How to Backup Your Website
You should maintain your Wynchcote website built on the Joomla! platform. And you should backup early and often and update early and often.
Why Back Up?
- You will significantly reduce the risk of losing data from hacker attack, user error or server malfunction.
- You will minimise inconvenience if your website is subject to an attack or corrupted by user error or server malfunction.
- The Official Joomla! Documentation says so (see below)!
"Internet security is a fast moving challenge and ever present threat." Source: The Official Joomla! Security Checklist.
Wynchcote already provides you with a secure web hosting environment, but no shared hosting can ever be totally secure from the ever present threats on the web. For this reason, we strongly advise all our customers to regularly backup and update their Joomla! websites.
There are TWO key elements to consider when Backing Up
There are two elements to consider when considering maintaining a backup of your Joomla! website - files contained in directories on the web server and a database.
1) web directories containing the all important logic files which control the way your site interacts with you and your visitors, as well as all media files (images, audio, video) and any other files you upload (example: MS Word, PDFs and so on).
Hint: 'directories' is just another way of referring to 'folders'.
2) database with tables containing all text displayed by your website, and data needed by the logic files referred to in (1) above.
First lets consider how Joomla! website content is organised:
- Web Directories
- Web Directories
All files related to the operation of your Joomla! website (logic files, uploaded images, videos and all other files) are held in a directory called 'public_html'.
It is a good idea to always keep a copy of uploaded files on your PC and in the same manner in which they are stored on the web server.
See more information here: Backup Uploaded Files.
What is important is that in the event of your website malfunctioning or becoming corrupted then you can quickly and easily replace any content lost from the web server.
Here are some illustrations of a typical server holding a Joomla! installation.
1) the whole server
2) the public_html directory (holding your Joomla! website)
Note:
These images were captured after connecting to the server by FTP (File Transfer Protocol) via Internet Explorer. This method is not however recommended - instead you should use Mozilla FileZilla FTP Uploader if and when you want to upload files to the server. You can alternatively upload image files only through the integral Joomla! content editor when logged into your website.
- Database
- Database
Any data comprising text and numbers which you add to Articles when logged into your Joomla! website is stored in the database.
Advanced users may wish to obtain a 'desktop server' and work on their website offline, uploadiong their revised database and/or tables as and when. This is not recommended for non-advanced users. Instead we recommend adding/editing content after logging in online, and periodically 'exporting' a backup of your database.
Here is an illustration of a Joomla! Databse as it appears when viewed through PhpMyAdmin (via your Wynchcote Hosting Plan Control Panel).
See: How to Backup Your Database.
In Summary
If you have maintained a backup of uploaded files on your PC, and regularly backed up your database, then you should be able to readily replace your website at any future point in the event of your website becoming corrupted or malfunctioning.
Other Issues to Consider
There are however other issues to consider such as, if my website fails, how do I recover Joomla! extensions which I have previously installed?
If you have not made significant changes to installed extensions the you should be able to simply re-install these extensions when you recover your website.
If you have made extensive changes and want to restore these change then this would involve replacing previously backed up files used by these extensions - together with related database tables.
The most complex situation would be an eCommerce website.
A Wynchcote Maintenance Plan should be seriously considered in such circumstances.
Wynchcote Control Panel Help and Support
Your Wynchcote Hosting Plan Control Panel offers a useful contextual guide to assist you.
If you still are not sure what to do then you can contact Wynchcote Support.
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