Drupal: Backup Site Files, Directories, and Database

[last updated: 2024-01-21]
Drupal home page
see below for Reference Links

for backup of local drupal 10 site ...
-----

NOTE: These instructions were developed for drupal 7 and are probably not quite correct for later versions.
NOTE: There are a lot of different ways to do things in Drupal. This method is just one way that works for me.
----------------------------------------------------

• Backup Core Files:
  • Do this before any updates, upgrades, or module installations.
  • core files are everything in your root directory
  • find your root directory. See drupal: introduction

  • Open browser to your host site (my.bluehost.com)
    Log in:
        username: arduinoetal.net
        enter admin password
    Continue to account manager
  • under other CMS, select: arduinoetal.net
  • in Quick Links block to the right, select: File Manager
  • Double-click public_html
  • in right-hand pane, click top file (".well-known" directory)
    (click on directory folder icon)
  • Hold shift, press down-arrow to scroll to bottom to select all files
  • Click Compress (top menu bar), zip archive, Compress Files, close
  • This will create a [filename].zip file,
    where the filename is the name of the first file/folder in the list that you compressed.
  • In my system that file is the .well-known folder, and the zip file is ".well-known.zip"
    It will be placed in your directory listing, below the folders.
  • click to select it, then
    Click Download (top menu bar)
    Monitor progress until download completed successfully
  • Go to PC Downloads folder
    rename file to: yyyy-mm-dd_tttt_public_html.zip
  • move file to:
    workingFiles/Tech/websites/myWebsites/Arduinoetal.net/backup/7.73/public_html

  • Note: This backs up core files, including the "sites" folder, which (should) contain all your custom files.
    If you have specified a directory for special system files in Administer --> Site Configuration --> File System,
        then you must be sure to back it up separately, as it may be outside your root directory.

  -----------------------------------

• Backup Database:
  • There are (as always) more than one way to do this. This is my preference:
    Create a zipped backup:

  • BH -> Helpful Links -> Advanced -> phpMyAdmin
  • Click: Databases (top menu bar)
    • Find the name of the database that your site is actually using:
      .../sites/default/settings.php

    Click the database you want to save (currently: drupald6c)

  • click Export, select Custom options,
    scroll to Output, Save Output to a File,
    select Compression: zipped
  • Scroll to bottom and click Export.
  • [dataBaseName].sql.zip will be sent to your Downloads folder
    (If you did not select the individual db, as mentioned above, the file sent to downloads may be:
          localhost.sql

    Rename to identify, move to your backup/archive folder
    -------------------------------------------------

  • Reference Links:

  .
  
  .
  
  .
  

  eof