Website Backup and Restoration Using Hosting Control Panels

Performing a correct website backup and restoration strategy is one thing every owner of a website should do-be it a personal blog or an online business-since losses are terrible in case data is lost. Thankfully, most of the hosting control panels include various tools in order to effectively backup and restore your data. In this article, we take a look at some of the effective backup and restore strategies using popular hosting control panels: aaPanel, cPanel and Plesk.

Contents List

• Why Backup is Important
• Understanding Hosting Control Panels
• Website Backup Strategy Using Control Panels
• Website Restore Strategies Using Control Panels
• Best Practices for Website Backup and Restore
• Conclusion

Why Backup is Important

First, let’s understand why backups are necessary. Data loss can occur for a number of reasons, including:

• Accidental Deletion: Users and administrators can accidentally delete files.
• Malware Attacks: Websites can be compromised by malware that corrupts data.
• Server Failures: Data loss is one of the many failures due to hardware or software.
• Natural Disasters: Floods and fire can damage the servers physically.

A good backup strategy would guarantee that your website quickly restores with minimal downtime possible.

Understanding Hosting Control Panels

Web hosting control panels offer a friendly interface to simplify the management of web hosting accounts. They provide domain management, file management, database management, and many other features. Three of the most famous control panels are aaPanel, cPanel and Plesk. All provide robust backup solutions.

aaPanel

Recently, aaPanel has emerged as a free-of-cost open-source control panel featuring a modern UI with advanced features, integration of website backup and restoration functionality. Its intuitive design helps users of every level be at ease with it.

cPanel

cPanel is one of the most used hosting control panels. It offers a straightforward, user-friendly interface for managing all aspects of web hosting, including backups. This control panel might be the leading one in the industry but you can find more Cpanel Alternatives nowadays since many others added some exclusive features.

Plesk

Another great yet quite flexible and user-friendly control panel is Plesk. Advanced features of backup management whereby one can easily create, schedule, and restore backups from its users with minimal hustle.

Website Backup Strategy Using Control Panels

1. Manual Backups

aaPanel, cPanel and Plesk have been allowing users to create personal backups of their sites manually. This has often been one of the primary options anytime one seeks to begin exploiting these backup strategies.

aaPanel Manual Backup

1. Login to aaPanel.
2. The sidebar contains the “Backup” option; click that.
3. When clicked upon “Create Backup”, one page will open asking about what you want to back up.
4. Click “Confirm” and your backup will start.

cPanel Manual Backup

1. Log into your cPanel account.
2. Scroll down to the section marked “Files” and click the “Backup.”
3. Now select what you need to back up: the whole account, home directory, or database.
4. Click “Download” to get a backup file on your local machine.

Plesk Manual Backup

1. Log in to Plesk dashboard.
2. Select a domain that you want to back up.
3. Click “Websites & Domains,” then click “Backup Manager.”
4. Click on “Back Up” and select what to back up and where it should be saved.
5. Click “OK” and start your backup.

2. Automated Backups

Automating your backup is one sure way to have your data backed up regularly without necessarily having to create the backups manually.

Schedule Backup in aaPanel

1. Go to the aaPanel dashboard.
2. Click on the “Backup”.
3. Click “Scheduled Backup” and define your periodicity.
4. Give a path where the backups are stored then confirm the created schedule.

cPanel Automated Backups

1. Log into your cPanel account.
2. In the control panel, click “Backup.”
3. Click the “Backup Wizard” or “Scheduled Backups.”
4. Set the Backup schedule: daily, weekly, monthly and choose a backup location (Local or Remote).

Running Automated Backups in Plesk

1. Access your account with Plesk.
2. From here, select the domain you want to backup and click “Backup Manager.”
3. Click on “Scheduled Backups” to set up your desired schedule.
4. Backup Storage Location: Here you can choose where you want to save the backup, whether local or cloud storage.
5. Notify: Turn it on to get messages on the status of the backup.

3. Differential/Incremental Backups

Incremental backups have a number of advantages, particularly on larger sites. Here only changed data from the previous backup is backed up.

aaPanel Incremental Backups

1. Access your aaPanel.
2. In the “Backup” section.
3. Click “Incremental Backup” and set your preferences.
4. Confirm to begin the backup.

cPanel Incremental Backups

Although this isn’t native in the latest versions of cPanel, you can achieve all manner of incremental backups via third-party tools or scripts that facilitate running backups.

Plesk Incremental Backups

1. Log in to your Plesk account.
2. Click on “Backup Manager” and click “Back Up.”
3. If option is presented, select “Incremental Backup”
4. Now setup your settings and run your backup
   Offsite Backups

It’s an added security to your data. It acts like an insurance that your data would be safe in a moment your main server goes down.

4. Offsite Backups

Offsite Backups in aaPanel

1. aaPanel allows integration with cloud storage providers.
2. After creating a backup, you can configure the settings to save the backup file directly to your chosen cloud storage.

Offsite Backups using cPanel

1. Go set up cloud storage from either Google Drive or Dropbox.
2. After creating a backup, upload the backup file to your chosen cloud service manually or use a plugin to automate the process.

Offsite Backups in Plesk

1. Plesk offers integrations with various cloud storage services.
2. After setting up your backup, choose a cloud storage option as your backup destination.

Website Restore Strategies Using Control Panels

1. Restoring from Manual Backups

Restoring your website from a manual backup is pretty easy should your data get lost.

How to Restore via aaPanel

1. Log in to your aaPanel account.
2. Navigate to the “Backup” section.
3. Select the backup you want to restore from the list. |
4. Click “Restore” and follow the instructions to complete the process.

How to Restore via cPanel

1. Log in to your cPanel account.
2. Click on Backup.
3. Click Restore, then select what you want to restore: a full account, home directory, or databases.
4. Follow the wizard to the end to complete the restoration.

How to Restore via Plesk

1. Log in to your Plesk dashboard.
2. In “Backup Manager,” select the backup you want to restore.
3. Click “Restore” and select options to restore.
4. Confirm and restoration will start.

2. Restoring Automated Backups

Automated backups make this process even easier to restore.

aaPanel Automated Restore

1. Log in to your aaPanel account.
2. Go to the “Backup” section and select the scheduled backup you wish to restore.
3. Click “Restore” and confirm your selection.

cPanel Automated Restore

1. In cPanel enter the “Backup” section.
2. Click “Restore,” then select your automated backup from the dropdown list of available backups to restore from.
3. Follow the on-screen steps to restore your site.

Plesk Automated Restore

1. Log in to your Plesk account.
2. Click “Backup Manager” and select a scheduled backup to restore.
3. Click “Restore” and follow the wizard.

Best Practices for Website Backup and Restore

1. Regular Backups: Schedule regular backups to have recent data.
2. Test Your Backups: Check periodically that your backups are complete and functional.
3. Keep Several Copies: Store your backups in multiple locations for mitigation in case of risk: local, offsite, and cloud.
4. Document Your Process: Keep a record of the backup and restore process to easily go back to it.

Conclusion

With regard to the security that is related to your website Backup and Restoration using aaPanel, cPanel, Plesk, or other best web hosting control panel should be effectual. Follow these steps in the article to prevent your website from losing data and actually invest time in more important matters: growing online. And remember, where Plesk is brilliant, alternatives to Plesk exist which may provide answers that will suit your requirements even more precisely. Whichever tool you use, taking the time to back-up will save a lot of time, stress, and even money in the long run.