In a previous post, I recommended you don’t upgrade to WordPress 3.0 due to the bugs that are bound to be included. I always wait until the next release after a major release i.e. 3.1.
However, I know many of you will be tempted to upgrade and that’s fine but if you do decide to, make sure you backup your complete blog including themes, plugins, settings, widgets, comments AND SQL databases…the entire package!
Don’t just rely on the database backup. As it says, it only backups your database files and not the theme, plugins etc.
If WordPress 3.0 doesn’t work with you your theme or certain plugins, just having the database backup may not be good enough to get to back to where you were before you upgraded.
But backing up everything on your blog is not just about upgrades. I’ve had many blogging friends who have been hacked recently and it can takes days to get back to where you were before the ‘hacking’.
So what do I do for backups?
Because I got a bit paranoid about being hacked, I firstly completed a number of changes to my blog. Check out my blog post: Improve the security of your blog
Secondly, I researched for the best and simplest way to backup my complete blog and I found this plugin: BackupBuddy
The plugin performs fast, reliable backups.
Here are the primary features and benefits of BackupBuddy
Backup your entire WordPress install – including the themes, plugins, settings, widgets, comments AND SQL databases…the entire package!
Restore your WordPress site fast — the restore function is a simple restoration process where you upload a script and your backup files and it restores WordPress, your themes, widgets, plugins, and everything else.
Backup Scheduling – You can do daily, weekly, bi-monthly, monthly backups … and includes email and FTP options to another server
I use the plugin to backup my blog on a daily basis and I FTP the files to a different server that my blog site is on.
I also use it on my maintenance client’s sites as well. As I have the BackupBuddy developer’s license, it enables me to use the plugin on as many sites as I want.
Migrate a WordPress site to another domain or server easily – If you build custom WordPress sites for clients this plugin is for you! This is a great feature for WordPress developers who build a custom site for a client on a temporary domain (like a sandbox or playground site) then want to reinstall the ENTIRE site with widgets and all on a live client domain.
Here are a couple of videos highlighting the ease and functions of BackupBuddy
BackupBuddy Tour
How to Backup WP Easily
How do you backup everything? Please share your views in the comments below.
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I’m thinking that I will be waiting to upgrade to WordPress 3.0 for a little bit was well. I have also heard that it is not running good with the Thesis theme, which I use on my sites, so I think I will just play it safe for now and wait until Thesis officially releases a fix and WordPress 3.1 comes out. Thanks for the info on Backup Buddy, as I am going to check it out now.
.-= Tiffany @ Online Passive Income´s last blog ..A Summer of Focus – I Will Make My Passive Income Goals! =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Tiffany,
Sounds like you are making a wise decision.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
I usually replicate my blog site locally to see if the upgrade process will work. It can be quite a pain to do this but it’s best than doing it directly on the live site. Backup is important too as something could still go wrong even if I’ve tested it locally. So far the upgrade I did locally was quite a success.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Mobillån,
The BackupBuddy plugin also does migration from one site to another – so it makes it pretty easy to test out.
Good news you are not having any problems with the upgrade, though.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
Andrew, I just checked out BackUpBuddy. It looks like a one-stop great way to make sure my blogs are backed up so I don’t have to worry about it.
Is that correct? Once I set it, I can just let it keep doing its thing?
I have several blogs, so I’d likely get the developer option.
.-= John Soares´s last blog ..E-Mail Marketing With Lists — Survey Results =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
John,
Yes you schedule the backups to run at a particular time and frequency and then they run automatically.
My backups are FTP’d automatically (as part of the plugin) to a server that is different to my blog.
Then, every now and then I manually go in and delete the ‘oldest’ versions of the backup.
If you backup everyday, then the number of files stored quickly grows.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..WordPress 3.0: Backup Before You Upgrade =-.
Thanks for the explanation Andrew. I was hacked twice on Godaddy in May. I switched to Hostgator and took some security measures, but I’m still concerned…
.-= John Soares´s last blog ..Declining Traffic: Why It Happened =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Can understand John.
Did you see my security blog post:
http://www.webuildyourblog.com/1982/wordpress-plugins-improve-security-blog/
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
Hey John,
If the “several blogs” are all YOURS, you can buy the business version for half the cost of developers…if they are client sites, then you need the developers version.
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Sub Categories and Drop Down Menus – What’s the Deal? =-.
I’ve been bitten by bad backups a few times… Make sure you do a restore every now and then to test your system. Don’t wait until your blog crashes to find out your restore doesn’t work.
Believe me, it sucks
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Matt,
Good point. Always test the restore. I also keep several versions of the backup files as well – in case one of those is corrupt!
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
I wouldn’t recommend upgrading quite yet either. Give some time for your favorite plugins to catch up then go for it. BackupBuddy seems like it would give you some peace of mind when upgrading
.-= Josiah@Free iPad´s last blog ..Reader for iPad: The Best RSS App? =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Josiah
BackupBuddy certainly gives me piece of mind (from being hacked as well – well recovering from being hacked, I should say).
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
Thanks for the awesome resource, I’ll definitely have to direct some of my subscribers here if they need help backing up their blog.
I upgraded to WP 3.0 when it came out and everything went smoothly, thankfully. I was a little nervous, but I DID back everything up first just in case.
I think WordPress should have a ‘backup everything’ option in the admin because I think most people don’t understand that a lot of backup plugins only backup the database, not your files, images, etc.
Thanks again for sharing this post. I’m a new subscriber to your blog so you should see me around more often!
.-= Jonathan Beebe´s last blog ..Make Money Online in 5 Easy Steps =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Jonathan
Thanks for coming across and subscribing.
I agree with you, re: WordPress and backups. Many people think the free plugins backup everything and they don’t!
I’m glad you had no probs with WP 3.0.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
I told myself I wasn’t going to upgrade until 3.1 or 3.01 but I succumbed to the “Upgrade Now” link. Oh well, I guess I’m one of those who are charting the course of the next WP version, eh. I will tell ya that I always do an export of everything before doing anything. So, the worst thing that can happen is re-installing WordPress from scratch and importing our stuff (hopefully).
.-= Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..17th Annual Cool Desert Nights =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Colleen,
I assume you have no problems after the upgrade – otherwise you would have mentioned?
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
We have Thesis, so the “line 42″ problem was a minor issue, but fortunately there were folks posting fixes for it.
Otherwise, the upgrade was painless (fingers crossed).
.-= Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..Full Disclosure =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Excellent, Colleen. Hope it stays that way.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Can I Help You With Your Blogging? =-.
Interesting, I have been using WP Backup, but I had to restore a site the other day and it did not restore any of my widgets, I will check out BakcupBuddy, thanks!
.-= JR ´s last blog ..Google Mayday Update, Caffeine and Tanked SERP Ranks =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
JR,
You are not alone in thinking the WP Backup type plugins back up everything. Unfortunately, they don’t.
You only know when you try and restore.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
Very much appreciated buddy, thanks1 I’m thinkin’ with my blog network coming out, I may indeed need something like this, just to be safe.
Now, you’re having everything automatically FTP’d to another server. Does it have to remain online, or can it be directly downloaded to a folder or external drive somewhere?
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Sub Categories and Drop Down Menus – What’s the Deal? =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Dennis,
At the moment you can opt for the file to be email to you as an alternative.
The plugin owners say more options are forthcoming like using Amazon S3.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Overcoming Blogging Burnout: Here Is How =-.
Email is fine with me. If it’s anything like the WP backup emails, you can then take it from the email and store it anywhere.
If I remember right.
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Sub Categories and Drop Down Menus – What’s the Deal? =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Yes – you can. As long as your email account can take large files. Sometimes there are restrictions.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Can I Help You With Your Blogging? =-.
Hey Andrew,
Thanks for the review. You should be getting an affiliate commission from it.
I just picked up the 10 domain software and may upgrade to developer later.
I appreciate the review and opinions.
Brandon
.-= TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..A Million Dollar Business – What does it look Like? =-.
Twitter: andrewrondeau
Thanks, Brandon. I hope you find the plugin useful or should I say – I hope you don’t ever have to use it. Well you know what I mean – restoring!
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Can I Help You With Your Blogging? =-.
Thanks for sharing this post, it is very important to backup your blog before any upgrade, you may not know what will happen.