In the world of WordPress, backups are crucial for ensuring the safety of your website’s data. However, it’s not enough to simply create backups and store them on the same server as your website. In this article, we’ll discuss why backups should be done offsite, and we’ll suggest some WordPress plugins that allow for offsite storage via FTP, Dropbox, AWS S3, or Google Storage.
Why Offsite Backups are Important
When you create a backup of your WordPress website, you’re essentially creating a copy of all the files and data on your website. This copy is then stored somewhere else, usually on a separate server or storage device.
The reason it’s important to store backups offsite is because if something happens to your server or website, you may lose access to those backups as well. For example, if your server crashes, catches fire, or is hacked, you may lose both your website and your backups.
By storing backups offsite, you can ensure that your data is protected no matter what happens to your website or server. If something happens to your website, you can always retrieve your backups from the offsite location and restore your website.
WordPress Backup Plugins for Offsite Storage
Now that we’ve discussed why offsite backups are important, let’s look at some WordPress plugins that allow for offsite backup storage.
1. UpdraftPlus
UpdraftPlus is a popular backup plugin that allows you to create backups and store them on a variety of offsite locations, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, and more.
With UpdraftPlus, you can schedule automatic backups, set up incremental backups to save space, and encrypt your backups for added security.
👍 Pros: User-friendly interface, free version available, supports a variety of offsite storage options, and scheduling options.
👎 Cons: Advanced features available in the paid version only.
2. Jetpack Backup
Jetpack Backup is a backup plugin developed by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.
Jetpack Backup allows you to create backups and store them on the offsite servers of WordPress.com. This means that your backups are stored on a secure and reliable platform that is separate from your website’s server.
👍 Pros: Secure offsite storage on WordPress.com servers, easy to use, and automatic backups.
👎 Cons: Limited to storing backups on WordPress.com servers only.
3. BackWPup
👍 Pros: Free version available, supports a variety of offsite storage options, and scheduling options.
👎 Cons: Some advanced features available in the paid version only.
Conclusion
Offsite backups are an essential part of protecting your WordPress website’s data. By storing backups offsite, you can ensure that your data is protected no matter what happens to your website or server. The three WordPress backup plugins we’ve discussed in this article – UpdraftPlus, Jetpack Backup, and BackWPup – all allow for offsite storage via a variety of options.
While each plugin has its pros and cons, UpdraftPlus is the best option overall due to its user-friendly interface, wide range of features, and support for a variety of offsite storage options.
