Two pieces make up WordPress–a MySQL database and then your WordPress programs/scripts/plugins/themes.
That requires backing up the database and then backing up, usually via an FTP download, the WordPress scripts.
See also: WordPress_Backups
Ok thanks. I’ve been looking through the WordPress_Backups pages. Hopefully I’ll never need to do a full WP re-install but if I do, can we confirm that what I’d need is:
1) My database backup as produced by the backup plugin
2) All the files of my WP root downloaded via FTP
So theoretically if I’m gathering these files, compressing them into a ZIP then I’ve got what I need to do a full exact reinstall should my server die?
Thanks and excuse me but I’m very new to PHP, MySQL, everything really.
(One thing I don’t quite understand is why I can FTP ALL the files from my WP root but STILL need to backup the databases…is that to say that FTP doesn’t have access to the databases? MySQL is invisible to FTP?)
The mysql files are in a different place out of your area of access. That’s why two backups are needed.
If you want a complete backup, you need to:
– download a database backup
– download everything on the server.
A cron job can do the first item nightly.
http://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback/syncback-hub.html
is a good product for doing the second bit regularly.
Ok thanks. I don’t have any problem doing this manually right now (using WP backup plugin and FTP client).
I’ve only got a few megabytes worth of information but I just had such a bad “newbie” experience earlier on where I lost my (then barely used) blog. What bothered me was not losing the tidbit of information but rather that I don’t know what I’m doing just yet and don’t want to break it again…
Thanks again, everyone here is very helpful.
Keep in mind that because your data will change often, you should be doing a database backup (probably) daily but your WP installation only needs to be backed up when you’ve added themes or plugins or after an upgrade.
