Back up and restore your site

Outcome

You will create an encrypted full-site backup, protect its password, verify completion, and preview a restore before deciding whether to replace the current site.

Before you begin

• Required role: Superadmin.
• Required plan or plugin: none for Local Only backup. S3 destinations require configured S3-compatible storage.
• Have a secure place outside BlockNinja for the generated password.
• Choose a quiet maintenance window and notify other editors before any restore.
• If a restore may be needed, assign one person to own the decision and verification.

What the backup covers

• Full Database.
• Media Files.
• Brand, Icons & Styles.
• Installed Plugins.
• AES-256 encryption.

The archive is the recovery unit for persistent site state. It does not promise arbitrary temporary or regenerable caches.

Create and protect a backup

1. In the admin sidebar, open System.
2. Select the Backup tab.
3. Under Full Site Backup, review the listed coverage.

1. Select Create Full Backup.
2. In Set Backup Password, keep the generated Encryption Password or select Regenerate.

1. Save the password in your approved password manager. Keep it separate from the backup archive.
2. Select Start Backup.
3. While Creating Backup is shown, use Download Password as .txt File if that is part of your secure storage process.
4. Wait for Backup Complete, then select Done.

Check the backup result

• In Backup History, confirm the new row says Ready rather than Creating or Failed.
• Download the archive and verify that the file is stored in the intended protected location.
• Confirm the separately stored password belongs to this recovery point.
• Record the creation time and storage location without recording the password.

Preview a restore

Warning: restoration replaces the database. It may also remove existing media, brand, icon, style, and plugin files. Stop after preview unless restoration is authorised and the current state is backed up.

1. Under Restore Backup, select Select Backup File (.zip).
2. Choose the intended encrypted BlockNinja backup.
3. In Enter Backup Password, enter its decryption password.
4. Select Preview Backup. Preview validates and describes the archive without replacing site data.
5. In Restore Site from Backup, check Source, Created, database size, and media count. If any value is unexpected, select Cancel.

Submit an authorised restore

There is no one-click undo. Continue only in an approved maintenance window with a verified backup of the current state.

1. Decide whether Remove existing files before restoring is required. Leave it off to merge restored files over existing directories.
2. If selected, understand that only file sections present in the archive are cleared before extraction.
3. Type the exact confirmation phrase shown by the product.
4. Select Restore Site.
5. Wait for Backup restored successfully and read every warning. A restart is recommended so caches and loaded plugins reflect the restored state.

Check the restored site

• Sign in again and confirm the expected admin access.
• Open a known page and confirm its content and status.
• Check representative media, brand styling, icon packs, and required plugins.
• Check the public site in an unauthenticated browser at desktop and narrow widths.
• Keep the pre-restore backup until the recovery owner signs off.

Cancel or recover

• Before Restore Site, select Cancel. Preview does not replace data.
• After restoration, recovery requires another destructive restore from the pre-restore backup.
• If the archive or password is missing, stop. Do not guess repeatedly or delete current data.

If it does not work

• Creating Backup does not finish: close the dialog, reload the Backup tab, and inspect Backup History.
• The row says Failed: do not repeat the backup. Record the visible time and status, then contact support.
• The password is rejected: confirm you selected the password stored for that exact archive.
• Preview shows the wrong source or date: select Cancel and locate the intended recovery point.
• Restore completes with warnings: preserve the warnings, restart the instance as advised, then run the restored-site checks before editing resumes.

Next

• Configure scheduled and off-site backups
• Review Audit Logs
• Recover after a failed import or restore