Having suffered from numerous computer crashes and server breakdowns, in spite of their promises, trust me when I say you need to make backing up your WordPress blog a part of your regularly scheduled maintenance and housekeeping.
Futurosity offers “8 MySQL Backup Strategies for WordPress Bloggers (And Others)”, an interesting compilation of tips to help you decide which backup method is best for your WordPress MySQL database.
In order to backup your WordPress blog, you must do two types of backups. The first one is to backup your WordPress Theme and all files on your blog’s server, such as your WordPress installation files, WordPress Plugins, and any static files and graphic files you use to create your site.
The second part of your backup is to backup the database which holds all the data and content for your blog. This is where the options listed by Futurosity come into play.
The latest version of WordPress came with a built-in backup feature, though there are rumors that it is staying or going in the next version. Check your Manage or Options panel to see if it is listed there. If not, you do have an option to download Skippy’s wp-db-backup WordPress Plugin, which was the basis for the built-in version, and make the process simple and easy.
Step-by-step instructions for backing up your WordPress blog and database can be found on the WordPress Codex in “Backing Up Your Database” and in my article, Backing Up WordPress. The article by Futurosity offers some other options, too.
WordPress.com blogs can export their posts to create a backup of the post content. To do so, from the Administration Panels choose Manage > Export. An XML file will be created containing all your posts, comments, custom fields, and categories. This file can then be imported into a WordPress blog on a full hosted server site, or into another blogging program which accepts XML imports.
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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network
4 Comments
Thanks for the mention! FYI, I’ve moved my blogging and WordPress posts to a new blog, UpstartBlog. I’m redirecting links, but the new direct link to the post you mention is 8 MySQL Backup Strategies for WordPress Bloggers (And Others).
Great site! I’ve added your blog to the Bookmarks and Feeds on UpstartBlog.
Thanks. I’ve updated the link. I really liked the name “Futurosity” though.
This is an esential routine for anyone that likes their blog.
I backup my database about twice a week and keep a the past few backups around. The wp_backup plugin you mentioned is a lifesaver. It would be tragic to lose all my content.
I also backup my site files about once a month.
Hi,
although I cannot contribute anything useful, at least something funny regarding backups:
http://netzreport.googlepages.com/all_those_backups_waste_of_pay.html
6 Trackbacks/Pingbacks
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