How to Backup a VPS Server

The VPS, also known as Virtual Private Server, is a type of virtual machine that allows various websites to be located on the same server. Basically, this web hosting technique works by breaking down a computer system into several servers, more like separate physical computers, to effectively meet the growing needs of a succeeding website.

Steps on How to Backup a VPS Server

If you have a website and you are using VPS for your web hosting, it is essential to learn how to backup a VPS server for disaster recovery. Here are some easy steps to follow:

1. Find the root of your website and make a backup

This is an important thing to do when you are learning to backup a VPS server. Simply find the root of your website then create a PHP file and upload the database on your new site. The root is a directory in which most files and subfolders are stored. If you connect to your site with your FTP, you’ll see a structure of files and folders and that is it.

2. Download a tar and database backup files

This is another effective way to backup a VPS server. Downloading a tar and database backup files on your computer can really help a lot in keeping your precious data in case of disaster. One thing to keep in mind, though is that this may not be feasible if the size of your file is too high and of course, if your Internet connection is too slow.

3. Transfer files to a new server

This is one of the most obvious but effective ways to backup a VPS server. All you need to do is to open your SSH session to a new server, then locate the root of the site and download the files from the current to the new one.

4. Look for backup software

There are software these days that can help website owners store compressed data from their websites and will not cost much. If you have a little disk space on your computer, you can download a backup software for free by signing up and have as much as 5GB of compressed data in an instant. But of course, you can also try looking for paid backup software. Though it may cost a little, it can provide extreme precautionary backup measures for a website owner.

5. Keep a detailed system log

By keeping a detailed log of your website, you’ll be able to reproduce your configuration somewhere else. You can do this by making changes to your local VM, then write a script to perform the changes automatically and run the scripts on live server. By not manually configuring the changes, your configuration is going to be repeatable, thus you can run all your sequence to another server effortlessly.

These are the steps on how to backup a VPS server. If your business is growing and you fear that your files might get corrupted, following these easy steps that could help save you more money.