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Several server issues have made me aware of the importance to back up my sites regularly.

I've tried several software tools that pomised me to automate the entire process, but in most cases that promise appeared to be idle. Some tools did the job, but couldn't be used due to the limitations of my ISP, some didn't work at all. After a while I found I had spent quite some cash, but didn't have a solid solution. So I decided to go the 'old-fashioned' way...

Here's how I do it:

First of all, I'm creating/editing/updating my files on my hard disk before I upload them to the server. Whenever I install a new script, I download all script files to my hard drive immediately after the installation process. As a result, I always have an up-to-date backup of all files on my hard drive, which I can access easily. (This comes in handy when I need to re-upload just one file or folder.)

To back up my MySQL databases automatically, I use a free script that allows me to take daily, weekly and monthly backups of my MySQL databases called 'AutoMySQLBackup', and a free Gmail account.

You can download the free script here. To learn how to set it up properly, watch this video.

Just to be sure, I also keep a full cPanel home directory backup on my hard drive. Due to ISP limitations (and the size of my online directories), I can't download backups for all my domains every week, but I try to do it as often as possible, i.e. at least once every two months.

To make a full backup in cPanel, follow the steps below:

1 In your cPanel admin area, click the 'Backup(s)' icon.

2 Click on Generate/Download a Full Backup

3 Select the destination you wish to save the backup to from the drop box next to Backup Destination. Choose 'Home Directory' to download the created backup to your hard drive.

4 Enter your email address in the field next to Email Address. An email will be sent to this address when the backup is completed.

5 Click on Generate Backup  to start the backup process.

6 Once the full backup of your account has been completed you will receive an email message to the email address you specified. Follow the instructions to download the backup file to your hard drive.  

You can also back up your file to a remote server, but I've learned not all hosts are happy with this...

Don't assume server crashes or hacks only happen to other people. I speak from personal experience when I say you're better safe than sorry ;-) !