Automatic backups
Every website hosted on Templ is backed up automatically once a day, so you always have a recent restore point without lifting a finger. Each backup covers your WordPress files and the site's own database. This page explains when backups run, how long they're kept, and how to pick your own backup time window.
What gets backed up, and when
Templ runs one automatic backup per day for every website, except for staging sites, which are not automatically backed up.
A backup includes the site's webroot (/home/user_xxxx/app_xxxx), except for the files excluded from backups, as well as the database Templ provisioned with the website.
Files elsewhere in the site's home directory are not included by default.
By default the backup runs at a randomly chosen time each day. You can set a preferred window if you'd rather it ran at a specific time.
Set a preferred backup time window
You can tell Templ which 1-hour window you'd prefer your daily backup to run in - useful if you want it to happen during low-traffic hours.
- Click on Websites in the left menu.
- Select the website you want to configure.
- Click on the Backups menu item.
- Under Scheduled Automatic Backups, choose your preferred 1-hour window from the dropdown.
The backup will then run within the window you selected. If you don't set one, Templ picks the time for you at random.
Where automatic backups are stored and how long they're kept
Automatic daily backups are always stored remotely, on a separate server in a separate physical location from your website. This means your backups stay safe even in the unlikely event that the location hosting your site goes down or is destroyed. Because they live off your server, they don't count towards your disk space usage. They are kept for 30 days from creation.
For how long manual backups are kept and full retention details, see Backup retention.
FAQ
Can Templ back up files outside the webroot?
Yes. Templ staff can change which folder is backed up upon request. Contact support and provide the exact folder path to back up.
Are backups taken while my website is stopped?
A stopped website is one Templ has temporarily taken offline, for example because of unpaid hosting bills. It receives no new automatic backups. Existing daily backups still expire 30 days after creation; stopping or deleting the site doesn't extend that period.
Which database does Templ back up?
The one WordPress connects to, set as DB_NAME in wp-config.php.
It's named after the webroot, so a site in app_1234 has the database app_1234, though some older sites use wordpress.
If I create a new database, will it be backed up?
No.
Automatic and manual backups only cover the database Templ provisioned with the website, so one you create yourself is never included and a restore won't bring it back.
Your database user has permission to create databases, so CREATE DATABASE succeeds without warning.
Keep your data in the provisioned database, in extra tables with their own prefix if you need to separate it. If you already have a database of your own, backing it up is on you - support can't recover it.