Do you do regular website backups? Today I’m making some structural changes to one of my blogs, which is hosted on Hostgator. The instruction page on Hostgator warns (ominously) that you should make a full site backup before beginning. That sounded like good advice, so I decided to follow it!
First, in their support section, I found the site backup instruction page. Next, I followed the steps carefully, to begin the backup.
Hostgator promised to send me an email as soon as the backup is ready, and it “could take a few minutes.”
Waiting for the Backup
While waiting for the email, I clicked the “Go Back” button.
That took me to a page where it showed a historical list of all of the site backup files I’ve created.
In the screen shot below, you can see that full list. It shows all the backups since I started the blog in 2008.
What Does Regular Mean?
Apparently I like to make a full backup of this once every 8 years, whether I need a backup or not.
Is that what people mean when they say you should do “regular” backups? Probably not!
In future, I promise to full website backups more frequently! And that shouldn’t be too difficult, since the bar is set so low!
Downloading the Backup File
It only took about 5 minutes for the Hostgator email to arrive, to let me know that the backup file was ready.
There was a link in the email, so I clicked that link, to download the file.
Unfortunately, the link didn’t show the file size, which would be helpful. However, Firefox was more helpful, and told me that the download file size was 2.2 GB.
Apparently it will take about 25 minutes.
- Homer Simpson voice: Twenty-five minutes? But I want it now!
What’s Your Backup Schedule?
How about you? Do you do full website backups on a regular schedule?
And is your “regular” more frequently than once every 8 years?
But I Want It Now!
If you’re a fan of The Simpsons (Wikipedia link), here’s a short clip that shows Moe getting his new (slightly used) flash fryer.
This video clip is from Season 7, Episode 4 (Wikipedia link), which first aired on October 5, 1995. Wow! That was over 20 years ago.
- Moe: The deep fryer’s here! I got it used from the Navy. You can flash-fry a buffalo in 40 seconds.
- Homer: Forty seconds?! But I want it now!
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