Secure WordPress Backup Using iDrive
WordPress Security topic has become near and dear to me in last year or so and proper backup is not only something I recommend but in fact is one of the cornerstones of the blog security as I have defined it in Triple “P” Of WordPress Security blog post and mentioned by other authority blogs on WordPress Security.
Like it or not but security always starts with preparation for disaster recovery and having good backup is one way to make sure you can do it quickly and with least amount of pain!
Today I want to share with you free plugin created by development team of iDrive that allows you to create a complete backup of your WordPress blog, including all files and database and using Free account. While free account is limited to 2GB it is a very sweet deal and will be more than enough for majority of the bloggers! They do give an upgrade option if you need more space.
Even if you have more then one blog this plugin can be used to backup your files.
Plugin will only work if your WordPress blog is hosted on Linux or Unix host (which is what most use anyway) but be sure to check with your hosting support if you are not sure. Here is list of features, quoted from main site, with my comments:
- Immediate backup of WordPress blog data, both files as well as MySQL data dump, into your IDrive online backup account - this is complete backup option that allows you to quickly restore your blog.
- Scheduled backups occur after 12 midnight every day – hands off approach that I like
- Immediate restore of backed up data from your IDrive online backup account
- Smart backup – Only the first backup transfers entire WordPress content, subsequent backups are incremental where only the modified data is backed up – saves you money by not wasting space on free account
- Automatic notification via email on backup / restore status
- Secure transfer of data to IDrive server using SSL. Non SSL transfer option is also available for non SSL servers
- Detailed logging of backup / restore operations
Plugin is very simple to use and operates on principle of set it and forget it, which is what I like and hope you will too! I have seen some commercial solutions introduced that will set you back a bit while accomplishing similar task or you can just do it for FREE!
Things To Watch For When Using iDrive WordPress Plugin
While plugin is superb at doing what it is designed to do – it will not replace the need for proper security implemented on your blog. While I’m still investigating all the options few things come to mind already based on my “limited” exposure and experience with plugin:
1. Backup run time and schedule
You can’t control it and it runs by WordPress cron ( task scheduler) at midnight. Perhaps a good thing as I don’t think you want this backup running during busy time. Here is screenshot of my VPS server with backup running from wp-cron.php on this blog:
As you can see above – not very pretty picture and I would be interested to know how it performs on shared hosting account, as I can see possible problems here. Since I no longer have any shared hosting accounts – would appreciate your opinion!
NOTE: because my blog has a large number of files it could be the reason for above, new blog shouldn’t have this issue and since plugin is using incremental backup after first – you should be fine but please test it!
2. Timely Security Notification in Place
This one right now is purely a speculation as I just started using this plugin but based on what I read I see a possible issue with using this plugin, UNLESS you have implemented the WordPress File Monitor plugin as I recommend in Triple “P” Of Total WordPress Security blog post as well as my “Lock Your Blog” DVD.
If you don’t have some form of notification in place, such as mentioned above, that will tell you WHEN you blog is attacked and WHICH files were compromised – you have a problem.
Plugin will create an incremental backup (all changed files) every night and will include compromised (hacked) files unless you use a restore option before it does!And if it does – full restore will not work as you will just restore compromised files!
Do add the plugin I recommend to protect yourself! This way you can recover your blog quickly and safely! On good note – plugin will create automated backup ONLY as long as you are logged into your iDrive account. So once your blog is being compromised and you got notification from WP File Monitor, login into admin, navigate to Settings->iDrive and Logoff!
- Secure you cPanel account properly!
- Investigate the log that WP File monitor have sent you and DELETE any new files that hacker might have added to your blog directories, as more than likely they contain backdoor hacks
- Do a full restore of your blog
Even if you choose not to do full restore – you have a list of exact files compromised during attack and you can simply restore those files. Even easier!
But whatever you do – be sure to test all the steps and have a plan “B” in place!
Related WordPress Backup Articles
- How To Automatically Backup Your Entire WordPress Blog (johnchow.com)
- The 2 Best Non-Techie Ways To Backup WordPress Blog (makeuseof.com)
- How to Clone Your Live WordPress Blog to a Local Server (maketecheasier.com)
- What do you use for you backups? (wordpressguru.eu)
- Safecopy Backup – Carbonite Move Over And Pay Some Attention! (pctechmojo.com)
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About The Blog Author
Alex Sysoef is an IT Consultant, Internet Marketer and ProBlogger who shares his passion and knowledge of WordPress, SEO, Social Media and traffic strategies on his blog WordPress Howto Spotter. Connect on Twitter or Facebook
UPDATE: – be careful with this plugin on established blog! Even with VPS I was contacted by my host and they stated that my VPS will be stopped unless I kill the job that was abusing CPU resources on the cluster.
Quite frankly I don’t know if anything could be done by the plugins coders but I would say – something need to be considerate or this super useful plugin will become nuisance!
Think I will stick with keeping my copy of the files and having data base emailed each day to me as there are too many ways that I can see for having a corrupted backup even with the security plugin you use because it still depends on email to notify you and you being there to react.
If they kept multiple days so you could go back a day this would definitely look like a great service.
I agree that having backups is one of the cornerstones of keeping your blog secure.
Mike Paetzold recently posted..Routines – Do you have and use them?
Yeah, Mike but we always try to simplify
I still use good old backup but this plugin CAN become a huge help, assuming that you don’t get banned from your host. This was a first time my VPS was nearly shut down, thnx to this plugin.
Yes its a bit buggy. Also when attempting to backup the sql database it reports failed in the email report.
You might had same issue? This with the CPU issue is new to me. And thanks a lot for that reporting. I won’t be using that. Do you advice on another plug-in for online backups of wordpress?
-Brian
Brian recently posted..Response cached until Tue 15 @ 19:05 GMT (Refreshes in 23.92 Hours)
Brian,
I use WordPress Database backup for sql backup and manual file system backup.
I’ve seen people mentioning this plug-in. Is this the same as http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-db-backup/ ?
Thanks
-Brian
Brian recently posted..Response cached until Tue 15 @ 19:05 GMT (Refreshes in 23.85 Hours)
It is Brian,
Works like a charm and never had any issues with it.
Alex man, I’m going to start promoting this blog as “all about WP security”!
Great stuff bro.
Dennis Edell recently posted..Name My Blog Network – Win $10 or Ad Space!
Hey Dennis,
Nuh
just doing my part in helping people stay away from trouble.
Hi
Sounds like a great idea. I already have a paid idrive account for all of my personal stuff (photos etc.) so could add this in no problem.
Just a bit concerned about any problems with my hosting account.
Neil recently posted..My 4 Priorities For a Happy Life
Neil,
Yeah, you need to test it and monitor the CPU and other resources on your host while doing it.
I think most people don’t think about disasters or the worst case scenario until it actually happens to them. This is a good step in taking care of your site/blog as I’d rather be safe than sorry and lose all that information over something stupid.
Alex,
I’ve always followed your guidelines for regular backup, just as you have in the EWP videos; however…
for those of us who are totally non-techie; should be ever need to , *how* do we “restore” our back up?
Have I missed that section of your site?
Paul Barrs recently posted..Your First Month Master Plan 05
I recently upgraded to 2.9.2, and ever since then, even with the latest verson of this plugin I stopped receiving backups via email. I checked the setting and all looks fine. I tried to do a manual backup via download and save to server, however when I start the backup after a few seconds I am redirected to my blog. No sign of a backup anywhere.
Any ideas?
Nevis1 recently posted..The Four Seasons Resort Nevis Plans To Reopen