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Lumi does not make automatic backups. Reinstalling the OS wipes the disk completely. Backups are your responsibility: keep them yourself and ahead of time, not once the data is already gone.
The idea is simple: you need to regularly pull a copy of important data from the server to your own machine (or to another server). Below are working approaches, from manual to fully automated. In every command, take IP and the root login from the server card in the bot.
A one-off copy of a directory to your own computer. scp copies things “as is”:
scp -r root@IP:/var/www ./backup
rsync is handier for repeat copies — it transfers only what changed and runs faster:
rsync -avz root@IP:/var/www ./backup
-a preserves permissions and structure, -v shows progress, -z compresses during transfer.
Copying database files directly is unreliable — you need a dump. Run the commands on the server, then pull the resulting file using the method from step 1.
mysqldump -u root -p DB_NAME > db.sql
All databases at once:
mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases > all.sql
It’s convenient to pack a folder into a single compressed file and then download it:
tar -czf backup.tar.gz /var/www
-c create, -z compress with gzip, -f file name. To unpack it again: tar -xzf backup.tar.gz.
To have copies taken automatically on a schedule. On the server, open the task editor:
crontab -e
Add a line — every day at 03:00, upload the directory to another server:
0 3 * * * rsync -az /var/www root@BACKUP_IP:/backups/$(date +\%F)
The % sign in crontab is escaped as \%. For password-free login, set up an SSH key to the receiving server in advance. Back up a database the same way: first mysqldump/pg_dump into a file, then rsync that file.
Taking a full disk image through the panel isn’t possible. But for a move or a full copy, it’s enough to grab the important directories.Archive the key directories (sites, configs, database dumps):
tar -czf full.tar.gz /etc /var/www /home /root
For migrating to another server, rsync is handier — it transfers the directories directly, skipping the intermediate archive:
rsync -avz /var/www root@NEW_IP:/var/www
dd for copying an entire disk is usually unavailable on a VPS and unsafe on a running system. Back up specific directories and database dumps, not “the whole disk”.
Keep copies off the server itself: if it fails or gets reinstalled, a backup sitting next to the data will be gone along with it. Make copies on a schedule and test a restore at least once — deploy the dump and the archive on a test server and confirm the data reads correctly. An untested backup isn’t a backup yet.

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Where to next

Firewall

Close off unnecessary ports — one of the steps in securing the server.

Server hardening

The full security checklist.