How to Set Up Backups for Your Website and Database in DirectAdmin

Regular backups are your website's insurance policy. Whether you are updating WordPress plugins, making code edits, or migrating servers, having a complete backup of your website files and MySQL databases ensures you can recover your site in minutes if anything goes wrong.

This guide will show you how to create on-demand backups, restore website data, and manage backup files in the Cubes Hosting DirectAdmin Control Panel.

Step 1: Creating an On-Demand Backup in DirectAdmin

You can generate a full backup of your account files, databases, and emails at any time:

1. Log in to your Cubes Hosting DirectAdmin Control Panel.
2. Navigate to Advanced Features > Create/Restore Backups.
3. Select the items you want to include in your backup:
   • Website Data: Check Domain Data (includes /public_html/ web files).
   • Databases: Check Database Data (exports all MySQL/MariaDB databases).
   • E-Mail Accounts: Check Email Data, Email Settings, and SpamAssassin Data.
   • FTP & Subdomains: Check FTP accounts and Subdomain data.
4. Click Create Backup.

DirectAdmin will compile your backup into a compressed .tar.gz file in the background. Once finished, you will receive a notification in your DirectAdmin inbox.

Step 2: Restoring Your Website from a Backup

If a plugin update breaks your site or you accidentally delete files, you can restore your website to a previous state:

1. In DirectAdmin, go to Advanced Features > Create/Restore Backups.
2. Click Select Backup to Restore (or Restore Backup).
3. Choose your backup file from the dropdown menu (e.g. backup-Jul-20-2026-1.tar.gz).
4. Select the specific components you want to restore (e.g. only Databases or only Web Files).
5. Click Restore Selected Items.

Step 3: Downloading Backups for Local Storage

We strongly recommend downloading copies of your backup archives to your local computer or cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive):

1. Open your DirectAdmin File Manager.
2. Open the /backups/ directory (or your home root folder).
3. Locate your .tar.gz backup archive (e.g., backup-Jul-20-2026-1.tar.gz).
4. Right-click the file and select Download (or connect via SFTP to download large backups faster).

Best Practices for Web & Database Backups

• Backup Before Major Updates: Always run a manual backup before updating CMS core versions (WordPress 6.x), major plugin suites, or modifying database schemas.
• Keep Off-Site Copies: Never rely solely on server backups. Regularly download backup files to your local machine or off-site cloud storage.
• Clean Up Old Backups: Old .tar.gz files stored in /backups/ consume your account disk quota. Once you download backups locally, delete older archives from the server to free up disk space.

Conclusion

Creating backups on Cubes Hosting takes less than a minute. Generate a backup under Create/Restore Backups in DirectAdmin, download a copy for safe keeping, and enjoy total peace of mind!