I wanted to find a WordPress backup solution to replace my current method which involves a cron script to backup the database and using Beyond Compare to copy the files via FTP.  However, I wanted a simpler solution that would be automatic and not involve these more technical processes. Also, it should store multiple versions.

I starting researching on Google.  I liked BackupWPup right away since it meet my requirements, seemed feature rich and popular.

Here are the steps I did to install BackupWPup:

  • install plug-in
  • activate plug-in
  • Go to the Dashboard and follow the First Steps links
    • check the installation
    • Create a job
      • Name – Nightly
      • Job Tasks – check database backups, file backup, Installed plug-ins list
      • archive name – nightly_%Y-%m-%d_%H-%i-%s
      • Archive Format – Zip
      • Job Destination – Backup to Folder
      • confirm email address and from address to send log
      • Save changes
    • Run the created job
      • Run the job now
    • Check the job log

I figured out the backups were stored in the wp-content/uploads folder.

I then edited the job with a few additional settings:

  • Schedule
    • Start job – check “with WordPress cron”
    • Scheduler type – basic
    • Scheduler – daily at 3:00
    • Save changes
  • To: folder
    • File deletion – 30
    • Save changes

In the future, I will probably change to save the backups to an external source like Dropbox or Azure.