Backups, restore and moving sites
Hyperion keeps three kinds of copy of a hosting, and each answers a different question. Pick the page that matches what you need to do.
| Kind of copy | What it is | Where it lives | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archive | A .tar.gz of the site’s htdocs directory plus a database dump |
The site’s node, and optionally an off-site target | “The server is gone” |
| Snapshot | A restic snapshot of the document root plus a database dump | The site’s node only | “The last update broke the site” |
| Off-site copy | An archive copied to an FTP, FTPS or SFTP server or an S3 bucket | Somebody else’s server | “The node and its disk are lost” |
Guides
Section titled “Guides”- Back up a site and set a schedule: run a backup, schedule backups, read the list and check that a backup is usable.
- Restore a site from a backup: every way to put an archive back, with what each one overwrites.
- Take and restore snapshots: the fast way back from a bad update.
- Copy backups off-site: set up an FTP, FTPS, SFTP or S3 target and recover from it.
- Set how long backups are kept: retention, local copies and the trash.
- Delete backups, snapshots and sites: what each delete removes and how to undo it.
- Delete backups left by deleted sites: find and delete off-site files that no site uses any more.
- Move or copy a site: relocate a site to another node, duplicate it under a new domain, or export it.
- Import sites with one command: bring CloudPanel or HestiaCP sites in without handing over an SSH key.
- Import sites over SSH or in place: read a CloudPanel or HestiaCP server directly, with a dry-run first.
What an archive does not contain
Section titled “What an archive does not contain”An archive holds the htdocs directory and the database dump of the one database a hosting has. It does not hold logs, the nginx vhost, PHP settings, certificates, cron entries, FTP or SFTP logins, mail or DNS. Restoring an archive brings back site content and data. It does not bring back a deleted hosting’s configuration.