Creating a Backup in DirectAdmin

Full Account Backup:

  1. Log in to DirectAdmin
  2. Go to Advanced Features → Create/Restore Backups
  3. Select what to include:
- ✅ Files (domains) - ✅ Databases - ✅ Email
  1. Click Create Backup
  2. The backup file will appear in your backups list — download it

Database-Only Backup:

  1. Go to phpMyAdmin (via MySQL Management)
  2. Select your database
  3. Click Export → Quick → SQL
  4. Click Go to download

Restoring a Backup

From DirectAdmin:

  1. Go to Advanced Features → Create/Restore Backups
  2. Upload your backup file (if not already on the server)
  3. Select the backup and click Restore

Database Restore via phpMyAdmin:

  1. Go to phpMyAdmin
  2. Select the database (or create a new one)
  3. Click Import
  4. Choose your .sql file
  5. Click Go

Best Practices

  • Back up before making changes — Updates, plugin installs, code changes
  • Keep backups off-server — Download them to your computer or cloud storage
  • Back up regularly — Weekly at minimum for active sites
  • Test your backups — A backup you can't restore is useless