If you are a WordPress user, then you definitely know the importance of keeping backup copies of the Wordpress files because there is always a risk of losing your data. Sometimes your site might get hack, and then you could lose all the files and databases. That’s horrible, right? There are a lot of ways to secure your WordPress site, but I still think one of the best way is to backup regularly so that you can re-install your files or content and roll backed to your post in no time.
1. Beginners’ Guide: How to Backup Your WordPress Files?
Note: This document will help you backup the WordPress files, if anyone has any
questions, please contact:https://www.mageewp.com/
If you are a WordPress user, then you definitely know the importance of keeping backup
copies of the Wordpress files because there is always a risk of losing your data.
Sometimes your site might get hack, and then you could lose all the files and databases.
That’s horrible, right? There are a lot of ways to secure your WordPress site, but I still
think one of the best way is to backup regularly so that you can re-install your files or
content and roll backedto your post in no time.
First of all, let’s learn about WordPress Files, all the WordPress sites consist of the
following files:
WordPressCore Installation
WordPressPlugins
WordPressThemes
Images and Files
Javascripts, PHP scripts, and other code files
Additional Files and Static Web Pages
Accessing WordPress Files and Directories
First, you will need a FTP client to connect to your WordPress server. An easier
alternative to FTP is File Manager. It is a web based application that comes built into
cPaneldashboard of your WordPresshostingaccount.
Once you have connected to your WordPress site either using FTP or File Manager, you
will see a file and directory structure that lookslike this:
2. Files and folders in the red squares are the core WordPress files. These are the files and
folders that run your WordPress site. You are not supposed to edit those files on your
own.
WordPress Configuration Files
Your WordPress root directory contains some special configuration files. These files
contain important settings specific to your WordPresssite.
.htaccess – A server configuration file, WordPress uses it to manage permalinks
and redirects.
3. wp-config.php – This file tells WordPress how to connect to your database. It also
sets some global settings for your WordPresssite.
index.php – The index file basically loads and initializes all your WordPress files
when a page is requestedby a user.
If you don’t see .htaccess file in your root directory, then checkout our guide on why
youcan’t find .htaccessfile in your WordPressroot directory.
Depending on how your WordPress site is setup, you may or may not have the following
files in your root directory.
robots.txt –Contains instructions for search engines crawlers
Favicon.ico –A faviconfile is sometimes generated by WordPresshosts.
Inside wp-content Folder
WordPressstoresall uploads, plugins, and themes in wp-content folder.
It is generally assumed that you can edit files and folders inside wp-content folder.
However, this is not entirely true.
Let’s take a look inside wp-content folder to understand how it works and what you can
do here.
The contents of wp-content folder may differ from one WordPress site to another. But all
4. WordPresssites usually have these:
[dir] themes
[dir] plugins
[dir] uploads
index.php
WordPress stores your theme files in /wp-content/themes/ folder. You can edit a theme
file, but it is generally not recommended. As soon as you update your theme to a newer
version, your changeswill be overwrittenduring the update.
How to Backup Your WordPress Files?
#1. Backup WordPress Manually
WordPress is a web application based on PHP and MySQL. As such you need to backup
all its files and its database to have a full copy of your site. The easiest way to copy your
files is via FTP. To do this follow the instructions in our tutorial on how to use FTP. Make
sure that you save all the files and folders in the directory WordPress is installed in
(public_html if it's the main application for your site).
#2.Website Host Provided Backup Software
Most website hosts provide software to back up your site. Check with your host to find out
what servicesand programs they provide.
#3. Create Synchs With Your Site
WinSCP and other programs allow you to synchronize with your website to keep a mirror
copy of the content on your server and hard drive updated. It saves time and makes sure
youhave the latest files in both places.
To synchronize your filesin WinScp:
Step 1 - Log in to your ftpserver normally using WinScp.
Step 2 - Press the "Synchronize" button. Remote directory will automatically be set to the
current ftp directory (often your root directory). Local directory would be set to the local
directory as it was when you pressed Synchronize. You may want to change this to some
other directory on your computer. Direction should be set to "local" to copy files FROM
your web host TOyour machine.
SynchronizationMode would be set to Synchronize files.
Step 3 - Click "OK" to show a summary of actions.
Step 4 - Click "OK" again to complete the synchronization.
#4.Use WordPress backup plugins
These plugins are used to take a back up of your critical data, files, tables and save them
to your archives or any of the online storage for free or for a nominal price. Schedule the
storage automatically and manage your entire database with these.
5. BackupBuddy
If you regularly update your site, then it wouldn’t be possible to always keepyour backups
up to date. This is where BackupBuddy comes in. It is a WordPress backup plugin, which
allows you to automatically create complete backups of your WordPress site and save
them on multiple remote locations like a cloud storage service, your computer, FTP
server, etc.
WP Database Backup
WP-DB-Backup plugin creates a backup of your core database tables and also other tables
in the database and gives you an option of saving your back up data either to your server
or download to your computer or save get youbackupfile e-mailed to you.
BackUpWordPress
BackUpWordPress will back up your entire site, including your files and your database, at
a schedule that suits your needs. It requires no setup and works on low memory – an
excellent advantage if you’re operating on a shared host environment. The plugin also
gives you the option to use zip and mysqldump for faster backups. That can be a
significant benefit if time is of the essence.
blogVault
This plugin offers an automated backup solution directly to Dropbox, if that’s your tool of
choice for online file storage. However, blogVault requires some setup, though the
documentation claims that the setup is “easy” and that it will require a minimal
investment of your time.