You probably have a backup. Your host mentions one in its plan, or a plugin emails you every night to say the job finished. The question nobody asks until a bad day is whether that backup would still exist, and still be usable, if the thing that went wrong took the server or the hosting account with it.
The 3-2-1 backup rule is a simple way to answer that question. It comes from general IT practice rather than from WordPress, but it fits a business website well once you translate it. This post explains the rule, what each number means for a site with files and a database, and where host backups fit in.
The rule in one line
Keep three copies of your data, on two different kinds of storage, with one of them off-site.
The live site counts as one of the three. So in practice you need two backups in addition to the website itself, and they should not fail for the same reason at the same time. That last part is the whole point. Three copies on one server are really one copy, because a single problem with that server takes all three.
What “your data” means for a website
A WordPress site is two things that have to match.
- The files: WordPress itself, the theme, the plugins, and the uploads folder with every image and PDF you have ever added.
- The database: pages, posts, settings, users, form entries and, on a shop, orders and customers.
A backup that holds only one of these is half a backup. The database without the uploads gives you pages with missing images. The files without the database give you an empty WordPress install wearing your theme. When you count your three copies, count only copies that contain both, taken at roughly the same moment.
Two things often live outside WordPress and get forgotten: email, if your mailboxes are on the same hosting account, and any custom server settings your developer added. Neither is in a normal plugin backup. If either matters to the business, note where it is and how it would be rebuilt.
Three copies
Why three and not two? Because backups fail quietly. A plugin backup can stop partway on a busy server and still report success. A schedule can stop running without an error. If your only backup turns out to be broken on the day you need it, you have nothing. A second, independent backup is the cover for that.
A practical set for a small business site looks like this:
- The live website.
- Your host’s own backup, taken on its schedule.
- A backup you control, made by a plugin such as UpdraftPlus or by your developer, sent somewhere away from the host.
It also helps to keep more than one date for each. A single copy that overwrites itself every night will happily overwrite a good version with a broken or infected one. Several daily copies plus a few weekly ones cover the problems nobody notices for a while, which are common after a hack. Our post on restoring a backup after a hack explains why an older date is sometimes the only clean one.
Two kinds of storage
The original idea was about media: a hard disk and a tape, say, so that one type of failure could not destroy both. For a website the useful translation is two different systems that fail independently.
The hosting server is one system. A cloud storage account such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3 or Backblaze B2 is another. A laptop or office drive is a third. Two folders on the same server are not two kinds of storage, and neither are two backups that both sit inside the same hosting control panel.
Think about what each copy protects you from:
| Problem | Backup on the same server | Host’s backup | Your off-site copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| A plugin update breaks the site | Helps | Helps | Helps |
| Someone deletes pages by mistake | Helps | Helps | Helps |
| The site is hacked and files are changed | May be changed too | Usually helps | Helps |
| The server’s disk fails | Lost | Depends where the host stores it | Helps |
| The hosting account is suspended or closed | Lost | Out of your reach | Helps |
The bottom row is the one that hurts. Accounts get suspended for unpaid invoices, for malware, or when a host shuts down a plan. When that happens, every backup inside the account is locked away with the site. If this is your situation right now, see our page on hosting suspended for malware.
One copy off-site
Off-site means a place the website’s problems cannot reach. Two tests are worth applying.
Different company or account. A backup on another server at the same host is better than nothing, but it still depends on your relationship with that host. A copy in storage you own, billed to you, survives if the hosting account does not.
Different login. If someone gets into your WordPress admin and the backup plugin is connected to your cloud storage with full permissions, they may be able to delete the backups too. Where your storage service allows it, give the plugin access only to its own folder, keep the storage account behind its own password and two-factor login, and do not share those details with every person who edits the site.
Off-site copies hold your customer data, so treat them as you would the site itself. Store them in an account you control, not in a former developer’s Dropbox.
Host backups versus your own
Host backups are useful and you should know exactly what yours are. Ask your host, in writing:
- How often are backups taken, and how many days are kept?
- Do they include both files and databases, and email if it is hosted there?
- Are they stored on a different server from the site?
- Can you restore one yourself, or do you have to raise a ticket? Is there a charge?
- If the account is suspended, can you still get a copy?
The answers vary a lot between hosts and between plans at the same host. Some keep a generous history; some keep a few days; some offer backups as a paid add-on. Many hosting terms also say the customer is responsible for keeping their own backups, which tells you how much weight the host expects you to put on theirs.
That is why your own copy matters. The host’s backup is copy two. The one you control, off-site, is copy three. If you are not sure how to set one up, our guide on how to back up a WordPress website covers the plugin settings and storage options.
A backup is only real once it has been restored
The 3-2-1 rule tells you how many copies to keep and where. It says nothing about whether those copies work. The only way to know is to restore one somewhere harmless, such as a staging site, and check that the pages, images, forms and most recent content are all there.
We have written a separate post on what to do when a WordPress backup restore fails, including how to test a restore before you need it. The short version: do a test restore every few months, and after any change to your backup setup.
A quick check you can do today
- Write down every backup you have, where it is stored and who can log in to it.
- Cross out any that live on the same server as the site.
- Confirm each remaining one includes files and the database.
- Look at the date of the newest copy in each place. If it is older than you expected, the schedule has stopped.
- If fewer than two remain, set up an off-site copy this week.
None of this needs special tools. It needs ten minutes and the willingness to find out that the backup you were relying on is not quite where you thought.
If you would rather someone else kept watch, our website maintenance services include scheduled off-site backups, a check that they are still running, and test restores, alongside updates and security monitoring. If you just want to know where your current backups stand, ask us and we will tell you plainly.
Next in this series: DDoS Attacks and Small Business Websites
