There are quite a few WordPress backup services out there. And while there are a few free plugins that will do a great job, there’s one backup solution that you won’t find in the WordPress plugin repository: CodeGuard.
CodeGuard is a third-party website backup solution. It works with all websites, regardless of which CMS or platform it is running. But it also happens to be a great choice for WordPress sites.
There is a 14-day free trial, and then CodeGuard costs about $5/mo/site, with discounts if you commit to multiple years.
CodeGuard Setup
All you need to get started is your FTP or SFTP information. You can get this info from your hosting company’s control panel. This is comprised of:
- Server hostname or IP address
- Username
- Password
After plugging this in, you’ll choose a directory on your web server that you want CodeGuard to perform backups on. Once you select your directory, CodeGuard will begin backing up your files.
You’ll then enter your database info so CodeGuard can grab a copy of your MySQL database. Again, this is available through your hosting company, or you can find it in your wp-config.php
file. You’ll need:
- Database hostname or IP address
- Database name
- Database username
- Database password
- Port number
Now CodeGuard can make regular backups of your WordPress database.
WordPress File Backup with CodeGuard
Initially, CodeGuard will backup all the files on your server. But one its unique features is its ability to track & backup every change made to your files. Every time a change is made to a file, CodeGuard makes a backup. And it tells you what files were added, removed and changed. If no changes were made, it still makes a daily backup for you.
This file tracking is especially helpful for troubleshooting. Should you have multiple people, or develop companies, working on a site, you can see what’s been changed since the last time you worked on it.
It’s also useful should your site ever get hacked. If this happens, you’ll be able to see which files were changed and which were untouched.
Restoring a Backup
When restoring from a backup, CodeGuard gives you the option to restore ALL files, or pick & choose individual files and folders. This is especially useful if you’ve made changes in multiple places, or to multiple custom plugins. You might realize that you broke one of them, but the other has necessary improvements. You don’t want to revert back to an older version of both — just the one that got messed up.
In addition to one-click restore options, CodeGuard also allows you to download a .zip file with your websites content.
WordPress Database Backup with CodeGuard
Similar to how file backup works, it will keep track of every line in your database, and alert you of lines changed and lines removed.
Backup Frequency
CodeGuard gives you the option of automatically backing up your site daily, weekly or monthly.
File Storage
CodeGuard stores all its backups on Amazon S3 servers.
Email Notifications
You can choose to turn these on or off in your settings panel, but if left on, you will receive email notifications when your files change, or when any malicious code is found on your site.
CodeGuard Product Demo
Try CodeGuard free for 14 days.
Other CodeGuard Features
Another neat little feature is its ability to show you the filetype breakdown of your site. It will saw how many of each movement you go. [This many] HTML files, [that many] CSS files, etc.
Two-factor authentication can be setup to send a code to your cell phone each time someone tries to login via the website.
Unlimited databases allow you to backup all databases associated with that domain. Let’s say you’re using a WordPress membership plugin that creates an additional database to manage members. You’ll be able to use CodeGuard to back that up, in addition to your standard WordPress database.
WordPress Multsite Backup Support
CodeGuard has full support for backing up all the sites in a WordPress multisite network. The great thing about using SFTP & database credentials (over a plugin) is there’s no need to worry about permissions, network admins, and installing a plugin on multiple sites, etc.
You have full control over your entire network’s backup. Choose to restore the whole thing, or hand-pick only certain sites. And because CodeGuard monitors every change to your files, you’ll always know what your individual site owners are doing with themes, media uploads, etc.
Support
Their lowest plan offers email support, which, in my experience, has been pretty solid. Any plan above that and you’ll also get phone support.
Try or Buy
CodeGuard offers a 14-day free trial. After that, it’s $5/mo/site.
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