Backup Best Practices - What Every Website Owner Should Know

dotCanada's automatic daily backups provide a strong foundation, but following a few best practices can give you even greater peace of mind. Here's what every website owner should know about protecting their data.

Follow the 3-2-1 Rule

The 3-2-1 backup rule is the gold standard in data protection:

• 3 copies of your data
• 2 different storage media (e.g., server backup + local drive)
• 1 offsite copy (e.g., cloud storage or a different physical location)

dotCanada's automatic backups count as one copy. Supplement them by downloading a backup locally through JetBackup and storing it in a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox.

Test Your Restores

A backup you've never tested is a backup you can't trust. Periodically restore a file or database to a staging environment to confirm your backups are working and complete. If you're not sure how to do a test restore, contact our support team for guidance.

Back Up Before Making Changes

Always create a manual backup through JetBackup before:

• Updating WordPress, plugins, or themes
• Making changes to your database
• Editing core configuration files
• Migrating your site

Keep Backups Organized

If you download backups locally, name them with the date and a description - for example, mysite-before-update-2026-03-13.tar.gz. Delete outdated copies to save storage space, but keep at least two or three historical versions.

Don't Rely on a Single Source

dotCanada's backups are comprehensive, but no single backup solution covers every scenario. Combining server-level backups with a plugin like UpdraftPlus for WordPress and local exports from phpMyAdmin gives you the best overall protection.

Have questions about your backup setup? Contact our support team - we're always happy to help.