Creating Backups in Plesk Obsidian

Ensuring the safety and recoverability of your website and data is paramount. Plesk Obsidian provides robust tools to create comprehensive backups, both manually and through scheduled tasks. This guide will walk you through the process, helping you safeguard your valuable information effectively.

Creating a Manual Backup

Manual backups offer immediate control, allowing you to capture the current state of your website and server configuration whenever needed. Follow these steps to create a manual backup:

1. Navigate to your Plesk control panel. From the main menu, go to Websites & Domains, then select Backup Manager, and finally click on Back up.

2. In the "Back up" section, you can meticulously choose which content to include in your backup. Domain configuration, which includes essential settings for your website, is always automatically part of the backup. You have the flexibility to exclude "Mail messages" and/or "Databases" by simply clearing the corresponding checkboxes, depending on your specific backup requirements.

3. Under "Store in", determine the desired storage location for your backup. By default, backups are conveniently stored directly on the Plesk server. However, for enhanced security and disaster recovery planning, it is highly recommended to configure remote storage. If you have already configured remote storage, you can select this option by choosing the corresponding radio button, ensuring your backups are off-site.

4. Next, select the appropriate backup type under the "Type" section by choosing the relevant radio button:

   • A Full backup encompasses all the data you specified in step 2. This type of backup is self-contained and does not rely on any previous backups for restoration.

   • An Incremental backup only captures the files that have been modified or added since the last previously created backup. Incremental backups are significantly faster to create and consume less disk space compared to full backups. However, it's crucial to remember that to successfully restore an incremental backup, you must have access to the corresponding full backup and all preceding incremental backups in the sequence.

   Note: If no backups currently exist for your domain, the initial backup created will always be a full one, regardless of your selection. You will then be able to choose between full or incremental for all subsequent backups. Furthermore, if you opted to back up only "Domain Configuration" in step 2, only a full backup option will be available.

5. Should you choose the remote storage option in step 3, you gain the ability to split the backup file into multiple volumes. To do this, select the "Create a multivolume backup, volume size (MB)" checkbox and then specify the desired size for each volume. This feature is particularly useful if your remote storage imposes restrictions on the maximum file size for uploads.

6. Before finalizing the backup creation, you have several optional settings to configure:

   • Comments: Leave a descriptive comment about the backup being created under "Comments". These comments are displayed within the Plesk interface and are invaluable for distinguishing between different backups and understanding their purpose later on.

   • Exclude log files: To conserve disk space, especially for frequently updated sites, select the "Exclude log files" checkbox. This can significantly reduce the overall size of your backup.

   • Exclude specific files from the backup: For granular control, select this checkbox to exclude particular files or directories. Enter the path or paths to the specific items you wish to omit in the field provided. All paths must be relative to your home directory. For example:

     

   • Notification email: To stay informed about the backup process, select the "When a backup task is completed, send a notification email to" checkbox. Ensure that the email address displayed next to the checkbox is correct to receive timely notifications upon completion.

7. Once all your settings are configured to your satisfaction, click OK to initiate the backup process.

You will then be redirected to the Websites & Domains > Backup Manager screen, where you can monitor the progress of your backup. The time required to complete the backup will vary depending on the total size of the content you selected in step 2. Upon successful completion, your new backup will be listed and accessible from this screen.

Creating a Scheduled Backup

Automating your backups through scheduling is a critical best practice for maintaining data integrity and ensuring continuous protection without manual intervention. Follow these steps to set up a scheduled backup:

1. Begin by navigating to Websites & Domains > Backup Manager, then click on the Schedule tab. To activate the automated backup process, ensure you select the Activate this backup task checkbox.

2. Under "Run this backup task", define your preferred frequency and the exact time you wish the backup process to commence. Consistent scheduling is key to an effective backup strategy.

3. Decide whether to leverage incremental backups for your scheduled tasks. By default, every scheduled backup is configured as a full backup, containing all specified data types (chosen in step 5). To enable the creation of incremental backups, which only store changes since the last backup, select the "Use incremental backup" checkbox. While incremental backups are faster and use less disk space, remember that a full backup and all preceding incremental backups are necessary for a complete restoration. Therefore, if you opt for incremental backups, under "Perform full backup", specify how often a new full backup should be generated to ensure a robust backup chain.

4. Under "Keep backup files for", you can configure Plesk to automatically manage your backup storage by removing outdated full backups. Enter a numerical value in the field to specify the period (in days) after which full backups will be automatically deleted. If you prefer to manually manage all full backups and prevent automatic removal, simply leave this field empty.

5. In the "Back up" section, specify the content you want to include in your scheduled backups. Domain configuration is always included by default. You have the option to exclude "Mail configuration and content" and/or "User files and databases" by clearing their respective checkboxes, tailoring the backup to your specific needs.

6. Under "Store in", choose the destination for your scheduled backups. While backups are stored on the Plesk server by default, integrating configured remote storage is highly recommended for off-site redundancy. Select the appropriate radio button if you wish to utilize remote storage.

7. Similar to manual backups, if you selected the remote storage option, you can split large backup files into smaller volumes. Activate the "Create a multivolume backup, volume size (MB)" checkbox and set the desired volume size. This is particularly beneficial when remote storage services impose file size limitations.

8. Finally, before confirming your scheduled backup task, review and configure these optional settings:

   • Exclude log files: Selecting this checkbox will exclude log files from your scheduled backups. This can lead to significant disk space savings, especially with daily backup schedules where log files can accumulate rapidly.

   • Exclude specific files from the backup: For precise control over what gets backed up, use this option to specify files or directories to be excluded. Type the paths relative to your home directory in the provided field. For instance:

     

   • Notification email for errors: To be promptly informed of any issues during the automated backup process, select the "If errors occur during the execution of this backup task, send a notification email to" checkbox. Verify that the email address listed is accurate to ensure you receive critical alerts.

9. With all settings confirmed, click OK to finalize and create your scheduled backup task.

Plesk will now automatically generate backups according to the frequency and timing you have specified, providing ongoing protection for your website and data.