Backup is not equal to archive: Understanding 30-day retention correctly

A backup protects you against data loss. However, it is not the same as a permanent archive.

CURIAWEB creates automatic daily backups of your hosting data and keeps them for 30 days. After that, older backups are automatically removed.

This means that if a file, an email, or other data has been missing for a while, there may no longer be a backup that still contains this data.

Briefly explained: Backups are meant to restore data from a limited period of time. They are not intended to store old data indefinitely.

What does a 30-day retention period mean? #

CURIAWEB creates a new backup every day.

Daily backups are kept for 30 days. After that, the oldest backup is automatically removed.

Today
new backup is being created
        ↓
older backups remain available
        ↓
after 30 days
oldest backup is removed

This creates a continuous period of backups from the past few days.

We explain how the daily backups in CURIAWEB work in detail in the article Daily backups at CURIAWEB: How the 30-day backup works.

What happens when I delete a file? #

Let's assume you accidentally delete a file today.

This file may still be present in older backups because it still existed at the time those backups were made.

Monday
File exists
        ↓
Tuesday
Backup contains the file
        ↓
Wednesday
File is deleted
        ↓
Thursday
New backup no longer contains the file

As long as a backup from before the deletion still exists, the file may be able to be restored from it.

If you wait too long, however, these older backups will also gradually disappear from the 30-day retention period.

Important: What matters is not when you notice the loss. What matters is when the data was last still present.

An example with 30 days #

A simple example illustrates the difference particularly well.

On March 1st, you accidentally delete an important file.

The file is still present in a backup from February 28th.

February 28
File still present
        ↓
March 1
File is deleted
        ↓
March 15
Loss is noticed
        ↓
Backup from February 28
may still be available

If you notice the loss in mid-March, there is therefore a good chance that a suitable fuse is still available.

If, on the other hand, you only notice the loss much later, the backup from February 28 may have already been removed from retention.

The file may then no longer be restorable via the regular daily backups.

Why do deleted data not automatically remain available for another 30 days? #

A misunderstanding often arises here.

The 30 days do not start over once you delete a file.

Each backup has its own date and remains available only within the normal retention period.

An example:

Backup A
File exists

Backup B
File exists

File is being deleted

Backup C
File no longer exists

Backup D
File no longer exists

Over time, backup A and backup B will be removed. After that, only backups that already contain the state after the deletion will remain.

Note: A deleted file remains available via backup only as long as a backup that contained it still exists.

Why is a backup not an archive? #

A backup and an archive have different tasks.

A backup primarily serves to restore data after an error, accidental deletion, or another issue.

An archive, on the other hand, is intended for the long-term storage of data.

Backup
→ recovery after an issue
→ limited retention

Archive
→ long-term retention
→ data should be preserved over a longer period of time

Therefore, if you need to keep data for months or years, you should not rely solely on daily hosting backups.

Example: Old emails #

This difference becomes particularly clear with emails.

Assuming an important email was deleted two months ago and you only notice it today.

Since regular CURIAWEB backups are kept for 30 days, a backup from two months ago is normally no longer available.

A daily backup therefore does not replace long-term email archiving.

If you need email data from an existing backup, you can find further information in the article Have emails restored from a backup.

Example: An old website file #

The same applies to website files.

For example, you deleted an image or a document six weeks ago and only notice today that you still need it.

If no backup from the time before the deletion exists anymore, the file can no longer be recovered from the regular daily backups.

We explain how to restore individual files in the article Restore individual files from a backup.

What about data that is constantly changing? #

New data is often continuously generated on websites.

This affects, for example:

• new WooCommerce orders,
• Form entries,
• new customer accounts,
• Comments,
• Changes to pages and posts and
• Email data.

A backup always contains only the state at the time of the backup.

If you restore an older backup, newer data created after that point is not yet included in that older backup.

Therefore, before a restoration, it must always be checked which point in time makes sense and which current data could be affected as a result.

How can I check which backups are still available? #

In JetBackup 5, you can see for yourself which days have backups available for your hosting account.

If you notice data loss, you can check there to see if a backup from an appropriate time period is still available.

You can find a step-by-step guide in the article Which backups are available? View backups in JetBackup 5.

What should you do in the event of data loss? #

If you notice that important data is missing, you should act as early as possible.

Try to find out first:

• What is missing?
• When were the data still available?
• When was the loss noticed?
• Is there still a backup from this period available in JetBackup 5?

If you need a recovery, open a support ticket afterwards.

Create support ticket for a recovery

If you do not know which backup is needed, simply describe to us as precisely as possible what happened and when the data was last present.

What additional data should you keep yourself? #

There is data for which additional personal storage can make sense.

This applies especially to data that you might still need after a longer period of time.

This may include, for example:

• important documents,
• older versions of files,
• business-critical emails,
• exported data from a website or application and
• Data that must be retained longer for legal or business reasons.

What data you should back up or archive yourself depends on how important it is to you and how long you need it.

Important: The daily CURIAWEB backups are an additional safeguard for your hosting account. They do not replace long-term archiving of data that you need to keep permanently.

Summary #

CURIAWEB creates daily automatic backups of your hosting data and stores them for 30 days.

This means backups from different days are available. However, older backups are automatically removed and are not stored permanently.

When a file, email, or other data is deleted, it can only be recovered from a backup as long as a backup from a point in time when that data existed is still available.

A backup is therefore not a permanent archiving solution.

If you notice data loss, check as early as possible whether a suitable backup is still available. For important data that you need long-term, you should also ensure appropriate independent storage.