A Virtual Private Server gives you room to build something on your own terms. But freedom has a flipside. With shared hosting, your provider handles most backups and recovery for you. With a VPS, that safety net is gone. You’re in charge of protecting your own data.
A single bad update or rogue plugin can bring a project down. A mistyped command can take out a database. That’s why every VPS needs a dependable backup routine and a clear plan for getting back online when things go wrong.
1. Why you can’t skip VPS backups
A VPS feels self-contained, but it still lives on physical hardware. And hardware fails. Add to that the everyday hazards of software bugs, ransomware, and human error, and the risk of losing data multiplies.
The usual suspects:
- A misfired update or configuration tweak
- A disk crash or memory fault
- A malware infection
- An accidental deletion late on a Friday afternoon
When that happens, a working backup is the difference between a quick rollback and a long night rebuilding. Regular VPS backups buy you recovery time and business continuity.
2. VPS backup types and how they differ
There’s no single best way to back up a VPS. What you need to focus on is finding a rhythm that fits how you work and how fast your data moves. And once you know how to back up a VPS, these are the main methods you can choose from.
3. How to back up a VPS
VPS backups come in three broad flavours – provider tools, custom scripts, and third-party software, and each has its place.
Provider-level backups
Hosts like Fasthosts make this simple. You enable automatic snapshots in your Control Panel, pick a schedule, and let the system do the work. Your data lives in a separate, secure location, and not just on the same VPS.
Before you rely on it, check a few basics:
- How often it runs
- What it includes (files, databases, or both)
- How long each version is kept
- How the restore process works
It’s the simplest way to back up a VPS without writing a single line of code.
Manual or scripted backups
If you prefer knowing exactly what’s happening under the hood, build your own. Use rsync or scp to copy files to a remote server, set up tar + cron jobs to compress data on schedule, and dump databases with mysqldump or pg_dump.
This route is flexible, fast, and cheap. But it’s your responsibility to watch for failed jobs or disks filling up. Automation can simplify things, but monitoring saves you when automation slips.
Third-party backup software
For more complex environments, professional tools like Acronis Cyber Protect, R1Soft, or Veeam bring serious polish and benefits.
They handle:
- Encrypted off-site replication
- Incremental scheduling and retention
- One-click recovery to new hardware or VMs
- Central dashboards for multiple VPSs
It’s a hands-off way to guarantee your VPS backups happen, and there’s assurance that your VPS backups can actually be restored.
4. Setting backup frequency and retention
How often should you back up your VPS? Often enough that a crash doesn’t undo meaningful work, but not so often you burn storage space. The right interval depends on your setup’s pulse – how quickly data changes and how much change you can afford to lose.
You can automate retention rules, so older versions rotate out gracefully – daily for a week, weekly for a month, monthly for a year.
That gives you fresh recovery points, while keeping storage predictable.
5. Where to store your VPS backups
A backup isn’t a backup if it dies in the same fire as the original. Always separate your copies, both physically and logically.
The 3-2-1 rule
If you follow the 3-2-1 rule, you will keep:
- 3 copies of your data
- On 2 different storage types
- With 1 copy off-site, preferably in a different data centre or cloud region
It’s a simple rule to follow, with a huge payoff.
Storage options
The best approach combines speed and distance. You’ll have one copy close for quick fixes, and another far away for real disasters.
Encryption and naming
Encrypt everything. In transit, that means SFTP, HTTPS, and a VPN. At rest, use AES-256 or similar. But always keep keys separate from the data they protect.
And when naming your VPS backups, use clear, dated names like vps-backup-2025-10-17.tar.gz so you can spot the right version instantly. Clarity counts when you’re under pressure.
6. Building a disaster recovery strategy
A good backup lets you restore files. A disaster recovery (DR) strategy restores everything that depends on them – websites, apps, and services. It’s your blueprint for staying calm when things go wrong.
Start by listing the threats that could take your VPS offline. Hardware failures, software bugs, accidental deletions, and ransomware are obvious, but power cuts and regional data centre issues are also risks. Rank each by likelihood and impact so you can prioritise what to plan for.
Then define two important measures:
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO): How long you can afford to be offline.
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO): How much data you can afford to lose.
If, for example, you can tolerate 1 hour of data loss but only 15 minutes of downtime, your RPO is 1 hour, and your RTO is 15 minutes. If your site processes live orders, both numbers will be short. These figures decide how often you back up your VPS and how quickly you must restore.
Build layers, not single points of failure. Instead of one backup, think in layers.
Automation can keep this reliable. But have clear retention policies to prevent storage from ballooning.
If any downtime for your businesses is costly, consider maintaining a standby environment. This would be a second VPS mirroring your live setup. With DNS failover or load-balancing, traffic can switch to it within minutes if the main server fails. It is an extra cost, but it keeps customers online. What you would potentially lose during an outage should be greater than the cost of maintaining a second VPS.
Document and rehearse
Write down how recovery works before you ever need it. Document:
- Where backups live
- Who can trigger restores
- How to rebuild your stack if everything disappears
Keep one copy offline in case any credentials are compromised.
Then test it. Run a full restore at least twice a year.
- Time how long recovery takes
- Check that data and permissions survive intact
- Record issues and update your plan
Think of it as a fire drill for your infrastructure, where regular practice turns panic into process.
Learn and adapt
Review your disaster recovery strategy whenever you upgrade software, change hosting providers, or add new workloads. Your setup evolves, and your recovery plan should too.
If a ransomware attack hits your VPS, you would isolate the instance, deploy a clean one from your latest snapshot, and restore data. Then you would also reset credentials and patch vulnerabilities before reconnecting it to the network.
7. Common mistakes to avoid
Even solid backup plans can unravel for simple reasons. The most common failures are the result of habits, not technology.
A few you’ll want to sidestep:
- Storing backups on the same VPS – when hardware fails, everything goes with it.
- Skipping restore tests – files that haven’t been verified can be corrupt or incomplete.
- Running only full backups – daily full copies drain bandwidth and storage when a mix of full and incremental would do.
- Leaving out configuration files – you’ll recover your data, but the server won’t behave the way it used to. Your original settings, permissions, and custom tweaks will all be gone.
- Ignoring encryption – plain-text backups can leak sensitive data if stolen.
Most of these are easy fixes once you notice them. Just remember that the goal isn’t perfection, it’s resilience. A reliable recovery process beats a flawless but untested plan every time.
8. Testing and verifying backups
Backups fail quietly. You don’t know it until you try to restore one. And that’s the worst time to find out.
Verification keeps your VPS backups honest. Every few months, restore a recent copy to a clean environment and run through a quick checklist:
- Do databases import without errors?
- Do file permissions and links hold?
- Do checksums or hashes match the source data?
If anything breaks, adjust your scripts or schedules and test again.
You can even treat it as a “maintenance day.” Schedule verification alongside OS updates or patching. That way, you’re keeping everything healthy in one sweep. It’s a small effort compared to rebuilding an entire VPS from memory.
There isn’t one best way to back up a VPS, but there is one best habit – consistency. Automate what you can, encrypt everything, test often, and document the steps while it’s all fresh in your head.
If you’d like a little extra peace of mind, Fasthosts makes VPS protection simple. Our VPS Hosting includes optional automated backups, fast recovery tools, and 24/7 UK-based support whenever you need a hand.
And as always, if you’ve got questions, our friendly team is here 24/7. Call us on 0333 0142 700 or hop onto live chat for instant support.