Backups and restore
How OpenHost backups work, what's covered, how to restore, and best practices for disaster recovery.
Every OpenHost plan includes automated daily off-site backups. This guide explains what's backed up, how to restore, and how to build a resilient backup strategy for your business.
How it works
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Daily at 03:30 UTC |
| Storage | Off-site object storage (geographically separate from your server) |
| Retention | 7–30 days depending on plan tier |
| Scope | Files + databases + app configuration |
| Encryption | Encrypted in transit and at rest |
What's included
| Component | Backed up? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Website files | Yes | Full document root, themes, plugins, uploads |
| Databases | Yes | Automated SQL dumps before snapshot |
| Email data | Yes | Mailboxes included in daily snapshot |
| App containers | Yes | Full app state including configs |
| SSL certificates | No | Re-issued automatically on restore |
| DNS records | No | Managed at Cloudflare, not server-level |
Restoring from backup
Open the Backups screen
Control panel → Backups. You'll see a list of available restore points by date.
Choose what to restore
Options:
- Full site — files + database (recommended for total recovery)
- Files only — restore themes, plugins, uploads without touching the database
- Database only — restore data without replacing files
- Single file/folder — download one item from the snapshot
Confirm and wait
Click Restore. The process typically takes 1–5 minutes depending on site size. Your site may show a brief maintenance page during database restore.
On-demand backups
You can trigger a backup at any time:
- Panel → Backups → Create backup
- Label it (e.g. "pre-update" or "launch")
- It appears in the restore list immediately
Best practice: take a manual snapshot before:
- Major WordPress/plugin updates
- Theme redesigns
- WooCommerce changes
- Database migrations
The 3-2-1 backup rule
Professional backup strategy follows 3-2-1:
| Rule | Meaning | How OpenHost covers it |
|---|---|---|
| 3 copies | Original + 2 backups | Live site + daily automated + on-demand |
| 2 media types | Different storage tech | NVMe server + object storage |
| 1 off-site | Geographic separation | Backups stored in different region |
Going beyond (optional)
For mission-critical sites:
- Export your database monthly and store it in a personal cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox)
- Export WordPress content via Tools → Export
- Download a Bitwarden export of vault data (for Password Vault customers)
- Test a restore quarterly to verify the process works
Restore drill checklist
Run this once to prove your backups are real:
- Identify which backup to restore (yesterday's)
- Restore to a preview/staging URL (not production)
- Verify: homepage loads, admin login works, images display
- For WooCommerce: verify orders are visible
- Send a test email from the restored site
- Record how long the restore took (your RTO)
- Delete the test restoration
- Document and date-stamp the drill
Retention by plan
| Plan tier | Retention | On-demand snapshots |
|---|---|---|
| Start/Starter | 7 days | 3 |
| Lite/Hobby | 14 days | 5 |
| Plus/Growth | 21 days | 10 |
| Pro/Scale | 30 days | 20 |
| Max | 30 days | Unlimited |
VPS customers
VPS plans include the same automated backup system. Additionally:
- You have root access to run your own backup tools (restic, borgmatic, rclone)
- Configure custom backup scripts via cron
- Snapshot the entire VPS from the client area
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Restore point missing | Check plan retention period; older snapshots are pruned automatically |
| Restore is slow | Large sites (10+ GB) take longer; check backup progress in panel |
| Files restored but site broken | Database may need restoring too; select "Full site" |
| WooCommerce orders missing after restore | Restore includes DB — any orders placed after the snapshot date are lost; take fresh snapshot first |
Related docs
- WordPress hosting — managed backups for WP
- Common issues
- Migrate from cPanel