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Webinoly provides robust backup capabilities for databases, sites, and entire server configurations. This guide covers all backup options from local backups to automated S3 synchronization.

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Database Backups

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Local Database Backup

Backup a WordPress site database: 
sudo webinoly -backup=local -wp=example.com
Backup a specific database: 
sudo webinoly -backup=local -dbname=my_database

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Backup Multiple Databases

# Backup multiple databases
sudo webinoly -backup=local -dbname=[db1,db2,db3]

# Backup all databases
sudo webinoly -backup=local -dbname=all

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Custom Backup Location

# Specify destination folder
sudo webinoly -backup=local -wp=example.com -destination=/backups

# Custom filename
sudo webinoly -backup=local -wp=example.com -filename=my-backup.sql
Default backup location: ~/webinoly-backups/[site-name]/

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Automatic Rotation

Keep only the last N backups: 
# Keep only last 5 backups
sudo webinoly -backup=local -wp=example.com -max=5

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Site Backups

Export complete site configurations including files and databases.

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Export a Site

# Export single site
sudo webinoly -backup=export -site=example.com
This creates a tar archive containing:
  • Nginx configuration files
  • Site files and directories
  • Database backup (if WordPress)
  • SSL certificates
  • Custom cache configurations

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Export Multiple Sites

sudo webinoly -backup=export -site=[example.com,demo.com,test.com]

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Export with Subfolder

sudo webinoly -backup=export -site=example.com -subfolder=/blog

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Skip Database in Export

sudo webinoly -backup=export -site=example.com -skip-db

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Full Server Backup

Export your entire Webinoly server configuration.

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Export Server

sudo webinoly -backup=export -server
This exports:
  • Webinoly configuration file
  • All Nginx configurations
  • All sites and databases
  • SSL certificates (Let’s Encrypt)
  • HTTP authentication files
  • Custom headers
  • AWS credentials

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Server Export with S3 Upload

sudo webinoly -backup=export -server -bucket=my-bucket -max=7
Full server backups can be large. Ensure adequate disk space before running.

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AWS S3 Backups

Automate backups to AWS S3 for off-site storage and disaster recovery.

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Setup S3 Credentials

sudo webinoly -aws-s3-credentials=[access_key,secret_key]
Or use interactive mode: 
sudo webinoly -aws-s3-credentials
# Enter Access Key ID and Secret Access Key when prompted

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Using IAM Roles

For EC2 instances with IAM roles: 
sudo webinoly -aws-s3-credentials=awsiamrole

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Create S3 Backup Profile

sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile
You’ll be prompted for:
  • S3 Bucket name: Your S3 bucket (e.g., my-backups or my-backups/folder)
  • Source path: Local directory to backup (e.g., /var/www/example.com)
  • Max age: How long to keep backups (default: 1M for 1 month)

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S3 Profile Management

# List all backup profiles
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -list

# View profile information
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -info

# Delete a profile
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -delete

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Run S3 Backup

sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -run
This performs:
  • Incremental backup to S3
  • Verification of uploaded files
  • Automatic cleanup based on max age

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Automated Database Backups to S3

Configure pre-backup database dumps: 
# Add database backup before S3 sync
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -add-db-pre=example.com

# With custom retention
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -add-db-pre=example.com -max=10

# Upload to S3 bucket
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -add-db-pre=example.com -bucket=db-backups

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List and Remove Pre-Backups

# List configured pre-backups
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -add-db-pre -list

# Remove pre-backup configuration
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -add-db-pre -delete

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S3-Compatible Services

Use S3-compatible services like DigitalOcean Spaces, Wasabi, or MinIO: 
# Create profile with custom endpoint
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=spaces -s3-compatible-endpoint=https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com

# Send file to S3-compatible service
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -send-to-s3=/path/to/file -bucket=my-bucket -s3-compatible-endpoint=https://s3.wasabisys.com

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Restore from Backup

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Restore from S3

# Restore entire backup
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -restore -destination=/var/www/restore

# Restore specific file or folder
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -restore=htdocs/wp-content -destination=/tmp/restore

# Restore from specific date
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=myprofile -restore -destination=/restore -date=7D
Date format options:
  • 3D - 3 days ago
  • 2W - 2 weeks ago
  • 1M - 1 month ago
  • 2023-12-25 - Specific date

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Import Database

# Import SQL file
sudo webinoly -db-import -file=/path/to/backup.sql

# Import to specific database
sudo webinoly -db-import -file=/path/to/backup.sql -dbname=my_database

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Import Site Backup

sudo webinoly -backup=import -file=/path/to/site-backup.tar
This restores:
  • Nginx site configuration
  • Site files and directories
  • Database (if included)
  • SSL certificates
  • HTTP authentication

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Import Full Server

# Import full server configuration
sudo webinoly -backup=import -file=/path/to/server-backup.tar -import=full

# Import only stack configuration
sudo webinoly -backup=import -file=/path/to/server-backup.tar -import=stack

# Import only sites (no stack)
sudo webinoly -backup=import -file=/path/to/server-backup.tar -import=sites
Importing a full server backup on an existing installation may overwrite current configurations. Use -import=sites for safer restoration.

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Send Files to S3

Manually upload files to S3: 
sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -send-to-s3=/path/to/file.tar -bucket=my-bucket

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Backup Best Practices

  1. Regular Schedule: Set up cron jobs for automated backups 
    # Daily database backup at 2 AM
0 2 * * * sudo webinoly -backup=local -dbname=all -max=7

# Weekly full S3 backup
0 3 * * 0 sudo webinoly -backup=s3 -profile=weekly -run
  2. 3-2-1 Rule: Keep 3 copies on 2 different media with 1 offsite
  3. Test Restores: Regularly test backup restoration procedures
  4. Monitor Backup Size: Track backup growth over time 
    du -sh ~/webinoly-backups/*
  5. Exclude Temporary Files: Configure backup profiles to skip cache and temp directories

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Backup Wizard

Use the interactive backup wizard: 
sudo webinoly -backup
This provides a menu-driven interface for:
  • Adding AWS S3 credentials
  • Creating S3 backup profiles
  • Running backups
  • Managing configurations
  • Exporting sites and servers

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Troubleshooting

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S3 Connection Issues

# Verify credentials
cat ~/.aws/credentials

# Test connection with AWS CLI
aws s3 ls s3://my-bucket

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Large Backup Failures

For very large backups, consider:
  • Excluding cache directories
  • Using incremental backups
  • Increasing timeout values
  • Splitting into multiple profiles

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Backup Not Running

Check duply logs: 
sudo cat ~/.duply/[profile]/backup.log

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