Backup and Restore
The Backup tab is the canonical surface for all backup, restore, and data protection operations.
Creating a Backup
Manual Backup
- Navigate to the Backup tab
- Click Create backup now
- A full manifest-based ZIP restore point is created
- The backup appears in the Saved Backups list
Automatic Backups
Configure scheduled backups in the Automatic Backups section:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable/Disable | Toggle automatic backups on or off |
| Frequency | How often to run backups |
| Time of Day | When to run (UTC) |
| Retention | How many recent backups to keep |
Storage targets:
- Local storage — Backups saved to a configured path on the server
- pCloud — Cloud storage (coming soon)
Click Run automatic backup now to trigger the pipeline immediately using current settings.
Restoring from a Backup
From a File
- Click Restore from file
- Select a local ZIP backup file
- Review the Preview — shows what the backup contains with counts and scope summary
- Check the confirmation checkbox
- (Optional) Enable URL rewrite if restoring to a different site
- Click Apply to restore
From Saved Backups
- Scroll to the Saved Backups list
- Find the backup you want (shows file size and date)
- Click Restore next to the backup
Scoped Backups
In addition to full backups, you can export and import specific sections:
- Master export — All settings
- Scoped export — Settings for a specific tab (General, Users, Integrations, etc.)
- Single user export — One user card with all fields, roles, notes, and estimates
Scoped imports remap data to the target site automatically.
Cross-Site Restore
When restoring a backup from a different site:
- Enable the URL rewrite option during restore
- SyteOps maps URLs from the source site to the current site
- Profile pictures remain as links (not transferred as files)
Backup Contents
Full backups include:
- All plugin settings and module data
- Licensing records (issued connections + blacklist)
- Variable set tab configurations
- User data and role assignments
Full backups exclude secrets (API keys, tokens) for security.
Audit Log
The Backup Audit Log records all backup and restore operations:
- View recent exports and restores
- Filter by type (exports, restores, automatic)
- Tracks up to 50 entries
Security
- All backup operations require SyteOps Admin capability
- Operations use a unified config nonce for CSRF protection
- Post-restore lock requires license re-check
- File validation ensures backup integrity (manifest schema, checksums, path traversal prevention)