WordPress backups to a remote server

Earlier, I used a WordPress plugin to do periodic backups of the sites I’m hosting, but I came to a conclusion that it would be more reliable, flexible and fun to do the backups via a system script instead, sending the resulting backup archives to a remote server. Here’s how I ended up doing it:

First, I wanted to create a separate mariadb/mysql user with only just enough privileges to be able to make a mysqldump (using the “Principle of Least Privilege“; for the same reason the backup script is executed by an user, not by root). I chose the username ‘dumpo’ because… well. he just dumbly dumps stuff:

MariaDB [(none)]> CREATE USER 'dumpo'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '<dumpopasswd>';
MariaDB [(none)]> GRANT SELECT, SHOW VIEW, LOCK TABLES, RELOAD, REPLICATION CLIENT ON *.* TO 'dumpo'@'localhost';
MariaDB [(none)]> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Then, the mysqldump user’s credentials must be stored in the ~/.my.cnf file within the backup-executing user’s home directory. Afterwards, run chmod 600 ~/.my.cnf to set the correct permissions.

```
[mysqldump]
```
```
user=dumpo
```
```
password=<dumpopasswd>
```

The actual backup script below is executed by an user’s cronjob once a week. I added a lot of comments to the example script to explain how it works.

```
#!/bin/bash
```
```
 
```

# The device acting as a fileserver for WP backups is not always powered up,

# so let's use Wake-On-LAN to make sure it is up when it is actually needed.

```
wol <mac-address-of-fileserver>
```
```
 
```

# I happen to have the same username on both the webserver and the fileserver,

```
# that simplifies some settings.
```
```
USER=<user-running-the-script>
```
```
WPUSER=dumpo
```
```
BFILENAME=backupwp-$(date +%d%m%Y)
```

# I'm mailing the backup messages somewhere.

```
MAILADR=someone@somewhere.com
```
```
 
```

# Let's make a temporary working directory on the users home directory.

```
cd /home/${USER}
```
```
mkdir -p backupdb
```
```
 
```

# I have three Wordpress sites on the server.

# Dump the mariadb databases of those sites to the working directory.

mysqldump -u ${WPUSER} SITE1 > backupdb/SITE1.sql

mysqldump -u ${WPUSER} SITE2 > backupdb/SITE2.sql

mysqldump -u ${WPUSER} SITE3 > backupdb/SITE3.sql

mysqldump -u ${WPUSER} mysql > backupdb/MYSQL.sql

```
echo -e "Database dump: done"
```
```
 
```

# Copy the Wordpress installations to the working directory.

```
cp -a /var/www/site1.com backupdb/
```
```
cp -a /var/www/site2.com backupdb/
```
```
cp -a /var/www/site3.com backupdb/
```
```
echo -e "Website copy: done"
```
```
 
```

# Make a tar.gz archive of the contents of the working directory.

```
tar -czf ${BFILENAME}.tar.gz backupdb
```
```
echo -e "Archive: done"
```
```
 
```

# Check whether the fileserver is up and running. I'm checking the port 22

# (ssh) because I'll be using rsync with ssh for upload. The loop waits for

# 5 minutes for the connection, and then gives up and mails an error message.

# Waiting for 5 minutes may actually be useless, because the fileserver usually

# boots up within a minute, and making the backup archive already takes up some

```
# 3-4 minutes. But just in case...
```
```
CHECK=0
```

until [[ `nmap <fileserver-ip-addr> -p 22 | grep "Host is up"` ]]

```
do
```
```
    if [ $CHECK -ge 60 ]; then
```

        echo -e "File server unreachable, aborting!!! $(date '+%d-%m-%Y %T')" | mail -s "Backup" ${MAILADR}

```
        exit 1
```
```
    fi
```
```
    sleep 5
```
```
    let CHECK++
```
```
done
```
```
 
```

# Send the backup archive to the fileserver using rsync with ssh.

rsync -e ssh ${BFILENAME}.tar.gz ${USER}@<fileserver-ip-addr>:/home/${USER}/wpbackup/

```
 
```

# If the upload was succesful, clean up by removing the local archive and

# temporary  working directory, and mail a success message; otherwise, leave

# everything as it is and mail a failure message.

```
if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
```
```
    rm ${BFILENAME}.tar.gz
```
```
    rm -rf backupdb
```

    echo -e "Wordpress and mariadb backup completed successfully at $(date '+%d-%m-%Y %T')" | mail -s "Backup" ${MAILADR}

```
else
```

    echo -e "Archive upload failure!!! $(date '+%d-%m-%Y %T')" | mail -s "Backup" ${MAILADR}

```
    exit 1
```
```
fi
```

Finally, at the fileserver end, a script – executed by the cron some time after the upload – rotates and cleans up the backups, leaving only the 4 latest backup archives:

```
#!/bin/bash
```
```
 
```
```
cd /home/<user>/wpbackup
```

echo -e "Rotating Wordpress backups, removing following files:\n"

ls -1t | tail -n +5 | xargs rm -v # That is 'ls dash one t'.

WordPress backups to a remote server

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WordPress backups to a remote server

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