# Understanding Your Backup Options: Which One Should You Use? > Kualo gives you several ways to back up your site - here is how each one works and when to use it. Source: https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/understanding-your-backup-options-which-one-should-you-use Updated: 2026-06-11 --- Kualo gives you several ways to back up and restore your hosting account, and choosing the right one for the job makes a real difference - especially when something goes wrong and you need to recover quickly. ## The golden rule: be as specific as possible The most important principle with backups is to match the scope of the backup to the scope of the problem. Restoring an entire cPanel account when only a single WordPress database table has been corrupted is like replacing a car engine because a tyre went flat. A targeted, surgical restore is faster, safer, and carries far less risk of overwriting things that were working fine. With that in mind, here is a guide to every backup option available to you and when each one makes sense. ## JetBackup: full account and granular restores JetBackup is built into cPanel and runs automatically in the background. We keep rolling backups of your entire account for the last 30 days, so there is always a recent snapshot to fall back on. JetBackup can restore: - Individual files or folders - MySQL databases - Email accounts - DNS zones - Cron jobs, SSL certificates, FTP accounts, and database users - Your entire cPanel account as a full snapshot The full account restore is a powerful last resort - for example, if your account has been seriously compromised or large amounts of data have been lost or deleted. However, because it overwrites everything, it is rarely the right first choice. In most situations you will get a better result by restoring only the specific files or database you need. :::tip Before reaching for a full account restore, ask yourself: what exactly broke? If the answer is "one WordPress site" or "one database", use a targeted restore instead. ::: For step-by-step instructions on each type of JetBackup restore, see: - [Restoring file backups in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/restoring-file-backups-in-cpanel) - [Restoring a database backup in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/restoring-a-database-backup-in-cpanel) - [Restoring an email account backup in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/restoring-an-email-account-backup-in-cpanel) - [Restoring a DNS zone backup in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/restoring-a-dns-zone-backup-in-cpanel) - [Restoring cron jobs, SSL certificates, FTP accounts and database users in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/restoring-cron-jobs-ssl-certificates-ftp-accounts-and-database-users-in-cpanel) - [Creating a full account backup/snapshot in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/creating-a-full-account-backupsnapshot-in-cpanel) - [How to download a full account backup in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/how-to-download-a-full-account-backup-in-cpanel) ### MySQL backup frequency On our Performance plans and above, MySQL databases are backed up more frequently than on entry-level plans, giving you more restore points to choose from if a database problem occurs. If you rely heavily on a database-driven application, this is worth bearing in mind when choosing your plan. ## WP Toolkit: the best option for individual WordPress sites If you are running WordPress, [WP Toolkit](/knowledgebase/wp-toolkit/backing-up-your-wordpress-website-with-wp-toolkit) is usually the right tool for site-specific backups. It backs up only the files and database belonging to that single WordPress installation - nothing else on your account is touched. This makes WP Toolkit backups ideal when you want to: - Take a snapshot before updating plugins, themes, or WordPress core - Roll back a site after a failed update or a design change that went wrong - Keep a clean copy before making significant content or code changes WP Toolkit also takes backups automatically at certain points without you having to do anything. The most notable example is [Smart Updates](/knowledgebase/wp-toolkit/using-smart-updates-in-wp-toolkit): before applying any update to a live site, WP Toolkit clones the site, tests the update on the clone, and only proceeds if no new issues are detected. A backup is taken as part of this process, so you always have a pre-update restore point. Because WP Toolkit backups are scoped to a single site, restoring from one is fast and precise - you are not risking anything outside that installation. ## Softaculous: backups for any installed application Softaculous manages the installation of WordPress and many other web applications. It also has its own backup and restore system, which works in a similar way to WP Toolkit but covers any application Softaculous installed - not just WordPress. Softaculous backups are a good choice when: - You want to back up a non-WordPress application such as Joomla, Drupal, or Magento before making changes - You want a quick application-level snapshot without touching the rest of your account - You are about to upgrade a Softaculous-managed script and want a rollback point You can configure Softaculous to take automated backups on a schedule and to notify you by email. See [how to change Softaculous settings and email settings](/knowledgebase/softaculous/how-to-change-softaculous-settings-and-email-settings) for details. :::info Softaculous backups cover the files and database of the installed application. They do not include other parts of your cPanel account such as email or DNS records. ::: ## WordPress plugins: useful for portability and off-site copies A number of WordPress plugins - such as UpdraftPlus, Duplicator, and All-in-One WP Migration - can create backups of your WordPress site and send them to a remote destination such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3. Plugin-based backups are worth considering when: - You want an off-site copy of your site that is independent of your hosting account - You are migrating a site to a new host and need a portable archive - You want to automate regular backups to a cloud storage location you control They are not a replacement for JetBackup or WP Toolkit - they rely on WordPress being functional enough to run the plugin, which may not be the case if something has gone seriously wrong. Think of them as a complementary layer rather than your primary backup strategy. ## VPS and dedicated server customers: additional options If you are on a VPS or dedicated server, you have access to additional backup capabilities beyond those available on shared hosting. These include hourly MySQL backups, giving you much finer-grained restore points for database-heavy applications. You also have the option to configure off-network backups to supported external destinations, keeping a copy of your data entirely separate from the server itself. We will cover these options in more detail in a dedicated article. In the meantime, [contact our support team](/knowledgebase/getting-started/how-to-create-a-support-ticket-in-mykualo) if you would like help configuring backups on your VPS or dedicated server. ## Choosing the right backup tool: a quick summary | Situation | Best backup option | |---|---| | Single WordPress site - before updates or changes | WP Toolkit | | Single WordPress site - automated pre-update snapshot | WP Toolkit (Smart Updates) | | Non-WordPress app managed by Softaculous | Softaculous | | Individual files, database, or email account | JetBackup (granular restore) | | Off-site or portable WordPress backup | WordPress plugin | | Serious account-wide data loss or compromise | JetBackup (full account restore) | | VPS/dedicated - frequent database snapshots | Hourly MySQL backups | ## Restoring: think small first When something goes wrong, resist the temptation to restore everything at once. Work through these questions in order: 1. Is the problem limited to one WordPress site? Use WP Toolkit to restore that site. 2. Is the problem a single corrupted or lost database? Restore just that database from JetBackup. 3. Are specific files missing or broken? Restore only those files or that folder from JetBackup. 4. Is the problem account-wide and severe? Only then consider a full JetBackup account restore. A surgical restore takes minutes and leaves everything else untouched. A full account restore can take much longer and will overwrite any changes made since the backup was taken - including emails received, orders placed, or content published. :::warning A full cPanel account restore will overwrite your entire account with the state it was in at the time of the backup. Any emails, files, or database changes made after that point will be lost. Always try a targeted restore first. ::: ## Keeping good backup habits Our automated backups run without any action from you, but there are a few habits that will make your life easier if you ever need to recover: - Take a manual WP Toolkit or Softaculous backup before any significant update or change, even if automated backups are running. - Download a local copy of your site periodically using [How to download a full account backup in cPanel](/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/how-to-download-a-full-account-backup-in-cpanel), so you have a copy that is independent of your hosting account. - If you use a WordPress plugin for off-site backups, check occasionally that the backups are actually reaching their destination - a misconfigured plugin can silently fail. - Keep your WordPress installations, plugins, and themes up to date. Fewer vulnerabilities means fewer situations where you need a backup in the first place. [WP Toolkit's Smart Updates](/knowledgebase/wp-toolkit/using-smart-updates-in-wp-toolkit) and [Patchman](/knowledgebase/security-patchman/an-introduction-to-patchman) both help with this. --- _Source: Kualo Knowledgebase — https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/cpanel-backups/understanding-your-backup-options-which-one-should-you-use · © Kualo Ltd._