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Protecting Your Data with Backups

Backups are complete copies of your server’s primary disk, allowing you to restore your server to a previous state in case of data loss, misconfiguration, or any issue that requires rolling back changes. The FREAKHOSTING VPS Control Panel provides built-in backup tools with flexible scheduling options.

Difficulty

Beginner

Time

5 Minutes

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Understanding Backups

Key details about the backup system:
  • Backups are copies of your server’s primary disk only. Additional attached storage drives are not included in backups.
  • The number of backup slots available depends on your VPS plan (e.g., 1 slot means only the most recent backup is kept).
  • For best data consistency, it is recommended to power down your server before creating a backup. This ensures all data is written to disk and not held in memory.

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Scheduling Automatic Backups

1

Navigate to Your Server

Click on Servers in the top navigation bar, then click Manage next to the server you want to back up.
2

Open the Backups Tab

Click on the Backups tab in the server management navigation.
3

Click Schedule

Click the Schedule button to open the Backup Schedule configuration dialog.
4

Choose a Schedule

Select your preferred backup frequency:
  • None — No automatic backups. You will need to create backups manually.
  • Daily — A backup is created automatically every day.
  • Weekly — A backup is created automatically once per week.
5

Update the Schedule

Click the Update button to save your backup schedule. The system will now automatically create backups according to your chosen frequency.

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Managing Existing Backups

Once backups have been created (either manually or automatically), they appear as entries on the Backups page. For each backup, you can:

Restore

Restore your server to the state captured in this backup. This will overwrite the current contents of your server’s primary disk with the backup data.

Delete

Remove a backup to free up the backup slot. This is permanent — the backup data cannot be recovered once deleted.

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Restoring from a Backup

1

Locate the Backup

On the Backups tab, find the backup you want to restore from. Each backup shows when it was created and its status.
2

Initiate the Restore

Click the Restore button for the desired backup.
3

Confirm the Restore

A confirmation dialog will warn you that restoring will overwrite your current server data. Confirm to proceed.
4

Wait for Completion

The restore process will begin. You can monitor the progress in the Task Log at the bottom of the page. Your server may be automatically restarted during this process.

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Backup Best Practices

Enable Automatic Backups

Set up at least weekly automatic backups to ensure you always have a recent recovery point. Daily backups are recommended for servers with frequently changing data.

Power Down Before Backup

For maximum data integrity, shut down your server before a backup runs. This ensures all data from memory is written to disk. While not always practical for production servers, it is the safest approach.

Enable Failure Notifications

Turn on Server Backup Failure notifications in your Account Profile settings. This ensures you are immediately alerted if a scheduled backup fails to complete.

Test Your Backups

Periodically test that you can successfully restore from a backup. A backup is only useful if it can actually be restored when needed.
The number of backup slots depends on your VPS plan. With 1 slot, only the most recent backup is retained — each new backup replaces the previous one. Upgrade your plan for additional backup slots.
Backup duration depends on the size of your server’s disk and how much data it contains. A typical backup for a 50-100 GB disk completes within a few minutes to 30 minutes.
The built-in backup system covers your server’s primary disk only. For additional drives or more granular backup needs, consider using server-level backup tools like rsync, borgbackup, or similar solutions to back up specific directories to an external location.
The built-in backup system stores backups on FREAKHOSTING infrastructure for quick restoration. For downloadable backups, use server-level tools to create archives and transfer them to external storage.

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Need Extra Help?

If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:

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Last Updated: March 2026 | VPS Support: Backup management simplified.