Imagine having a time machine for your WordPress site—restoring it to any point effortlessly. Automatic cloud backups are essential for site security, allowing quick recovery from errors or attacks. In this guide, drawn from our extensive experience at WPBeginner, we'll walk you through setting up WordPress backups with CodeGuard and share our honest review to help you decide.
CodeGuard is a reliable website backup service that automatically backs up your WordPress site to the cloud while monitoring daily changes.
There are plenty of WordPress backup plugins out there, and we've compiled a list of the best WordPress backup plugins.
However, plugins require constant updates, and backups often aren't securely offsite. For client sites, managing separate backups is a hassle—clients might even disable them accidentally.
CodeGuard is a paid service compatible with all platforms, including WordPress. Plans start at $5/mo for one site with unlimited databases and up to 5GB storage, plus a 14-day free trial on all plans.
Intrigued by their 'time machine for your website' promise, our team tested it thoroughly. Here's our CodeGuard review based on real-world use.
Let's dive into setup.
Subscribe to WPBeginner. If you prefer text instructions, read on.
Start by visiting the CodeGuard website and clicking 'Start your free trial'.
Complete the registration form and click 'Start my free trial'. Set a strong password (check our WordPress password guide) and proceed.
Enter your site URL and FTP details.
If unsure about FTP credentials, check your hosting welcome email, cPanel's FTP Accounts, or contact support.
Test the connection, then click 'Connect your website'.
CodeGuard scans your server files. Select your WordPress root folder and click 'Select root directory'.
In 'Select Website Content', choose all files/folders by clicking the top one. Hit 'First Backup'.
Backups begin downloading to CodeGuard's cloud. Next, add your database.
Gather: database hostname/IP, MySQL username/password from wp-config.php or your host.
Note: Replace 'localhost' with your domain; use actual hostname/IP otherwise.
Enter details. Whitelist CodeGuard's IPs from the 'Helpful Tips' (via cPanel > Remote MySQL).
Add each IP, then proceed. Select your WordPress database and confirm.
Database backup completes, showing stats.
Your site and database are now securely backed up in the cloud.
Restoration is straightforward—one-click for files/databases, or download for manual use.
CodeGuard delivers as a 'time machine', backing up any site via FTP/MySQL. Offsite cloud storage makes it perfect for beginners and pros alike.
We've seen countless hacked sites with no backups—years of work lost. Backups are your best defense.
CodeGuard tops our recommendations. See our full list of top WordPress backup plugins.
That's it! We hope this helped secure your site. Also check our guide to 11 things before launching a WordPress site.
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