> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.lumiweb.cc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Backups
> Back up your own data
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":
```bash theme={"system"}
scp -r root@IP:/var/www ./backup
```
`rsync` is handier for repeat copies — it transfers only what changed and runs faster:
```bash theme={"system"}
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.
```bash theme={"system"}
mysqldump -u root -p DB_NAME > db.sql
```
All databases at once:
```bash theme={"system"}
mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases > all.sql
```
```bash theme={"system"}
sudo -u postgres pg_dump DB_NAME > db.sql
```
All databases at once:
```bash theme={"system"}
sudo -u postgres pg_dumpall > all.sql
```
It's convenient to pack a folder into a single compressed file and then download it:
```bash theme={"system"}
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:
```bash theme={"system"}
crontab -e
```
Add a line — every day at 03:00, upload the directory to another server:
```bash theme={"system"}
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](/en/vps/ssh-keys) 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):
```bash theme={"system"}
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:
```bash theme={"system"}
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.
## Where to next
Close off unnecessary ports — one of the steps in securing the server.
The full security checklist.