Create and restore backups in DirectAdmin
How to create a full backup of your Traxio account in DirectAdmin, download it, store it safely and restore it, and how that differs from Traxio’s daily backups.
On this page
DirectAdmin can package your whole account, including website files, databases, email accounts and settings, into a single backup file you can download. Keeping these backups is your responsibility: Traxio’s own daily offsite backups are a courtesy with no guarantee, so think of them as a safety net, not your plan.
Your backups vs Traxio’s backups
| Your DirectAdmin backups | Traxio’s daily backups | |
|---|---|---|
| Who takes them | You, whenever you choose | Automatic, every day |
| Where they’re kept | Wherever you store the download | Offsite, on a rolling basis |
| Guarantee | Yours to keep safe | None; provided as a courtesy |
| Restoring | You, in DirectAdmin | Only if you have no backup: support desk, best-effort |
Create a full backup
- Log in to DirectAdmin and search for Create/Restore Backups (usually under Advanced Features).
- Choose what to include. For a complete backup, leave everything ticked: domains and website files, subdomains, email accounts and messages, databases, and so on.
- Click Create Backup. DirectAdmin builds the file in the background and emails you when it’s ready, usually within a few minutes for a small site.
Download it, then delete it from the server
The backup is saved in your account, normally in a backups folder in your home directory, and it counts towards your 3GB of storage.
- Open the File Manager, go to the
backupsfolder and download the.tar.gz(or.tar.zst) file. - Store it in two places that aren’t your hosting account, for example your computer and a cloud drive.
- Delete it from the server once you’ve checked the download, to free up space.
The 3-2-1 rule
Keep three copies of anything important, on two different kinds of storage, with one somewhere else entirely. A backup strategy that works.
Restore a backup
- Upload the backup file into the
backupsfolder in your home directory, if it isn’t already there. - In Create/Restore Backups, choose to restore, select the file, and choose what to restore.
- Start the restore. DirectAdmin emails you when it’s finished.
Restoring overwrites
A restore replaces the current files, databases or mailboxes with the versions in the backup. Anything created since the backup was taken will be lost. If you’re not sure, take a fresh backup first.
For a single file or a single database, it’s often simpler to extract the backup on your computer and upload just what you need. Restore files and a database.
How often?
Before any big change, such as a WordPress update, a theme change or a migration. Otherwise, monthly for a site that rarely changes and weekly for a busy one. Put a reminder in your calendar: backups that rely on memory get forgotten.
Troubleshooting
- The backup never arrives. Check your storage: if the account is nearly full, there may not be room to build the file. Free space and try again.
- The download is huge. Email is often the biggest part. Clear out old messages, or back up email separately. Back up your email.
- Restore fails. Make sure the file is a complete, unmodified DirectAdmin backup and that you have enough free space. If it still fails, check you’re restoring to the same DirectAdmin account and try again from a fresh download; a backup that can’t be restored at all is a major issue for the support desk, with the error.
Spotted something out of date or unclear? Tell us and we’ll fix it.