Automated backups on a self-managed VPS don't happen by default. This is the gap that causes real data loss wh

Automated backups on a self-managed VPS don't happen by default. This is the gap that causes real data loss when things go wrong.

A complete backup strategy covers three things:
— Files: WordPress core, themes, plugins, uploads
— Database: MySQL dump
— Server configuration: nginx conf, PHP conf, cron jobs

The setup that works:

For database: `mysqldump` to a compressed file via cron, uploaded to S3 or Backblaze B2 immediately after. Daily at minimum, hourly for high-write sites.

For files: rsync to an off-server location. Uploads directory only — everything else can be redeployed from git.

For configuration: keep server configs in a private git repository. Commit changes after every modification.

Test your backups. A backup you've never restored is a hope, not a backup. Run a quarterly restore drill: spin up a test VPS, restore from backup, verify the site works. This process also documents your recovery procedure.

Storage cost for daily backups over 90 days on Backblaze B2: typically $2-8/month for a 10-50GB site. There's no excuse for skipping this.