This means I'm covered, right?

A few days ago I gave an overview of the basics of backing up a WordPress blog. It’s good information to have, so if you’re unclear on how (or why) to back up your blog, I’d recommend you at least scan it – even if you’re just going to use a plugin to handle your backups. Today, however, we’re going to start looking at a few of the more popular WordPress backup plugins. There are lots of options out there – the goal here is to help you choose which one best suits your needs.

I want to give every plugin I test a fair shot and a full review – so I’m giving every one it’s own post. Once I’ve reviewed them all, I’ll wrap things up and talk a bit about my favorites, and give some recommendations on which you should be using.

What does a backup plugin need?

What makes a good backup plugin good? What should you be looking for? Here’s what I’ll be looking for:

• What does the plugin back up?

  Does it back up your database? Does it get your uploads, and your theme files? Plugins? A good backup plugin should at the very least back up:

  1. Your Database (via MySQLdump)
  2. Your entire wp-content folder, which contains your themes, plugins, and uploads

  In my opinion, it should probably also back up your configuration files – wp-config.php, which holds your database configuration settings, and even your .htaccess file, which ensures your permalinks settings are handled properly.

• Where does it save the backup?

  As I talked about in my backing up a WordPress blog post, saving your backups on your server is downright risky. I’m much more comfortable with a plugin that can automatically save your backup to a secure, reliable third party service, like Amazon S3.

• How does it save the backup?

  Most people won’t care how the backup is saved, as long as it’s saved. There are situations, however, where this can be important. If you need quick access to your data for whatever reason, you want to be sure that the backup is stored in a way that allows you to easily get at it. I prefer database backups to be run via MySQLDump, and all backed up files should be stored in sensible directory structures. It’s also great to see a manifest with some details on exactly when the backup was run stored with the backup.

• Will it run Automatically?

  A backup system that forces you to log in and run it is hardly better than no system at all. You’re going to forget to do it, and you’re going to do so at the worst possible time. Backups have to be automatic. Bonus: Sometimes automatic backups fail. Wouldn’t it be great if you were notified when this happens?

• Does it have an automatic restore feature?

  After disaster strikes is not the right time to go through the terrifying process of learning how to restore a MySQL database. Good backup plugins do this for you quickly and painlessly.

• Does it work?

  The most important question of all. Remember: Most WordPress plugins are free to use, which means their authors have no commercial incentive to code them well or keep them running properly. Most of the time that’s ok (after all – how great is free?) – but when dealing with something critical like backups, you need to be sure everything is working as expected.

There are other factors as well – How easy is the plugin to use? Is the average WordPress user going to be able to work through the setup process? Do I get useful feedback when something goes wrong? Does the plugin break easily when something goes wrong, or does it to its best to keep working?