Skip to main content
Deutsch Español Français Nederlands

Schedule backups automatically

Updated

This is how the plugin backs up your website by itself: you switch on the first backup plan or create your own, with rhythm, time and target.

What you need

The first plan is already there

With your first target the plugin creates the plan “Daily backup”: daily at a random time, everything, this target, Max. backups 7. The plan is paused until you switch it on. Just because the plugin is installed, nothing runs.

Step 1: Open the backup plans

Open the Backup page. In the Compact view you click Schedule backup. In the Extended view the tile Backup plans is always visible.

Backup page in the Compact view with the tile Backup plans brought up

  1. Schedule backup brings up the tile Backup plans.
  2. Dismiss hides the tile again.

Step 2: Open the form

For a new plan you click Add plan. You change an existing plan via More …, then Edit. If the first plan suits you, continue with step 4.

Form Add plan in the Compact view

  1. Name is required. The plugin suggests one. It may have at most 100 characters and must not be in use yet.
  2. Rhythm defines how often the plan runs.
  3. Time takes hour and minute, the minute in steps of 15.
  4. Backups go to is the target of the plan.
  5. Save
  6. Cancel closes the form without saving.

Step 3: Choose rhythm, time and target

Rhythm What you choose with it
Every hour, Every 2 hours, Every 4 hours, Every 6 hours, Every 12 hours Minute. Counting starts at midnight: “Every 6 hours” runs in the hours 0, 6, 12 and 18.
Daily Time
Weekly Weekday and Time
Monthly Day of the month (1 to 28 or Last day of the month) and Time

To the chosen time 0 to 14 minutes are added. The plugin picks them at random when the plan is created and keeps them: a plan with 03:15 starts at 03:22, for example. This way not all websites on a server start in the same minute. When editing, the real start time stands next to the time.

Under Backups go to you choose the target. A target that is not usable stands grey in the list. The free version allows one target per plan.

Click Save. A new plan is paused.

Step 4: Switch on the plan

Click the switch in front of the plan.

A paused plan in the tile Backup plans

  1. paused stands at the switch as long as the plan is switched off. Switched on, it reads active.
  2. Paused, no backups are scheduled.

Switching on calculates the next run from now. A plan that was paused for a long time therefore does not start the moment it is switched on.

The active plan in the tile

Tile Backup plans with two active plans

  1. Add plan is grey when the maximum number of plans is reached. The free version allows two plans.
  2. The switch shows whether the plan is active or paused.
  3. The name of the plan, its rhythm with the start time and its target.
  4. More … opens the menu with Edit, Run now and Delete.
  5. Next run names the next scheduled time with date and time.
  6. The time zone of the website. All times are given in it.

Pause, change, delete

  • Pause: set the switch back. Only the schedule is paused; by hand you start the plan at any time: Create a backup right now.
  • Change: More …, then Edit. If you change rhythm or time, the plugin recalculates the next run.
  • Delete: More …, then Delete. After the confirmation prompt the plan is gone. Its backups are kept.

When a scheduled time is missed

The plugin checks whether a plan is due on every task source: on WP-Cron, on a system cron, as long as the Overview or Backup page is open, and at the end of every job. WP-Cron runs only when someone visits the website.

  • If a task source comes within one hour after the scheduled time, the plan runs.
  • If the scheduled time fell into a running job, the plan starts right afterwards.
  • Later the scheduled time counts as missed. The plugin does not catch it up: it starts nothing, writes a warning into the general log and moves on to the next regular time. The Extended view names the missed time at the plan.

No backup without a task source

A website that has no visitor and no system cron around its scheduled times makes no backups. In that case set up a system cron: Start backups on time: set up a system cron.

If something does not work

Message What you can do
Switching on needs at least one usable target. The switch stays on paused. The yellow line at the plan names the target and the reason. Test the connection on the Targets page or choose another target.
Paused: the plan has no target. Choose a target to switch it on. The target of the plan was removed. Choose a target in the form and switch the plan on again.
At most … plans. The tooltip stands at the grey button Add plan. Change an existing plan or delete one.

Good to know

  • Several due plans run one after the other, never at the same time.
  • If the target of a plan is disconnected later, the plan still runs at its scheduled time. The backup then fails visibly in the list.
  • The clock change does not shift the next run: the plugin always recalculates it from the rule.

See also

On the command line

WP-CLI not set up yet? How to install WP-CLI.

You also create plans with WP-CLI. You name a plan by its ID (plan-1) or its name. A new plan is paused until you switch it on with resume.

# Show backup plans with state, next and last run
wp cloneworx-backup plan list

# Create a backup plan: daily at 03:15, target local-1
wp cloneworx-backup plan add --targets=local-1 --rhythm=daily --time=03:15 --name="Nachts"

# Enable the backup plan
wp cloneworx-backup plan resume "Nachts"

# Change frequency and time: Sundays at 22:00
wp cloneworx-backup plan edit "Nachts" --rhythm=weekly --weekday=7 --time=22:00

# Pause the backup plan
wp cloneworx-backup plan pause "Nachts"

# Show the schedule: next runs, due backup plans, last tick
wp cloneworx-backup scheduler status

Related articles