How to back up your VPS

Whether due to a cyberattack, accidental deletion, hardware failure, or software corruption, losing your Virtual Private Server (VPS) data can be catastrophic. It could mean hours, days, or even weeks of downtime, lost revenue, and the painful process of rebuilding everything from scratch.

That’s why backing up your VPS is an absolute necessity. A solid VPS backup strategy ensures that your data is safe, recoverable, and accessible when you need it most.

But here’s the catch: not all backup methods are created equal. Do you need full backups, incremental backups, or differential backups? Should you store them in the cloud, locally, or both? How often should you back up, and how do you ensure your backups actually work?

There are so many choices to make and things to consider when it comes to making sure your files and data get backed up in a secure and orderly fashion. If you don’t have a managed hosting provider or system administrator to help, it can be overwhelming.

Here, you’ll learn everything you need to know about backing up your VPS, from understanding different backup types to implementing a foolproof backup strategy.

Importance of VPS backups

Your VPS is the heartbeat of your online presence. Whether you’re running a business website, an eCommerce store, a database, or an application, your VPS holds valuable data that needs to be protected at all costs.

Here’s why backing up your VPS is non-negotiable:

• Data loss is inevitable: No matter how secure or well-maintained your server is, data loss can happen due to human error, cyber threats, software corruption, hardware failure, etc. Without a backup safety net, these scenarios could leave your website or business in ruins.
• Downtime is costly: Every second your VPS is down, you’re losing potential customers, revenue, and credibility. The longer it takes to recover your data, the more damage it does to your business. With proper backups in place, you can restore your VPS quickly and avoid prolonged downtime.
• Compliance and security: If you handle sensitive customer data, you may be legally required to maintain secure backups. Industries like healthcare, finance, and eCommerce often have strict data retention and backup policies. Even if compliance isn’t mandatory for your business, a strong backup strategy protects your reputation and customer trust.
• Fast recovery from cyberattacks: Ransomware attacks are on the rise, and cybercriminals love targeting unprotected servers. If your VPS is compromised, having a secure, recent backup ensures you can restore your data without paying a ransom.
• Peace of mind: Knowing that your VPS is backed up means you can sleep easy. No more stressing over what might happen if your server crashes or gets hacked. A solid backup strategy = total control over your data.

Types of backups

Not all backups work the same way. Depending on your needs, server size, and recovery requirements, you’ll want to choose the right type of backup for your VPS.

Full backups

A full backup is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a complete copy of all the data on your VPS, including system files, databases, configurations, and user data.

Full backups are ideal for weekly or monthly snapshots of your VPS, ensuring you always have a clean restore point.

Incremental backups

An incremental backup only saves the changes made since the last backup (whether full or incremental). This method is much faster and uses less storage than full backups.

Incremental backups are perfect for high-traffic servers where frequent changes occur, such as eCommerce stores or dynamic websites.

Differential backups

A differential backup is similar to an incremental backup, but with one key difference: it saves all changes made since the last full backup (instead of just the last incremental backup).

Differential backups strike a balance between full and incremental backups and work well for medium-sized websites or applications where frequent updates occur.

⭐ The best backup strategy combines all three types for maximum efficiency and reliability:

• Full backups weekly or monthly.
• Incremental backups daily or hourly.
• Differential backups in between for faster restores.

With the right backup plan in place, you’ll always have a recent and reliable restore point – without wasting unnecessary storage or resources.

5 Tips for backing up your VPS

Tip 1: Decide on backup priority and location

Not all data on your VPS is equally important. Before setting up backups, decide:

• What needs to be backed up? (Databases, website files, configurations, logs)
• How often? (Hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly backups)
• Where should backups be stored? (Local, cloud, or hybrid)
• How long should backups be kept? (Backup retention policy)

Also, the more frequently your data changes, the more often you should back it up:

• Daily backups for critical business data.
• Weekly backups for system files and applications.
• Monthly full backups for disaster recovery.

Make sure to retain backups for at least 30-90 days, depending on your needs.

Tip 2: Decide on the right backup solution

There are multiple backup solutions available depending on your VPS provider, operating system, and budget. Choose from:

• Built-in VPS backups – hosting providers often offer backup services.
• cPanel/Web Host Manager (WHM) backups – great for website and database backups.
• Cloud backups – services like AWS S3, Google Cloud, or Backblaze.
• Custom scripts  – use tools like rsync, tar, or mysqldump.
• Enterprise backup software – solutions like Veeam, Acronis, or Bacula.

A combination of local and cloud backups gives you the best protection!

Tip 3: Automate your backups

Manually backing up your VPS is not sustainable. If you forget to run a backup and disaster strikes, you could lose everything. Automation ensures that backups run on schedule without human error:

• Use cron jobs on Linux to schedule automated backups.
• Use Windows Task Scheduler for automated Windows VPS backups.
• Leverage backup software with built-in automation.

Don’t forget to set up automated alerts to notify you if a backup fails!

Tip 4: Diversify backup locations

A single backup location is a disaster waiting to happen. If your only backup is on the same VPS, a hardware failure or cyberattack could wipe it out:

• Local backups – fast recovery but vulnerable if the server fails.
• Cloud backups – secure, offsite storage for disaster recovery.
• External storage – backup to an external hard drive or remote server.

Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: keep 3 copies of your data, store it in 2 different locations, and ensure 1 copy is offsite.

Tip 5: Test your backups regularly

A backup is worthless if it doesn’t work when you need it! Regularly test your backups to ensure they can be restored successfully:

• Restore test – try restoring backups to a test environment.
• Integrity check – verify database and file consistency.
• Automated reports – monitor backup success and failure rates.

You can also set up a backup sandbox where you can test restores without affecting your live VPS.

How to back up your VPS

Now that you understand the importance of VPS backups and best practices, it’s time to put that knowledge into action:

1. WHM and cPanel backup

cPanel allows both full account backups and partial backups (such as databases, emails, and files). Here’s how you can back up using cPanel and WHM:

1. Log in to your cPanel dashboard.
2. Navigate to Backup Wizard or Backup under the Files section.
3. Click Download a Full Account Backup.
4. Choose a backup destination (Home Directory, Remote SFTP, SCP).
5. Click Generate Backup and wait for the process to complete.

If you need automatic cPanel backups, configure them in WHM > Backup Configuration to schedule backups daily, weekly, or monthly.

Now, here’s how to restore a cPanel backup:

1. Go to cPanel > Backup.
2. Under Restore a Backup, choose the type of backup (Files, Databases, Email).
3. Upload the backup file and restore it.

This method is best for websites, email accounts, and MySQL databases.

2. Cloud server backup

For those managing cloud-based VPS instances, cloud backups provide a scalable and offsite backup solution. If you prefer a hands-on approach, you can use a Bash script to automate VPS backups:

1. Create a backup directory:

mkdir -p /backups

2. Use tar to compress your VPS files:

tar -czvf /backups/vps_backup_$(date +%F).tar.gz /var/www /etc /home

3. Set up a cron job for automation:

crontab -e

4. Add this line to run the script daily at midnight:

0 0 * * * /usr/bin/tar -czvf /backups/vps_backup_$(date +%F).tar.gz /var/www /etc /home

For VPS hosting databases, regular MySQL backups are crucial. Use the following command to back up your database:

mysqldump -u root -p database_name > /backups/db_backup_$(date +%F).sql

And to restore:

mysql -u root -p database_name < /path/to/db_backup.sql

This method is best for cloud-based VPS, database-driven applications

3. Platform-specific backups

Different VPS operating systems require different backup approaches.

Linux server backup

Linux users can back up their VPS using rsync, a fast and efficient file transfer tool:

rsync -avz /var/www /backups/

Or, use backup software Bacula or Timeshift.

Windows server backup

If your VPS runs Windows Server, you can use Windows Server Backup (WSB):

1. Open Server Manager > Add Roles and Features.
2. Install Windows Server Backup.
3. Launch Windows Server Backup and click on Local Backup.
4. Select a backup schedule. Choose files, system state, or full server backup.
5. Set destination (local drive, network share, or cloud storage).
6. Click Finish to start the backup process.

You can automate backups using PowerShell scripts:

wbadmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C: -quiet

This approach is perfect for Windows-based VPS and businesses using Microsoft applications.

VPS snapshots

While traditional backups are essential for long-term data protection, VPS snapshots offer a fast and efficient way to create instant restore points.

A VPS snapshot is a real-time image of your server at a specific moment. Unlike full backups, which store files separately, snapshots capture the entire server state, including:

• Running applications.
• System settings.
• Configurations.
• Files and databases.

Think of it as a “Save Game” option for your VPS – if something goes wrong, you can instantly roll back to a previous snapshot.

Here a side-by-side comparison:

💡 Tip: Use snapshots before making major changes, such as OS upgrades, software installations, or configuration tweaks.

Most hosting providers offer built-in snapshot features. Here’s how to create one:

1. Log in to your VPS provider’s dashboard.
2. Navigate to Server Management > Snapshots.
3. Click Create Snapshot (some hosts allow you to name it for easy identification).
4. Wait for the snapshot to complete (usually takes a few minutes)

And here’s how to restore a VPS snapshot:

1. Go back to the Snapshots section.
2. Select the snapshot you want to restore.
3. Click Restore VPS (this will revert your server to that exact state).

🚨 Warning: Restoring a snapshot overwrites your current data – make sure you don’t lose any important updates!

While snapshots are incredibly useful, they are NOT a substitute for full backups. Here’s why:

• Snapshots are stored on the same server – if your VPS crashes, they may be lost.
• Some providers delete old snapshots automatically.
• Snapshots cannot be moved offsite for disaster recovery.

The best strategy is to use both snapshots and backups:

• Snapshots for quick recovery before making changes.
• Full backups for long-term disaster protection.

Protect your business with VPS backups

At Liquid Web, we take your data protection seriously. Our fully managed VPS hosting comes with built-in automated backups, enterprise-grade security, and 24/7 expert support – so you can focus on growing your business while we handle the heavy lifting. Liquid Web also offers resizable VPS cloud slices, allowing you to upgrade and back up your server quickly.

Don’t wait for disaster to strike. Secure your VPS with reliable, automated backups from Liquid Web today!