Backups and Restores - Shared Hosting Documentation

Important: Backup Frequency

RamNode creates backups on a weekly basis only. Any additional backups beyond this weekly schedule must be created manually by you. You are responsible for maintaining your own backups to ensure data protection.

While we perform server-level backups, they are for disaster recovery only and cannot be guaranteed. Always maintain your own regular backups, especially before making significant changes to your site.

Creating Full Account Backup

Step 1: Access Backup Tool

Log into cPanel
Find "Files" section
Click "Backup"

Step 2: Generate Full Backup

Under "Full Backup", click "Download a Full Account Backup"
Select backup destination (usually "Home Directory")
Enter email address for notification
Click "Generate Backup"
Wait for backup to complete (you'll receive email)
Download the backup file from File Manager

What's Included in Full Backup

All website files

All email accounts

All MySQL databases

Forwarders and filters

cPanel settings

Partial Backups

Home Directory Backup

Go to cPanel → Backup
Under "Partial Backups", click "Download a Home Directory Backup"
Backup will download to your computer

MySQL Database Backup

Method 1: Via Backup Tool

Go to cPanel → Backup
Under "Partial Backups" → "Download a MySQL Database Backup"
Click the database name to download

Method 2: Via phpMyAdmin

Go to cPanel → phpMyAdmin
Select database from left sidebar
Click "Export" tab
Choose "Quick" or "Custom" export method
Select format (SQL recommended)
Click "Go" to download

Restoring Backups

Restoring Full Backup

Go to cPanel → Backup
Under "Restore", click "Choose File"
Select your backup file
Click "Upload"
Wait for restoration to complete

Warning

Restoring a full backup will overwrite all existing data. Make sure this is what you want before proceeding.

Restoring Database via phpMyAdmin

Go to cPanel → phpMyAdmin
Select the database
Click "Import" tab
Click "Choose File" and select your .sql backup
Click "Go" to import

Restoring Website Files

Upload backup archive to your account via FTP or File Manager
Extract the archive in the appropriate directory
Or upload individual files to restore specific items

Backup to RamNode S3

There are several ways to back up cPanel accounts to RamNode S3 buckets, both for individual users and resellers. Below are the recommended approaches.

RamNode S3 Configuration

You'll need the following to connect to RamNode S3:

Your RamNode S3 access key
Your RamNode S3 secret key
The correct endpoint URL (varies by region)
Bucket name

See our S3 API Quick Start guide for detailed setup instructions.

For Individual cPanel Users (No WHM Access)

Method 1: Manual Backup with Download & Upload

The simplest but least automated approach:

Use cPanel's Backup Wizard to generate a full account backup
Download it to your local machine
Upload to RamNode S3 using s3cmd, rclone, or the S3 browser interface

Method 2: Automated Script via Cron

Create a backup script that runs on a schedule:

#!/bin/bash
# backup-to-s3.sh

# Configuration
CPANEL_USER="yourusername"
S3_BUCKET="s3://your-bucket-name"
S3_ENDPOINT="https://s3.ramnode.com"  # Adjust for your RamNode region
BACKUP_DIR="/home/$CPANEL_USER/backups"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Create backup directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Generate cPanel backup (this creates a tar.gz in your home directory)
uapi --user=$CPANEL_USER Backup fullbackup_to_homedir

# Wait for backup to complete (adjust time as needed)
sleep 300

# Find the most recent backup file
BACKUP_FILE=$(ls -t /home/$CPANEL_USER/backup-*.tar.gz | head -1)

# Upload to S3 using s3cmd
s3cmd put $BACKUP_FILE $S3_BUCKET/backups/$DATE/ \
  --host=$S3_ENDPOINT \
  --host-bucket="%(bucket)s.$S3_ENDPOINT"

# Optional: Remove local backup after successful upload
# rm $BACKUP_FILE

You'll need to configure s3cmd first:

s3cmd --configure

For Resellers (Multiple Accounts)

Automated Multi-Account Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
# reseller-backup-to-s3.sh

S3_BUCKET="s3://reseller-backups"
S3_ENDPOINT="https://s3.ramnode.com"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)

# List of accounts to backup
ACCOUNTS=(
    "client1"
    "client2"
    "client3"
)

for ACCOUNT in "${ACCOUNTS[@]}"; do
    echo "Backing up $ACCOUNT..."
    
    # Trigger backup via cPanel API
    uapi --user=$ACCOUNT Backup fullbackup_to_homedir
    
    # Wait for backup to generate
    sleep 300
    
    # Find and upload the backup
    BACKUP_FILE=$(ls -t /home/$ACCOUNT/backup-*.tar.gz | head -1)
    
    if [ -f "$BACKUP_FILE" ]; then
        s3cmd put $BACKUP_FILE $S3_BUCKET/$ACCOUNT/$DATE/ \
          --host=$S3_ENDPOINT \
          --host-bucket="%(bucket)s.$S3_ENDPOINT"
        
        echo "Successfully backed up $ACCOUNT"
        
        # Optional: Clean up local backup
        # rm $BACKUP_FILE
    else
        echo "Backup file not found for $ACCOUNT"
    fi
done

Using Rclone (More Flexible)

Rclone often works better with S3-compatible storage:

# Configure rclone
rclone config

# In the config, choose:
# - S3-compatible storage
# - Enter RamNode S3 endpoint
# - Enter your access key and secret key

Then modify your script to use rclone:

rclone copy $BACKUP_FILE ramnode-s3:your-bucket/backups/$DATE/

PHP Script for Web-Based Automation

<?php
// backup-manager.php

$accounts = ['client1', 'client2', 'client3'];
$s3_bucket = 'your-bucket-name';
$s3_region = 'us-east-1'; // Adjust for RamNode region

foreach ($accounts as $account) {
    // Trigger backup via cPanel UAPI
    exec("uapi --user=$account Backup fullbackup_to_homedir");
    
    // Wait for backup
    sleep(300);
    
    // Find backup file
    $backup_files = glob("/home/$account/backup-*.tar.gz");
    if (empty($backup_files)) continue;
    
    rsort($backup_files);
    $backup_file = $backup_files[0];
    
    // Upload to S3 using AWS SDK or s3cmd
    exec("s3cmd put $backup_file s3://$s3_bucket/$account/" . date('Y-m-d') . "/");
}
?>

S3 Backup Best Practices

• Set up S3 credentials securely - Use .s3cfg file with restricted permissions (600)
• Schedule via cron - Run backups during off-peak hours
• Implement rotation - Delete old backups to manage storage costs
• Monitor backup success - Log outputs and set up alerts
• Test restores - Regularly verify backups are valid

Automated Backup Solutions

For WordPress Sites

Use WordPress backup plugins:

UpdraftPlus

Most popular, free, supports cloud storage

BackupBuddy

Premium solution with many features

Duplicator

Good for migrations and backups

VaultPress

Real-time backups by Automattic

JetBackup

Some cPanel servers include JetBackup for automated backups with easy restoration.

Backup Best Practices

Backup Frequency

Daily - For sites with frequent content updates
Weekly - For moderately active sites
Monthly - For static sites with rare updates
Before Changes - Always backup before major updates

Storage Recommendations (3-2-1 Rule)

3 copies of data
2 different storage types
1 copy offsite
Never store backups only on the same server

What to Backup

All website files

All databases

Email accounts

Troubleshooting

Backup Taking Too Long

Large sites may take hours to backup
Consider partial backups for specific parts
Use FTP to manually backup files

Backup Download Failing

Check disk space on server
Try smaller partial backups instead
Use FTP to download instead of HTTP

Critical Reminder

Backups are useless if you can't restore them. Test your backup restoration process regularly to ensure you can recover your data when needed. The time to test is before disaster strikes, not after.