Create a backup: back up files via SSH

Before updates, migrations or major changes, create a manual backup of your web files as a compressed archive. Via SSH, this works reliably for data of any size.

Why not just create an archive in the File Manager?

Archiving in the File Manager (Plesk or cPanel) runs as a web process with a time limit. With larger amounts of data, it aborts and often leaves behind an incomplete archive that looks like a backup but is not one. This is often only noticed during a restore. For small projects, it is fine; from a few hundred megabytes on, the SSH method below is the reliable one.

Prerequisites

• SSH access that is set up.
• Enough free disk space for the archive (roughly half the project size, usually less thanks to compression).

Step by step

1. Connect via SSH and change to your website’s directory:

   Plesk

   cd ~/httpdocs

   cPanel

   cd ~/public_html

2. Create the archive one level above the web directory, with the date in its name:

   tar cvzf ../backup-2026-06-11.tgz * .htaccess

   The explicit .htaccess at the end is important: * does not match hidden files (anything starting with a dot).

3. Wait until the command prompt returns. Depending on the project size, this takes a few minutes.

4. Check the result:

   ls -lh ../backup-2026-06-11.tgz
   tar tzf ../backup-2026-06-11.tgz | tail -n 3

   A plausible size plus an error-free listing of the last entries means the archive is complete.

Is your project located elsewhere?

The command backs up the default web directory of the main domain. Depending on how your project is set up (changed document root, multiple domains), the data is in other folders. If in doubt, ask your agency or developers.

Files ≠ complete backup

The archive only contains files. Half of a shop or CMS lives in the database. Back it up separately, ideally right afterwards, so that both versions match.

Troubleshooting

tar: Cannot open: No space left on device

The account does not have enough free space for the archive.

Solution: Delete old backups and files you no longer need, or stream the archive directly to your computer: ssh -i ~/.ssh/YOUR-KEY USER@yourdomain.com "cd ~/httpdocs && tar czf - * .htaccess" > backup-lokal.tgz (adjust the path for your panel).

Hidden files are missing from the archive

* does not match files starting with a dot. Besides .htaccess, this affects files such as .env or .user.ini.

Solution: Add hidden files explicitly (tar cvzf ../backup.tgz * .htaccess .env), or back up the entire directory from outside: cd ~ && tar cvzf backup.tgz httpdocs/ (includes everything, dot files too).

tar: file changed as we read it

A process changed files while the archive was being created. This is typical for live shops (cache, logs, sessions).

Solution: This is usually harmless if only cache or log files are affected. For a consistent state, enable the application’s maintenance mode and create the archive again.

Related articles

• Back up a MySQL database (export): the second half of a complete backup.
• How often is my data backed up?: what the server backups cover in addition.
• Set up and connect via SSH access: the prerequisite for this method.

Still stuck?

If the archive does not complete or you are not sure which folders belong to your project: Open a ticket in the customer center.