skillcrush.com/blog/backing-up-wordpress/
How to Back Up WordPress without a Plugin - Skillcrush
That automatic plugin might not be as safe and secure as you think. Everything you need to know to back up your site the RIGHT way, so you'll never end up with a disaster on your hands.
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why is it better to backup without a plugin?
the fewer plugins on your WordPress site, the better.
the more control you have over your site and its innerworkings, the better.
It’s smart to rely on yourself rather than a 3rd party—especially when it comes to backing up your treasured site files. (👏 so true)
- Certain plugins can slow down your site (because they take up space…some a lot more than others)
- Mo’ plugins, mo’ vulnerable (think about it: plugins are 3rd party. While some are very high quality, others may not be updated regularly. As a result, they can make your site more insecure.)
prevention measures
Updating plugins and themes
Using strong username and password combinations (i.e. not “admin” and “password”)
Creating strong database table prefixes (AKA not using basic the common “wp”)
Back up the site files
1. Images and Files: different images and files added for admin panel as well as site itself
2. JavaScript and PHP scripts, and other code files: could be added to internal backend or the outward facing site
3. Additional Files and Static Web Pages: anything else you might add
copy the site files from the FTP :
You can easily back up, or copy, these site files from your FTP. (This is a backup method I frequently rely on.)
And then for more advanced users using the WP-CLI command line interface, backing up site files can be done from the command line and saved to your computer.
Back up the database
To have a complete replica of your site, you also need to back up your MySQL database.
- Posts
- Users
- Comments
- Categories and tags (taxonomies)
- And so on
While automatic backups on the server-level are awesome and convenient, you want other copies of your site saved in different places.
Manual backup 1 - through my host (through my cPanel)
You can manually back up your entire site through your cPanel. (By the way, this article has helpful step-by-step instructions on how to do this. The author later shows how to restore backups, too.)
Depending on your host, your cPanel could look a bit different.
Manual backup 2 - via phpMyAdmin
you can also back up your databases through phpMyAdmin, which is accessible through your server. (This is the same thing from the MAMP article, except you’ll be on a live site instead of local site.)