How to Take a Backup in DirectAdmin

Which Backup Method Should I Use?

DirectAdmin and Backuply can both be used to create backups, but they are used for slightly different purposes.

Log in to DirectAdmin

Firstly, log in to DirectAdmin using the information provided in your New Account Information Email.
If you have not received this email, please check your junk or spam folder.

To log in, visit:

https://server.blazingfastwebhosting.com:2222

Enter your DirectAdmin username and password to access your hosting control panel.

Method 1: Take a Backup Using DirectAdmin

The native DirectAdmin backup tool allows you to create a backup from inside your hosting control panel.
This is useful if you want a backup of your hosting account before making important changes.

1. Log in to DirectAdmin.
2. Go to Advanced Features.
3. Select Create/Restore Backups.

If you cannot see the option immediately, you can also use the DirectAdmin search bar and search for:

Create/Restore Backups

Select What You Want to Back Up

DirectAdmin will show a list of backup options. You can usually choose which parts of the account should be included.

For a full backup, we recommend selecting all available options.

Create the DirectAdmin Backup

Once you have selected the items you want to include, click the button to create the backup.

This may be shown as:

Create Backup

DirectAdmin will then add the backup task to the queue. Depending on the size of your website, this may take a few minutes or longer.

Download the DirectAdmin Backup

Once the backup has completed, you should download a copy to your computer.

To do this:

1. Go back to Create/Restore Backups.
2. Look for the backup file that has been created.
3. Download the backup file to your computer.

You may also be able to find the backup file in File Manager, usually inside a backups folder within your hosting account.

Method 2: Take a WordPress Backup Using Backuply

If your website uses WordPress, you may also be able to take a backup using Backuply from inside the WordPress dashboard.

Backuply is useful before making WordPress-specific changes, such as:

• Updating WordPress.
• Updating plugins.
• Updating themes.
• Installing a new plugin.
• Making design or content changes.

Log in to WordPress

To access Backuply, log in to your WordPress admin area.

You can usually do this by visiting:

https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin

Enter your WordPress username and password to access the WordPress dashboard.

Open Backuply

Once logged in to WordPress:

1. Go to the WordPress dashboard.
2. Find Backuply in the left-hand menu.
3. Open the Backuply backup section.

From here you can create, view, download or restore WordPress backups, depending on the options available in your Backuply installation.

Create a Backup in Backuply

In Backuply, choose the option to create a new backup.

You may be able to select what the backup should include, such as:

For most users, we recommend taking a full backup if the option is available.

1. Open Backuply.
2. Select the option to create a new backup.
3. Choose a full backup if available.
4. Start the backup process.
5. Wait for the backup to complete.

Download Your Backuply Backup

Once the Backuply backup has completed, you should download a copy if the option is available.

This is normally done from the Backuply backups list.

1. Open Backuply.
2. Go to the existing backups or backup history section.
3. Find the backup you just created.
4. Click Download, if available.

Restoring a Backup

Backups should only be restored if you are sure you want to roll the website or account back to the earlier version.

Restoring a backup may overwrite newer changes, including:

• New website content.
• Recent orders or form entries.
• Recent WordPress changes.
• New database content.
• New files uploaded after the backup was created.

Common Backup Problems

If a backup does not complete, these are the most common causes:

• The hosting account does not have enough free disk space.
• The website is very large.
• The account contains a large amount of email.
• A WordPress plugin is causing the backup process to fail.
• The backup process was interrupted before it completed.
• File permissions are preventing some files from being included.

Best Practice for Backups

To help keep your website safe, we recommend the following:

• Take a backup before making major website changes.
• Take a backup before updating WordPress, plugins or themes.
• Download important backups to your own computer.
• Do not rely only on a backup stored inside the hosting account.
• Check that the backup has completed before making changes.