Rsync for website backup in a shared hosting environment
Back End Backup
Shared hosting is the best way for first-time webmasters to get started. But what do you do about backup?
Shared hosting remains the go-to choice for many first-time webmasters. The shared-hosting model, which allows several websites to share the same centrally managed server, lets the customer focus on web matters without getting involved with the details of the underlying OS. But the simplicity of the shared hosting environment also leads to some complications. For instance, although many shared hosts do allow users to connect to the shared server over SSH, hosting vendors typically don't provide root access for shared-hosting customers.
From a backup perspective, this lack of root access makes life a little difficult. Although there is a vibrant market of third-party vendors and managed service providers (MSPs) offering various types of cloud-to-cloud backup and data extraction solutions, many tools are proprietary and are not designed to allow easy replication to an on-site source, such as a user's desktop.
Also, although many popular applications like WordPress have their own backup and recovery plugins, these will obviously not be helpful if your website is not running WordPress – or if it's not running a content management service (CMS) at all.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.