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Linux hosting: tips for backing up your VPS

If you don’t want to lose important data, regular backups are crucial. They allow to restore, redeploy and access all stored information from a certain previous point in time. This is extremely helpful if you experience issues that wipe out all server info. Especially, when using cheap VPS Linux hosting services, backing up your website should be a routine thing, as it is part of the maintenance process. Before getting into tips that will help safely do this, every user should know about some basics of this process.

Backup Types

There are two different ways to do this. You can do:

  1. Full backups. They are done daily, and a copy is created of all the information on the server. If necessary, it is possible to recover specific files, but more often it is used to retrieve all data. This can be advantageous for Linux hosting as everything is stored in one place, but on the other hand, the whole storing process takes some time to complete.
  1. Incremental backups. Whenever something new is added, this allows updating the already stored information and quick retrieval of single files. Some who use VPS prefer this method because it takes less time. But this also has multiple restore points and they can be spread across several backups so it might be confusing for some.

When choosing one or another, it all depends on what the host finds easier to do on a regular basis.

Helpful tips for backing up VPS

This will help to create a routine of creating data copies that will help ensure the website functionality in the long run. When backing up your Linux hosting VPS, you should:

  • Decide what needs to be backed up and where. This is quite an obvious step, but knowing where the backups files are stored will be crucial if something happens to the server. Knowing where specific things are will make disaster recovery planning easier and help in critical situations. If you store your data locally, like on an SSD or HDD, it can save time as it is quite simple to access, but failure might occur with these storage devices. That is why additionally doing remote backups on cloud-based servers can minimize website downtime.
  • Choose a storage solution. There are three ways to store Linux hosting data copies, some of them were mentioned before. You can do so locally, remotely, or with a combination of the two. Local storage helps to keep the files on hand and retrieve them quickly. A remote server allows to set up another one if the original is rendered unreachable, but it might take some time to restore the info. A combination of these ensures a brisk recovery of information and minimizes its loss.
  • Automate when possible. The next step is to implement a machine process that does the backups for you without having to do them manually. Fortunately, most Linux hosting control panels have this function.
  • Diversify your backup locations. It means having multiple backups. Sometimes unexpected things happen, and you might momentarily lose access to the server copies and it could cause data loss. Having several versions stored in different places ensures that you always have information available all the time.
  • Regularly test server backups. They have to be configured the right way, so adequate testing is crucial. It makes sure that the files and applications are properly copied and can be accessed right away. While this may not be ideal for some for time reasons, it is important to do as it shows whether the implemented VPS Linux hosting backup solutions are working as required.

Server information is incredibly important, especially for businesses running websites. Therefore, proper planning and execution of backup strategies are crucial. This process, when done regularly, secures all data and makes it easy to access whenever worst comes to worst.

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