Only Paid Version Backs Up Critical Files

  • Might be OK if you’re paying for the premium version, but the free version has serious limitations and can leave you in a bad position. For example, the free version does not backup the critical .htaccess or wp-config.php files. If you don’t know what these are and you’re just assuming you have a full “backup”, good luck. Still looking for a better alternative.

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  • It only takes a minute or two to back up those files to your own hard drive, something you should do as a matter of course anyway – something I do for all of the sites I manage or create, whether they are on the WordPress platform or some other platform.

    Just common sense.

    • This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by djbaxter.

    See https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/7-best-wordpress-backup-plugins-compared-pros-and-cons/.

    Thread Starter michaelnorth

    (@michaelnorth)

    Hi DJ,

    I can’t see taking the time to make daily local backups manually, especially to a local drive that’s subject to fire, theft, failure, etc. I suppose I could lash up GoodSync or a similar utility to move files off the server to a local drive, but that doesn’t solve the risk issue either.

    For my own sites, I want duplicate backups in the cloud, say a copy on S3 and another on Dropbox – completely isolated systems. And I want that to happen automatically with some type of notification.

    My beef with Updraft is that they assume the user is willing to re-install WordPress, enter the database information, re-create the .htaccess file, etc. Ridiculous waste of time. They don’t clearly disclose the limitations that I can see, or they just gloss over it. Yesterday, all I needed was a copy of a client’s htaccess file . . . only to find out it was never backed up by Updraft . . . unless I purchased an extension in advance to specifically capture core files. I pay hundreds per month for various services, but Updraft’s deceptive approach turns me off. Backup solutions are a weak spot in the WordPress universe.

    I ended up using the hosts restore utility to get exactly the file I needed. Took five minutes at most.

    You don’t need to back up files like .htaccess and config.php daily – only when something changes, which is generally infrequently.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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