Back Up and Restore Your Site on DirectAdmin — Step by Step

Everyone knows they should back up — until the site breaks and they realise they didn’t. Having a recent backup that actually restores is the difference between losing a few minutes and losing everything. This guide shows how to back up and restore your site on DirectAdmin step by step, all by yourself without waiting for support.

Types of DirectAdmin backup

DirectAdmin offers two main user-level backup tools:

• Create/Restore Backups — creates a full backup of the whole account (files, email, databases, settings) as a single archive, ideal for full snapshots or migrations.
• Site Backup — back up selected parts only, such as just files, just databases or just email; more flexible for partial backups.

Admins can also schedule automatic backups, which most hosts including AsiaGB already configure — but you should keep your own copies too for peace of mind.

Creating a full backup

1. Log in to DirectAdmin and open Create/Restore Backups (under Account Manager / Extra Features).
2. Select what to back up — choosing All gets your home directory, databases, email and settings.
3. Click Create Backup; DirectAdmin builds a .tar.gz file in your account’s backups folder.
4. When done, use File Manager or FTP to download the backup off the server — onto your computer or cloud storage. This is the most important step and the one people skip.

Backing up just the database

WordPress and most CMSs store all content in the database, so frequent database backups matter. Two ways:

• Via phpMyAdmin — open phpMyAdmin from DirectAdmin, select the database and click Export in SQL format to get a .sql file.
• Via Site Backup — choose to back up only Databases in DirectAdmin.

For online stores with daily orders, back up the database more often than files — every 6–12 hours — since data changes constantly, while themes and plugins change rarely and a weekly file backup is enough.

How to restore

When the site breaks and you need to restore from a DirectAdmin backup:

1. If the backup was downloaded off-site, first upload the .tar.gz back into the backups folder.
2. Open Create/Restore Backups and go to the Restore tab.
3. Select the backup file and what to restore (all, or just Database/Email).
4. Click Restore, wait for it to finish, then verify the site and database are back to normal.

If restoring only the database via phpMyAdmin, drop the old tables or create a fresh database before importing the .sql file to avoid duplicate rows.

Test that your backup actually restores

A backup that won’t restore is no backup at all. Many people discover a file is corrupt or incomplete only when they need it — too late. Test periodically:

• Try restoring to a staging site or temporary subdomain to confirm the files work.
• Open the .sql file and check the tables have data — not an empty or truncated file.
• Record the date of the latest backup and confirm the automatic system is still running.

Common backup mistakes

Many people assume that having a backup means they're safe, only to find it useless when the moment comes — because of small overlooked details. The most common mistakes and how to avoid them:

• Keeping the backup only on the same server — if the disk fails or the account is suspended, the backup vanishes too. Always download a copy off-site.
• Never testing a restore — the file may be corrupt or incomplete without you knowing. Periodically try restoring to a test site.
• Backing up files but forgetting the database — all WordPress content lives in the database; if you back up only files you get an empty site on restore.
• Keeping a single generation — if damage such as malware is found days later, the latest backup may already be infected. Keep several generations.

Another misconception is "the host does automatic backups so I don't need my own". The provider's backup is a good safety net, but your own controllable copy lets you restore immediately and spreads the risk if the automatic system fails on the very day you need it.

Schedule it and keep copies off-site

The final step is making backups an automatic habit, not something you have to remember:

• Combine the host’s scheduled backups with periodic off-site downloads, e.g. weekly.
• Keep a copy on cloud storage with a different provider than your host to spread the risk.
• Set retention to keep several generations (e.g. 7 days + 4 weeks) in case damage is only discovered days later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a backup stored on the same hosting safe?

Not safe enough. If the server fails, the disk dies or the site is hacked, a backup in the same place is lost too. Always download at least one copy off-site, following the 3-2-1 rule.

How often should I back up?

It depends on how often data changes. A typical blog is fine with weekly backups, but an online store with daily orders should back up the database every 6–12 hours, while rarely-changing theme and plugin files only need a weekly backup.

How do I restore just the database?

Open phpMyAdmin from DirectAdmin, drop the old tables or create a fresh database, then Import the .sql file to avoid duplicates — or use DirectAdmin Restore and select only the database.

My host already does automatic backups — do I still need my own?

Yes. The host backup is one safety net, but your own off-site copy gives you immediate, self-service control and spreads the risk if the automatic system ever fails.