Maintaining your website
This page is for website creators who look after a site after launch. Most work is a routine of checks; the administration shows what needs attention. The full operations handbook is After installing and Operating a site.
Contents
The routine
| How often | Task | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | glance at the error log and failed cronjobs | Log viewer, Cronjobs |
| Weekly | backups ran; form submissions processed; broken links | Backups and restores, Broken links and content checks |
| Monthly | updates of Exponential and extensions; unused media; user accounts | Updates and upgrades, User hygiene |
| Quarterly | restore test; accessibility re-check; roles review | Testing accessibility, Roles and policies |
| Yearly | certificates and domains; PHP version; content review with owners | Going live, Requirements |
Where to look
| Page | Shows |
|---|---|
| Setup > Cronjobs | which parts ran, failed or need attention |
| Setup > Logs | error and warning logs with a digest |
| Setup > System information | PHP, database, extensions, versions |
| Setup > Upgrade check | file consistency and database checks (Upgrade check) |
| Setup > Caches | cache sizes and clearing |
| Content checks | unreferenced media, broken relations, storage problems |
| Store dashboard | shop issues, if you run one |
Content hygiene
- Remove or archive outdated pages; redirect their addresses (Redirects and moved content).
- Empty the trash after its review period (Trash).
- Clean old versions with
exp:cleanupversions(read--helpfirst). - Remove unused media found by the content checks.
When something breaks
- Look at the error log first; errors carry a reference you can search (Finding an error by its reference).
- Clear the smallest cache that explains the problem.
- Use maintenance mode for repairs that change data (Maintenance mode during changes).
- Report product bugs (When something goes wrong).
Related pages
- Backups and restores
- Updates and upgrades for site owners
- System information
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
Become an Exponential Partner
Partners share their information, provide funding, contribute back and develop the products with us, and that is how Exponential grows. A partner website and dashboard are planned for mid-2027: please become a partner today to speed up our growth rate and land new features faster.