Backup plugin vs your host's backups

Backup plugin vs your host's backups

A backup is a saved copy of your site you can restore if something breaks. You usually have two sources, and they're not equal.

Your hosting company often makes backups automatically. Convenient, but: they may keep only the last day or two, and if your host's server itself fails, your backup may go with it.

A backup plugin (like UpdraftPlus) lets you send copies to a separate place such as Google Drive or Dropbox, on your own schedule.

The safe setup is both:
— Host backups as a quick, hands-off safety net.
— A plugin sending copies off-site, because a backup stored on the same server isn't truly safe.

In plain words: keep at least one backup somewhere other than your hosting account.