WordPress, plugins, and themes should be updated regularly. Updates fix bugs, close security vulnerabilities, and ensure that your website works with current WordPress versions.
Nevertheless, something can still go wrong during an update. Therefore, it is useful to know whether a current backup exists before making major changes.
CURIAWEB backs up your hosting data daily. However, it is important to understand that this daily backup was not necessarily created immediately before your change.
Briefly explained: Before major WordPress updates or major changes, check whether a sufficiently current backup exists. The more your website changes continuously, the more important the timing of the backup is.
Why should there be a backup before a WordPress update? #
Most WordPress updates run smoothly. Nevertheless, errors can occur after an update.
For example, after an update, a plugin may no longer work with another plugin, the theme being used, or the installed WordPress version.
An update itself can also fail, or an existing customization may no longer be compatible with a new version.
In such a situation, a backup gives you the opportunity to have data restored from a point in time before the problematic change.
Which changes are particularly relevant? #
A recent backup is especially useful before you make major changes to WordPress.
This includes, for example:
- a major WordPress update,
- Updates of important plugins,
- a theme update,
- the installation or removal of a plugin,
- Changes to the theme or website files,
- major changes to the website and
- Working on the database.
This does not mean that every small update is dangerous. It is about knowing what state you could fall back on in the event of a problem before making a change.
The daily backup may already be a few hours old #
CURIAWEB creates an automatic backup of your hosting data once a day.
If, for example, you update a plugin in the afternoon, the last available backup might be from the previous backup run and therefore does not contain all the changes made since then.
A simple example:
Morning
daily backup
↓
10:00 AM
new post is published
↓
1:00 PM
form inquiry arrives
↓
3:00 PM
plugin is updated
↓
update causes an issueThe existing backup may contain a state prior to the faulty plugin update. However, the new post and other data created only after the backup may still be missing from this backup.
Important: «There is a backup» and «there is a backup immediately before my change» are not the same thing.
With a simple website, the difference is often smaller #
How important the exact timing of the backup is depends heavily on how your website is used.
For a corporate website where nothing has changed between two daily backups, a backup that is a few hours older can contain practically the same important dataset as one taken immediately before an update.
It looks different with an active online shop.
Example: An active WooCommerce store #
New data can constantly be generated in an online shop.
This includes, for example:
- Orders,
- Customer accounts,
- Changes in inventory and
- further shop data.
Assuming the daily backup was created in the morning and you perform a major plugin update in the evening.
08:00 AM
Backup
↓
during the day
several new orders
↓
06:00 PM
Plugin update
↓
Website no longer working correctlyResetting the entire account to the state from this morning would not automatically be the best solution here, because the orders received later cannot yet be contained in this older backup.
For such websites, it should therefore be checked particularly carefully what actually needs to be restored.
A WordPress website consists of files and a database #
In WordPress, it is not always enough to think only about the visible files of the website.
A WordPress installation essentially consists of two important areas:
- Files: This includes WordPress itself, plugins, themes, uploaded images, and other files.
- Database: Among other things, you will find posts, pages, settings, and much more content and information there.
Therefore, both the required files and the database must be included in a complete backup of a WordPress website.
Example: When you change a page in the WordPress editor, this change is normally saved in the database. Backing up only the website files would therefore not completely cover this change.
Before an update: Check the existing backup first #
Before making a major change, you can check in JetBackup 5 when the last available backup was created.
Then consider whether important new data has emerged since that time.
A simple check looks like this:
When was the last backup created?
↓
What has changed since then?
↓
Would these changes be important
if a restoration becomes necessary?
↓
Only then carry out major changesWe explain how to find the existing backups in JetBackup 5 in the article Which backups are available? View backups in JetBackup 5.
What if you want a backup right before the change? #
The daily CURIAWEB backup is created automatically according to the scheduled backup plan. An additional backup is not automatically generated just because you are about to update a plugin, a theme, or WordPress itself in WordPress.
If you want to create an additional backup of your own immediately before a major change, there are several ways to do this. WordPress websites, for example, can be backed up additionally using a suitable backup solution.
In doing so, you should ensure that both the required WordPress files and the database are backed up and that you know how this backup can be restored if necessary.
Such an additional backup is independent of the automatic daily backups that CURIAWEB creates for your hosting account.
Should I delay WordPress updates for this reason? #
No. Having an existing backup is not a reason to postpone necessary updates.
WordPress, plugins, and themes should be kept up to date. Updates frequently include bug fixes, security improvements, and adjustments for new versions.
The sensible procedure is therefore not «better not to update,» but rather:
Check backup situation
↓
Perform update
↓
Check websiteDo not install ten updates at once #
When several major updates are pending, it can be helpful not to perform them all at once.
For example, if you update several important plugins at the same time and an error occurs afterwards, it is harder to determine which update caused the problem.
For important websites, a step-by-step approach can therefore make troubleshooting easier:
Update plugin
↓
Quickly check website
↓
Update next plugin
↓
Check againThat is not a backup function, but it makes it easier to find the cause if something stops working after an update.
What should you check after an update? #
After important updates, you shouldn't just check whether the homepage still opens.
Check the areas that are important for your website.
These can be, for example:
- Home page and important subpages,
- Navigation and Links,
- Contact forms,
- WordPress administration area and
- with shopping cart and checkout process in an online shop.
This allows you to notice an error as early as possible and better narrow down which change caused it to occur.
What to do if something doesn't work after the update? #
If an issue occurs after an update, the entire hosting account should not be automatically rolled back to an older version.
First, it should be clarified what exactly is affected and when the problem occurred.
For a single faulty plugin, for example, another solution might make more sense than restoring the entire account.
If data is actually needed from a backup, we explain the procedure in the article Restoring a backup in CURIAWEB: How the restoration works.
Automatic updates and backups #
WordPress can automatically update plugins and themes if this feature is enabled.
Even with automatic updates, a regular backup is advisable. After all, with an automatically executed update, you cannot manually check beforehand whether a new backup was created immediately before it.
The daily CURIAWEB backups provide regular protection for this. Nevertheless, the same rule applies here: the last backup may be older than the change that caused a problem.
Summary #
WordPress, plugins, and themes should be updated regularly. Before important updates and major changes, it is advisable to check whether a sufficiently current backup is available.
CURIAWEB creates automatic daily backups of your hosting account. However, this backup was not necessarily created immediately before your WordPress change.
For a simple website where nothing has changed since the last backup, this time difference often plays a minor role. For an active shop or a website with constantly new data, however, it can be very important.
Also remember that a WordPress website consists of files and a database. Both areas must be taken into account for a complete backup.
Before making major changes, check when the last backup was created, what has changed since then, and check your website after the update.
