Backing up Sendy on the Amazon server.
Hi Ben
I'm interested in finding out how Sendy is backed up on the Amazon server. I have zero experience with Amazon so your advice would be most welcome.
I'm interested in performing a regular automated backup as I would on my usual web hosting. My websites are backed up daily and I would like to do similar for Sendy and the contacts in the lists. You can imagine losing all of your hard earned contacts due to something going wrong could be devastating.
Does Amazon do an easy to use automated backup and restore?
Many thanks in advance
Adrian
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Comments
I am not an expert, but the backup can be just the SQL database as the PHP files can be downloaded from Sendy again at any time (assuming you maintain a license). My limited experience of restoring AWS full server backups is that they do not work, or to get them to work requires extra tech skills beyond those needed to follow the AWS docs. If your other websites are WordPress, then the UpdraftPlus plugin has a useful feature of being able to backup remote SQL databases on a schedule. This feature might be in the Pro version, but is worth considering. Alternatively, searching online for 'SQL backup scripts' may help. You will have to set up a cron job, too.
wonder if this database backup could (should?) be built into sendy -- specify a remote S3 (or similar) location for the SQL file, set a schedule and then manually set the cron job.
I've moved my sendy install from one AWS instance to another and I can confirm @colcol's statement, all that's needed is the SQL DB, at least from what I recall.
I've also had to restore once, unfortunately, from a AWS kernel blow up that happened a few months ago and used the same method, only needing the SQL DB to get back up and running. At least in regards to previous sendy specific info.
All lists, campaigns, templates, settings and the like are store there and will come over once the original configuration / install is completed.
+1
I use a cron job to dump out the db and rely on my host's backup capabilities to backup that file. I've found great value in the past to go back to a prior day's db not so much because of a crash but because of, "mistakes" I've made.
Below is a shell script that I've put together that you might be able to use to backup your Sendy database and directory with. I'm not an expert though and I really don't know if this shell script needs to use the root username and password or the sendy username and password.
https://root-sing-3f1.notion.site/Backing-Up-Sendy-4766eee099f044cea88066f37da98a8d
The easiest least tech knowledge is to do AWS snapshots, they back up the ENTIRE server and you can set them to run as often as you want and to delete old ones.
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/EBSSnapshots.html
They're also super cheap as they only charge you to backup the newly added data (for sendy it's a couple megabytes each day).
When restoring it creates a brand new server with all the data.
To restore you simply check off the backup you want to use, go to actions and select "create an image." https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ace4pjp9xmsnct/Screen Shot 2021-09-14 at 10.55.15 PM.png?dl=0 Wait about a minute for the image to be created.
Then you navigate to AMI on the left side and select the image you created and click "launch"
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gi9jlhwp61hhdyn/Screen Shot 2021-09-14 at 10.56.26 PM.png?dl=0
Then you launch a new instance from that image (select the server size you want): https://www.dropbox.com/s/acmeu6iodoylb5g/Screen Shot 2021-09-14 at 10.57.09 PM.png?dl=0
The only step remaining is to reassign the elastic IP. Go to Elastic IP, select your IP and click associate: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wxkoci8bztor2kd/Screen Shot 2021-09-14 at 10.58.00 PM.png?dl=0