Backups and restores #

This page is for website creators responsible for a site's data. A backup is the database and the files, taken at the same moment; a backup that was never restored is a hope, not a backup (10.9 Backups and restore).

Contents #

1. What to back up
2. Taking a backup
3. Restoring
4. The restore test
5. Retention

What to back up #

Caches are regenerated and need no backup.

Taking a backup #

1. Maintenance mode on, so database and files agree:

php bin/php/maintenance.php on --message="Back soon" --until=30m --allow-admin --allow-root-user

2. The database:

   Engine	Backup
   SQLite	sqlite3 var/storage/sqlite3/exponential.db ".backup '/backup/db.sqlite'"
   MySQL, MariaDB	mysqldump --single-transaction -u USER -p DATABASE > /backup/db.sql
   PostgreSQL	pg_dump -U USER -Fc DATABASE > /backup/db.dump
   MongoDB	mongodump --uri="mongodb://USER@HOST/DATABASE" --out=/backup/mongo

3. The files:

   tar czf /backup/files-$(date +%F).tar.gz var/storage settings/override settings/siteaccess

4. Maintenance off: php bin/php/maintenance.php off --allow-root-user.

On SQLite (online backup) and MySQL with InnoDB the database backup alone is consistent without maintenance mode.

Restoring #

1. Maintenance on; under Velocity stop the server.

2. Restore the database with the engine's tool and unpack the files; fix owner and mode.

3. Clear every cache and regenerate autoloads:

   php bin/php/ezcache.php --clear-all --allow-root-user
   php bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e

4. Start Velocity, clear its response cache, maintenance off, open the front page and the administration.

The restore test #

At least once, and after every major upgrade, restore a backup on another machine and check: the front page, a deep page, an image, a download, a login, a form. Write down how long it took; that is your recovery time.

Retention #

Store backups away from the server, keep several generations (for example daily for a week, weekly for a month), and remember they contain personal data and passwords.

Related pages #

• Maintenance mode during changes
• Operating a site: back up and restore
• Databases
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.