Backups only matter on the day you need them. How the 3-2-1 rule works, and a simple routine that keeps your website and email safe.
Nobody thinks about backups until the day a plugin update breaks the website, a file is deleted by mistake or a hacked page needs replacing. On that day, the only question that matters is: how quickly can we get it back?
The 3-2-1 rule
The 3-2-1 rule is a simple, widely used way to make sure one bad day does not take everything with it:
- 3 copies of your data: the live website and two backups;
- 2 different kinds of storage;
- 1 copy kept somewhere else entirely.
The idea is that no single failure, whether a broken server, a mistake or an attack, can destroy every copy at once.
Applying it to your website
Copy one: your live website
This is the website your visitors see.
Copy two: your host’s backups
Twerple Web Hosting, WordPress Hosting and Reseller Hosting are backed up automatically every day, including your files, databases and email. You can restore a single file, a database, a mailbox or your whole account yourself in HostPanel. See How Twerple backs up your website.
On a VPS or dedicated server you manage everything yourself, backups included, so set them up from day one.
Copy three: your own copy, somewhere else
Download a backup now and then, and keep it on your own computer or cloud storage. If you ever leave your host, lose access to your account or need a copy from long ago, this is the one you will be glad you have. Our guide Creating your own backup shows how.
A simple routine
- Before every big change, such as an update, a new plugin or a redesign, take a backup first.
- Once a month, download a full backup and keep it off the server.
- Every few months, test a restore. A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a plan.
Do not forget email
For many businesses, email matters even more than the website. Make sure mailboxes are included in your backups, and that important messages are not only on one phone.
When you need to roll back, our guides Restoring a file, database or mailbox and Restoring your whole account or website take you through it.