path for IT Manager
Cloud Solutions Architect
Cloud solutions architects design, implement, and manage cloud-based solutions. This course may be useful to cloud solutions architects involved in hosting and managing WordPress websites on cloud platforms. Knowing how to create automated, plugin-free backup solutions helps cloud solutions architects design robust backup and recovery strategies. The knowledge on remote backups and using RSYNC will be most useful. This course will provide the means to ensure the WordPress sites hosted on the cloud are recoverable.
See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Solutions Architect
Data Recovery Specialist
Data recovery specialists are responsible for retrieving lost or damaged information from various storage devices and systems. A data recovery specialist may find value in this course that focuses on creating WordPress backup solutions. Understanding server-level backups and restoration processes gives the data recovery specialist knowledge about the WordPress platform. It may be useful in helping them to develop additional strategies for recovering WordPress websites. You learn how to restore a WordPress site from backup.
See salaries and explore the career path for Data Recovery Specialist
Information Security Analyst
Information security analysts protect an organization's data and systems from cyber threats. This course, which emphasizes plugin-free backup solutions, may be useful for information security analysts. Knowing how to create server-level backups that avoid plugin vulnerabilities helps them to enhance the security posture of WordPress websites. The modules on hardening backup servers also align with security best practices, and they can benefit from learning how to avoid plugin vulnerabilities that impact WordPress sites.
See salaries and explore the career path for Information Security Analyst
Database Administrator
Database administrators manage and maintain database systems, ensuring data integrity and availability. This course might be useful for a database administrator who manages databases associated with WordPress installations. The course provides training on how to create and automate WordPress backups, which include backing up the database as an SQL file. This will help database administrators ensure that the WordPress databases they manage are backed up. You will learn how to manually backup a WordPress site.
See salaries and explore the career path for Database Administrator
Quality Assurance Tester
Quality assurance testers evaluate software and systems to ensure they meet quality standards and function correctly. The course may be useful for quality assurance testers involved in testing WordPress websites and updates. Knowing how to restore a WordPress site from backup allows them to quickly revert to a previous state if issues arise during testing. They will be able to add redundancy to the backup solution. This expedites the testing process and helps ensure a stable website environment.
See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Tester
Digital Strategist
Digital strategists develop and implement digital marketing strategies to achieve business goals. This course may be useful for digital strategists who manage or oversee WordPress websites as part of their marketing efforts. Understanding the importance of website backups and the ability to restore sites quickly helps ensure business continuity. You will learn how to push and pull backups from a remote server. The course may help digital strategists mitigate risks associated with website downtime or data loss.
See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Strategist
Content Manager
Content managers oversee the creation, distribution, and maintenance of digital content. A content manager may find this course helpful for protecting the content they manage on WordPress websites. Knowing how to backup and restore a WordPress site ensures that content is not lost due to technical issues or security breaches. The course teaches automated backup solutions. Content managers can use this course to proactively safeguard their valuable content and minimize the risk of data loss.
See salaries and explore the career path for Content Manager

Reading list

We've selected one books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in WordPress: Backup and Restore.
Cover image
Wordpress 3 Complete
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of WordPress, covering everything from basic setup to advanced customization. It's a useful resource for understanding the WordPress ecosystem and how backups fit into the overall management of a WordPress site. While not specifically about backups, it provides valuable context.
WordPress 3 Complete by Silver, April Hodge (2011)...
Paperback
$$

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Rating
4.9 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Effort
4 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Andrew Eaton
Language
English
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Focuses on server-level backups, which are faster and more secure than plugin-based backups, and this is a critical consideration for maintaining website integrity
Covers automating the entire WordPress backup process, which saves time and reduces the risk of forgetting to perform backups, and this is essential for disaster recovery
Explores backing up both the database and site files separately, which is a comprehensive approach to data protection and ensures complete restoration capabilities
Details the correct procedure to restore a WordPress site from backups, which is crucial for recovering from server crashes, compatibility issues, accidental content deletion, or security breaches
Requires creating and hardening a separate server instance for remote backups, which may involve additional costs and technical expertise for some users, and this is a barrier to entry
Emphasizes using RSYNC to push and pull backups from a remote server, which requires familiarity with command-line tools and server administration, and this may be a challenge for beginners
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