Skip to main content

Create Your Own Offsite Backup in HostBible cPanel: Full Website + Database Export

This guide shows how to create a complete offsite backup of your website using standard tools available in HostBible cPanel. No special backup add-ons required.

Z
Written by Zoe Handscomb
Updated over 3 months ago

You’ll make two files you can store safely outside your hosting account:

  • Website files backup (your site’s document root, usually public_html)

  • Database backup (your MySQL/MariaDB database exported as an .sql file)

At the end, you’ll also learn how to verify the backup is usable.

What this backup includes (and what it doesn’t)

✅ Includes

  • Your website files (themes, plugins, uploads/images, custom code, .htaccess, etc.)

  • Your database content (posts/pages/products/users/settings—depending on your site software)

❌ Does not automatically include

  • Email mailboxes and messages

  • DNS zone settings

  • SSL certificates (usually auto-managed)

  • cPanel account settings, cron jobs, or server-level configs

If you need those too, you can still start with the steps below—your website + database are the core of a restorable site.

Before you start: 2 quick checks

1) Confirm your site’s document root (important if you have multiple domains)

Most sites live in:

  • public_html/

But add-on domains or subdomains may live in a folder like:

  • public_html/yourdomain.com/ or another path

In cPanel, you can usually confirm this under Domains (look for Document Root).

2) Make sure you have enough space to create a ZIP

If your site is large, compressing files can temporarily require extra space on your hosting account before you download the ZIP.

Step 1 — Back up your website files (download public_html)

Method A (recommended): File Manager → Compress → Download

  1. Log in to HostBible cPanel

  2. Open File Manager

  3. In the left sidebar, open your site’s folder:

    • Usually public_html

    • Or your domain’s document root folder (if different)

  4. Select the files/folders you want to back up

    • If your whole site is inside public_html, you can back up everything in it.

  5. Click Compress (or Compress…)

  6. Choose Zip Archive

  7. Name your file using a clear format, for example:

    • mydomain.com_files_2025-12-15.zip

  8. Click Compress Files

  9. When it finishes, locate the ZIP in File Manager, select it, then click Download

Clean-up (recommended)

After downloading, you can remove the ZIP from your hosting account to save space:

  • Select the ZIP → Delete

✅ Tip: A ZIP made inside File Manager typically includes hidden files like .htaccess (good).

Method B (optional): Download via FTP

If compressing is slow or your site is extremely large, FTP can work—just note it may take longer and create many files locally.

Step 2 — Back up your database (export from phpMyAdmin)

Most dynamic sites (WordPress, WooCommerce, Joomla, etc.) require the database to restore correctly.

A) Find your database name (quick ways)

Option 1: Check your site config file

Common examples:

  • WordPress: public_html/wp-config.php → look for DB_NAME

  • Other apps have a config file that contains database name/user

Option 2: Use cPanel → MySQL Databases

In cPanel, open MySQL Databases to see:

  • Databases

  • Database users

  • Which user is assigned to which database

B) Export the database in phpMyAdmin

  1. In HostBible cPanel, open phpMyAdmin

  2. In the left sidebar, click your database name

    • Make sure you click the database, not just a table.

  3. Click the Export tab

If your database is small/medium:

  1. Choose Quick

  2. Format: SQL

  3. Click Export
    Your browser will download a file ending in .sql

If your database is large (recommended settings):

  1. Choose Custom

  2. Format: SQL

  3. Enable compression if available (often gzipped) to reduce size

  4. Optional but helpful for restores:

    • Add DROP TABLE / VIEW / PROCEDURE / FUNCTION (so imports overwrite cleanly)

  5. Click Export

Name it clearly, for example:

  • mydomain.com_db_2025-12-15.sql
    or (if gzipped):

  • mydomain.com_db_2025-12-15.sql.gz

Multiple databases?

Repeat the export for each database your site uses.

Step 3 — Store your backup offsite (safe storage rules)

An “offsite” backup means it’s stored somewhere other than your hosting account.

Recommended storage approach (simple + reliable)

Keep at least 2 copies in different places, for example:

  • A local copy on your computer

  • A second copy on external storage or secure cloud storage

Safety checklist

  • ✅ Do not store backups inside public_html (that can expose them publicly)

  • ✅ Keep backups in a private, access-controlled location

  • ✅ Consider encrypting backups if they contain customer data, user details, or private content

  • ✅ Keep more than one version (so you can roll back if needed)

Good naming convention

Use dates so you can quickly identify the newest backup:

  • mydomain.com_files_YYYY-MM-DD.zip

  • mydomain.com_db_YYYY-MM-DD.sql (or .sql.gz)

Step 4 — Verify the backup is usable (don’t skip this)

A backup is only valuable if it can be restored.

Quick verification (takes 2–5 minutes)

Verify the site files ZIP

  • Confirm the ZIP downloaded completely (not 0 KB)

  • Open it on your computer and check it contains expected folders/files like:

    • wp-content/ (WordPress sites)

    • images/, uploads/, themes/plugins folders

    • .htaccess (often present)

  • Spot-check that there are many files and realistic folder sizes

Verify the database export

  • Confirm the .sql / .sql.gz file isn’t empty

  • Open it with a text editor (or a SQL viewer) and look for:

    • CREATE TABLE

    • INSERT INTO
      These indicate it contains both structure and data.

Best verification (recommended): Do a test restore in a safe location

If you want real confidence, do a test restore without affecting your live site.

High-level test restore plan

  1. Create a test folder (or staging subdomain) in your hosting account

  2. Upload and extract your files ZIP into that folder

  3. Create a new database + user in cPanel (MySQL Databases)

  4. Import your .sql file into that new database using phpMyAdmin → Import

  5. Update your site’s config file to point to the new database credentials

  6. Load the test site and verify key pages work

Common config updates

  • WordPress: edit wp-config.php:

    • DB_NAME

    • DB_USER

    • DB_PASSWORD

    • DB_HOST (usually localhost)

✅ If you can log in and browse pages on the test copy, your backup is genuinely restore-ready.

Suggested backup frequency

A good rule of thumb:

  • Content changes daily (blogs, stores, bookings): back up weekly (or more often)

  • Changes occasionally: back up monthly

  • Before any major update: always take a fresh backup

Also back up before:

  • Plugin/theme updates

  • Site redesigns

  • Migration changes

Troubleshooting

“Compress” is slow or fails

  • Try compressing smaller batches (e.g., wp-content/uploads separately)

  • Delete old archives you no longer need

  • If needed, use FTP instead of compression

Database export times out

  • Use Custom export + compression (gzip)

  • Export during off-peak hours if possible

  • If the database is extremely large, export may need chunking (contact support if you hit hard limits)

Download keeps stopping

  • Try a different browser

  • Download during a stable connection window

  • If the ZIP is huge, consider FTP for files + compressed DB export

Quick checklist (copy/paste)

  • Confirm your site’s document root (public_html or domain folder)

  • File Manager → Compress to ZIP → Download (*_files_YYYY-MM-DD.zip)

  • phpMyAdmin → Export database as SQL (*_db_YYYY-MM-DD.sql or .sql.gz)

  • Store copies offsite (not in hosting)

  • Verify ZIP opens and contains expected files

  • Verify SQL contains CREATE TABLE / INSERT INTO

  • (Recommended) Perform a test restore in a staging folder/subdomain

Related Articles
HostBible Guide: Fix WordPress “Error 500 – Internal Server Error” (cPanel)
Migrate Your WordPress Site to HostBible
How to restore from a backup with JetBackup 5 in cPanel
Using FTP with cPanel (HostBible)
After a JetBackup Restore: HostBible Validation Checklist for Websites, Databases, and Email
Did this answer your question?