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To create a backup of your WordPress website, you can use both manual methods and automatic tools. It is important to create regular backups to protect your content, themes and database in case of outages or attacks. Here are the steps to create a backup both manually and with plugins.

1. Manual Backup

A manual backup involves backing up both the files of your WordPress installation and the database.

A. Backup the Files

WordPress files contain themes, plugins, images and configuration files. To back them up:

  1. FTP Access:
  • Use an FTP program like FileZilla to connect to your web server.
  • Download all files in the WordPress root directory, usually the public_html or www folder. This contains subfolders like wp-content, wp-admin, and wp-includes, as well as important files like .htaccess and wp-config.php.

Steps:

  • Log in to your web hosting provider and go to FTP access.
  • Download the entire root directory of WordPress.

B. Backup the database

The database contains all posts, pages, user information, and settings.

  1. Use phpMyAdmin:
    • Log in to your hosting provider and go to phpMyAdmin.
    • Select the database of your WordPress installation.
    • Click Export.
    • Select the quick method and click OK to download the database as a .sql file.

2. Automatic Backup with Plugins

If you want to automate the backup process, there are numerous WordPress plugins that will handle the entire backup process for you. Here are some of the best plugins:

A. UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus is one of the most popular backup plugins for WordPress that allows for both automatic backups and restoring backups.

How ​​to Install and Use:

  1. Go to Plugins > Install in your WordPress dashboard and search for “UpdraftPlus”.

  2. Install and activate the plugin.

  3. Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups.

  4. Click “Backup Now” to create a manual backup or schedule automatic backups.

  5. You can upload your backup to various cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox or Amazon S3.

B. All-in-One WP Migration

Another popular plugin for backups and migrations.

Installation and Usage:

  1. Go to Plugins > Install and search for “All-in-One WP Migration”.
  2. Install and activate the plugin.
  3. Go to All-in-One WP Migration in the menu and click Export.
  4. Export your entire website and save it to your computer or the cloud.

    C. BackWPup

    BackWPup offers similar functionality to UpdraftPlus, with the ability to backup databases, files and plugins.

Installation and usage:

  1. Install BackWPup from the WordPress plugin directory.

  2. Once activated, you can find the settings under BackWPup in the menu.

  3. Create new backup jobs and choose what to back up (database, files, etc.).

  4. Choose a backup destination such as Dropbox, S3 or FTP.

3. Tips for a complete backup

  • Regular backups: Make sure you create backups at regular intervals, depending on the frequency of changes on your website.

  • Offsite storage: Upload your backups to cloud services (like Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3) or external storage to ensure they are safe in case of server issues.

  • Backup files and database separately: Make sure to back up both the WordPress files and the database. Both parts are crucial for a full restore.

4. Restoring a backup

If you need to restore a backup, there are two ways to do it:

Manually:

  1. Upload the backed up files back up via FTP.
  2. Import the database via phpMyAdmin.

With a plugin:

Most plugins, like UpdraftPlus, allow for easy one-click restores right in the WordPress dashboard.

Summary

  • Manual backups involve backing up your files and database via FTP and phpMyAdmin.
  • Automatic backups can be set up with plugins like UpdraftPlus, All-in-One WP Migration or BackWPup.
  • Make sure you create backups regularly and keep them safe for quick restore in case of any issues.

These measures will provide security for your WordPress website in case unexpected problems or attacks occur.

Updated:

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