13. Snapshot 4.0
Welcome to the Snapshot Pro user guide! This document explains each of the Snapshot Pro features and provides instructions on how to create and store backups of your website and quickly restore it.
If you haven’t installed Snapshot Pro yet, visit the Snapshot Pro product page to download or to get a quick overview of the many available features. If you are a WPMU DEV member, use one-click installation to install Snapshot Pro directly to any connected site.
If your site is hosted with WPMU DEV, nightly backups are created for you automatically. See our Hosting Backups guide for a thorough explanation of the backup system in place for sites we host.
Did you know that WPMU DEV supports multiple ways to backup sites, including hosting backups, managed backups, and backups created with either of two versions of our Snapshot plugin? To help you make an informed decision on which backup option is best for your project, see our Backups FAQs doc.
13.1 Getting Started
Copy chapter anchor to clipboardAs of version 4.0, Snapshot Pro’s backups are incremental and support both scheduled and manual backups from the Hub, for both sites hosted with WPMU DEV and on third-party hosting.
Snapshot Pro uses the WPMU DEV API to create a secure connection for backup and restore. The API is connected by installing the WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin and connecting your WPMU DEV account. To learn more about the WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin and connecting your site to the WPMU DEV API, visit the WPMU DEV Dashboard documentation.
Wanting to really take advantage of everything that Snapshot v4 has to offer? Check out our blog on how to Get the Most from Your Site Backups for all the inside tips and tricks.
Get started by installing and connecting the WPMU DEV dashboard plugin and the latest version of Snapshot. This will add a new menu item to your WordPress dashboard. Go to the Snapshot menu item to configure your Backups.
13.1.1 Setup Wizard
Link to chapter 1The Setup Wizard/Welcome Guide will open the first time you click into Snapshot.
Click the Get Started button to open the backup scheduler and select the desired storage region for your backups. Then click Continue.
The wizard’s backup scheduler lets you choose to create a “Daily”, “Weekly”, or “Monthly” schedule. Choose the day, day of the week/month, and time you want backups to be scheduled. You can also choose “None” and create a schedule later if you prefer. See the Backups section for more.
If you do not want to schedule a backup at this point, you can also just click the “X” icon in the upper right corner to close the wizard and continue to the Snapshot Dashboard.
Click Save to schedule your managed backups. When saved, the wizard will close with a notification at the top of your screen about when your first backup will run.
The first time backups can take some time to complete since the first backup is a full site backup. Subsequent backups will be much faster as they are incremental backups. Apart from scheduled backups, you can also run backup manually. For more information, see the Backups section below.
13.2 Dashboard
Copy chapter anchor to clipboardThe Snapshot Pro Dashboard provides an overview of your scheduled backups, what third-party destinations are linked, and when your last backup was run. The dashboard has three modules:
This chapter provides information about what is available in the Snapshot Dashboard section.
Whether you’re new to Snapshot or you’re a veteran, it’s worth knowing that we are dedicated to constantly improving Snapshot in every way possible. And some of the newer feature additions are ones that you don’t want to miss out on – like incremental backups and third-party storage options. For more information on these key features, check out Snapshot v4 Introduces New Incremental Backups and Third-Party Storage.
13.2.1 Overview
Link to chapter 2The Overview section is a quick way to see what settings and destinations are set up and active with your Snapshot backups. Available information in the Overview section includes:
- Backups Available – Number of backups currently being stored in your cloud storage
- Available Destinations – The number of connected backup locations. A full explanation of what destinations are and how to configure them can be found under the Destinations section of this guide.
- Last Backup – Lists the date and time of your most recent successful backup
- WPMU DEV Storage Space – Available WPMU DEV Storage Space included with your plan and how much storage has been used (upgrade plans for increased storage are available in the Addons section of your Account page). If you are running both Snapshot version 3 and version 4, this includes the total storage used across both versions.
13.2.2 Backups Overview
Link to chapter 2The Backup overview module is a quick way to see information about your latest backups. For more information about configuring Backups, visit the Backups chapter. The Backup Overview module shows:
- Title – This is the date of a scheduled backup or the title you entered for an on-demand backup
- Destination – Tells what storage solution is being used
Clicking the “View All” button redirects you to the Backups section where you can get more detailed information about all available backups.
Click the “Backup Now” button to trigger an on-demand once-off backup. In the Creating Backup modal that pops open, you will add a title or a note about the backup to help make your backup easier to identify. For more information about creating Backups, visit the Backups chapter.
If you would like to apply global file exclusion settings, check the box next to the “Apply global file exclusions set in the settings page.” For more information, see the Global Exclusions section in Backups Settings.
13.2.3 Hosting Backups Overview
Link to chapter 2The Hosting Backups widget gives you a brief overview of your latest hosting backups with the date, time and destination of each backup. Click the View All button to jump to the Hosting Backups tab to access and manage all of your hosting backups.
13.2.4 Destinations Overview
Link to chapter 2The Destinations Overview module lists all your connected cloud storage accounts where backups can be stored.
Click the View All or Add Destination button to open the Destinations tab where you will be able to connect other destinations and get more information about your connected accounts. You can also click the toggle of any third-party destinations to activate/deactivate them or click the gear icon to configure them.
Learn more about Destinations and configuration options in the Destinations chapter.
13.3 Backups
Copy chapter anchor to clipboardThe Backups page has everything you need to view, manage, configure, run, restore, delete, and download Snapshot 4.0 backups. At the top of the screen is an overview showing the following information:
- Backups available – Number of backups currently being stored in your cloud storage
- Last backup – Lists the date and time of your most recent successful backup
- Next scheduled backup – The date and time of next backup according to the schedule you set. If no schedule is set yet, this will indicate “Never“.
- Backup schedule – The currently set backup schedule. If none is set yet, this will indicate “None“.
13.3.1 Backups Tab
Link to chapter 3There are numerous things you can do in the Backups tab. Here’s a list linked to the corresponding sections describing each task in this doc below:
- Create a manual backup
- Create a backup schedule
- View available backups
- Delete a backup
- Restore a backup
- Restore backup when there is no access to the site
- View logs of a backup
- Download a backup
Note: If you would like to see a visual representation of how much space your backups occupy for each site, you can view this in the My Account area of The Hub.
Scroll down to the Add-ons section, which is where you will find a pie chart showing the percentage storage distribution of Snapshot backups for all your sites. Hover over each segment to reveal the size of the backups taken up by that site.
Create a manual backup
The first time you visit the Backups tab, you’ll be greeted with a prompt to run a backup now if you haven’t already. Click the Backup Now button to get started. This first backup will be the base backup and is a full backup of your site. Any following backups will be incremental, regardless of whether they are manual or scheduled.
Enter a title for your manual backup and check the box to Apply global file exclusions if needed and if you have added any under the Settings tab, then click the Run Backup button.
The modal will close and you’ll see a progress bar indicating at which step the backup is currently at. Once that has completed, you’ll see your new manual backup in the list of Available Backups.
Create a backup schedule
If you have not yet set up a schedule for your backups, or wish to modify your existing backup schedule, click the Manage link in the Overview section next to Backup schedule.
This will open a modal just like the one you saw when you went through the Setup Wizard. The backup scheduler lets you choose to create a “Daily”, “Weekly”, or “Monthly” schedule. Choose the day, day of the week/month, and time you want backups to be scheduled. Click the Save Schedule button to finish.
Available Backups
Once you have at least one backup completed, you’ll see a list of all your available backups with the most recent one at the top. You can create a new incremental manual backup at any time by clicking the Backup Now button at top-right.
Like the Backups section on the overview page, the Title is set as the date of a scheduled backup or your custom title for once-off manual backups. The Destination is what cloud service your backup was pushed to. Frequency notes if the backup is a Daily, Weekly, or Monthly backup, or a manual backup, as indicated with the label None.
Click on a specific backup to open more information and actions. Additional information includes:
- Export Destination – This lists all of the destinations to which your backup has been exported.
- Current Schedule – Clicking on the schedule opens the schedule modal for you to change the frequency, day, and time your backup runs.
- Global Exclusions – A list of any global exclusions applied to your backup at the time of the specific backup. Get more details about setting and understanding Global Exclusions in the Settings chapter of this document.
- Date – When the selected backup ran.
- Export Size – This notes the size of the selected backup.
Additional actions per available backup
There are four action buttons along the bottom of the details section for any backup:
- Delete
- Restore
- View Logs
- Download
Delete
Click the Trash icon to delete the most recent backup, or you can delete all the backups on your site from the Backup > Settings tab. When you delete backups, you will be asked to provide your WPMU DEV account password as a security precaution.
If you want to delete subsequent backups after providing your password, you will simply need to confirm the deletion and will not need to provide your password each time.
This security precaution can be enabled/disabled via The Hub backup settings. For more information on those settings, please refer to the Hub 2.0 Backups documentation.
Because backups are incremental, you must delete them one at a time, beginning with the most recent backup, or delete them all. Members can store a maximum of 30 manual and 30 scheduled backups, for a total of 60 backups. More information can be found in the Backups Settings documentation below.
Restore
Click the Restore (semi-circle with an arrow) icon to open the Restore Backup modal.
The Restore Backup modal indicates the directory where the backup will be restored. Click the “Restore” button to restore to the selected backup. Keep the page open until the process has finished.
During the restoration, a progress indicator will let you know where the restore is at, and which steps have already been taken.
There are 5 steps in restoring your site:
- Backup exported
- Download backup
- Restore files
- Restore database
- Finalize restoration
The restore process will overwrite the database and restore all files contained in the backup, but it will not delete any files uploaded to the site after the backup was made. So any plugins, themes, media, etc, added to the site after the backup was made will still be there once the restore completes. Please keep this in mind and know that you would need to delete those files manually before or after the restore if you don’t want them anymore.
This process could take a few minutes for small sites and up to a few hours for larger sites. A notification will appear at the top of your screen when the restoration is complete, and will include a link to view the site.
To protect your site during the Restore process, if an error occurs while a backup is being exported or downloaded, the restoration will pause, cancel the restoration process, and leave your site as is. If the errors persist, use the Logs to locate the issue or contact your support team.
Restore backup when there is no access to the site
If your website is down for whatever reason, you may want to restore it to a previous backup. However, not having access to your website means that the above procedure of restoring your website does not apply. Thankfully, Snapshot v4 allows you to restore backups via the Hub 2.0 as well, not just through the plugin. This restoration process is laid out in the WPMU DEV Restore Website documents.
Note: The snapshot-installer.php file downloaded from the Hub 1.0 is different from the snapshot-installer.php file downloaded from the Hub 2.0. The file from Hub 1.0 will only work with Snapshot v3 backups and the file from the Hub 2.0 will only work with Snapshot v4 backups, so it is important to keep track of which pair you are using.
View Logs Button
Clicking the View logs button opens the backup log in the Logs tab. Get more information about the logs tab in the Logs section of this document.
Download
Clicking the Download link will prepare an export version of the selected backup for download and email a link that allows you to download the backup. The link expires in 7-days, but the backup will be stored for 30-days.
13.3.2 Logs Tab
Link to chapter 3Clicking the Logs tab opens a history of all the backups for the site. You can use these to debug issues and see what’s happening behind the scenes with each backup.
The Available Logs section is an overview of all backups with the most recent backup at the top. Backup information includes the Date and Destination.
Clicking a backup will open the full log for that backup. Sort the information from your log with:
- All – Display the entire report
- Warning – Only display warnings and errors
- Errors – Only display errors
Click the “View Backup” button to jump to the backup on your Backup list. Click the “Download” button to download your log file to your computer. Log info includes each action and when it was actioned.
13.3.3 Settings Tab
Link to chapter 3The Backups Settings tab allows you to set exclusions and view the number of backups your site will save, among other useful settings.
Exclusions
Exclude Large-Size Folders
Sometimes large folders and other plugins’ backup files cause issues during a backup, causing it to get stuck. Use this feature to exclude those potentially problematic folders by clicking the toggle.
You can view the full list of folders that will be excluded by the feature by clicking on the arrow next to the toggle. This will trigger the row to drop down and reveal the list.
Global File Exclusions
This setting allows you to choose specific files or folders you want to exclude from your once-off and scheduled backups. Enter the relative path to the file or folder you would like to exclude from your backup and press enter to add an exclusion; for example: /wp-content/custom-folder/ or /file.php.
You can currently only add one exclusion at a time. You can remove any of the added exclusions by clicking the [X] icon next to your list of added exclusions.
Storage Limit
Backups on WPMU DEV’s cloud storage will keep the most recent 30 backups of manual and scheduled backups each before removing the older ones. Currently, this limit cannot be changed.
NOTE: This is not to be confused with how long backups are retained. Remember, you won’t necessarily create one new backup per day. Backups are retained for 50 days with Snapshot v4, meaning that you could hit your storage limit of 30 backups before you hit your time limit of 50 days. For example, if you create one new manual backup every day for 31 days, the first manual backup you created would be replaced on the 31st day and therefore would not have been retained for the full 50 days that are available. The difference between the storage limit and the retention time for backups is an important distinction to make.
Where Snapshot v4 really shines is in the fact that you can store up to 30 manual backups and 30 scheduled backups (60 in total) for up to 50 days. This means that more backups are stored for longer and it is largely due to the fact that v4 uses incremental backups as opposed to full backups like in Snapshot v3. More information on incremental backups and why v4 is more efficient can be found in Incremental backups.
Storage region
You can select which storage region you prefer for all your backups:
- United States – This region is recommended for better performance.
- Europe – This region is EU data protection directive compliant.
If you switch between regions, you will be required to provide your WPMU DEV account password as a security precaution.
This security precaution can be enabled/disabled via the Hub backup settings. For more information on those settings, please refer to the Hub 2.0 Backups documentation.
If you switch to a new region, your existing backups will be deleted, and any new backups will be stored in the newly selected region.
Delete Backups
Delete is a one-click option to remove all backups. Clicking the Delete button will open a modal where you will need to confirm your action by providing your WPMU DEV account password and clicking Delete. Click Cancel or the close modal icon [X] to close without Deleting remote backups.
13.3.4 Notifications Tab
Link to chapter 3When enabled, the Notifications module will send you an email notification if either a manual or scheduled backup fails. This can be enabled by clicking on the Send an email when backup fails toggle.
By default, your admin email will appear as a recipient but all emails can easily be added or removed. If you remove all recipients, we’ll automatically turn off the notifications. Remember to Save Changes to keep your changes.
13.4 Hosting Backups
Copy chapter anchor to clipboard(only for WPMU DEV hosted sites)
If your site is not hosted with WPMU DEV, this module will not be visible for you. The Hosting Backups feature allows you to view and manage the backups created on hosting.
13.4.1 Hosted Backups
Link to chapter 4This is where you will find a list of all your backups created on hosting, as well as Automate backups.
If you want to download a hosting backup straight from Snapshot v4, click the Download button and a backup link will be processed and sent to your email address. Please note that the time taken for the backup link to be processed and sent to you varies depending on the size of the site.
At the moment, backups cannot be created or restored through the plugin but this is something that will be incorporated in future releases. For the time being, you can click the Manage button for a quick link to the Hub, where you can fully manage all of your hosting backups.
13.4.2 Hosting Backups Settings
Link to chapter 4WPMU DEV hosting backups will be removed after 30 days and currently, this limit cannot be changed.
13.5 Destinations
Copy chapter anchor to clipboardA destination is a location where Snapshot backups are stored.
At the top of the Destinations screen, is an Overview module with:
- Number of destinations
- Last backup destination
- Available WPMU DEV storage space
Below is the Destinations module with a list of connected destinations. Hub connected sites are automatically connected to WPMU DEV cloud storage and do not require any additional setup to connect. The Hosting Backups module is only accessible by WPMU DEV Hosting and does not require any further configuration.
The Destinations module lists:
- Name – Name of the destination, provider, or location where the backup will be stored.
- Directory – This is where the backups are being stored. WPMU DEV cloud storage does not allow you to change directories.
- Schedule – The current schedule for your backups.
- Exported Backups – This is the number of backups currently being stored on your account.
The destinations module allows you to add multiple destinations for your backups, even from the same third-party storage provider. You can manage these destinations with the configuration tools.
As you may know already, WPMU DEV Cloud Storage stores incremental backups of your site. However, if you choose to add a third-party destination, full site backups will be uploaded to that destination, not incremental backups.
All destinations can be re-configured, deactivated, or deleted at any point. Simply slide the toggle to deactivate the destination, or click on the gear icon for alternative options, which are:
- Edit destination – Change your current setup with regards to your destination name, bucket, directory path, connection credentials, and storage limit.
- View directory – Use this to jump to your third-party destination account.
- Delete – Click Delete to remove his destination.
While you can add as many destinations as needed, you can only set up one backup schedule. It is not possible to have different schedules running for different destinations. The schedule that you have configured will apply to all destinations that you have added.
To add a new destination for your backups, click the Add Destination button.
The destinations that can be added are the following:
- Amazon S3 (and S3 Compatible Storage)
- Google Drive
- Dropbox (coming soon)
- FTP (coming soon)
Any third-party destinations that are added do not bypass the WPMU DEV Cloud Storage. Your backups go through the WPMU DEV Cloud Storage and from there, they are sent to the new destination. So, you can think of these third-party destination backups as full site copies of your last backup, rather than a new backup.
New destinations are added by using a set of credentials to connect to the third-party destination. These credentials are not stored on your site, they are stored safely on the WPMU DEV end.
Since the backups sent to third-party destinations are copies of the WPMU DEV backups, The Hub only shows the backups stored on the WPMU DEV storage space. This means that deleting a WPMU DEV backup will not delete the copy stored on any third-party destination. You will have to access your own accounts for the connected third-party destinations to delete the copies stored there.
13.5.1 Amazon S3
Link to chapter 5After clicking Add Destination, a modal will pop up with the backup destination options. Ensure that Amazon S3 is selected and click Next.
Under the Amazon S3 tab, enter the following credentials to connect:
- AWS Access Key ID
- AWS Secret Access KEY
- AWS Region
If you are unsure about how to find your Amazon S3 credentials, you can click on the How to get Amazon S3 credentials? dropdown arrow. This will trigger the row to expand and reveal a step-by-step guide to finding your credentials for both Root and IAM users.
We have also included a full step-by-step guide which you can find in the How to get Amazon S3 Credentials section below.
Once you have entered your credentials and selected your AWS Region, click Next. You can now select your Bucket and provide the Directory Folder Path (optional).
Remember to add a forward slash before your folder name. You also need to separate any subfolders from the main folder with a forward slash, as well as any subsequent sub-folders. For example, these would be correct directory folder pathways: /folder and /folder/subfolder/next_subfolder.
You will also be required to set the Backup Storage Limit. This is the number of backups that will be stored before new backups start to replace old ones.
If you want to test whether your connection is working, you can click the Test Connection button. If your connection is on the right track, you will receive a success notification. Click Next to proceed.
Now you can give your destination any name that you want. This is to help you identify your new destination from the full list.
You can return to any steps by clicking the Back button or if you’re done with everything, click Save Destination.
How to Get Amazon S3 Credentials
To find your Amazon S3 credentials, all you have to do is follow these simple steps:
- Visit the Amazon Web Services Sign-in page and log in as usual.
- Create a new bucket if you haven’t already done so.
Take note of the Bucket region as you will need this to connect properly.
- Navigate to the My Security Credentials section by clicking on your account name in the top right-hand corner.
From there, you can expand the Access keys (access key ID and secret access key) tab and click Create New Access Key.
In the popup modal, you will receive your Access Key ID and the Secret Access Key. Be sure to download the key file and keep your access keys safe. Use these credentials to connect Amazon S3.
13.5.2 S3 Compatible Storage
Link to chapter 5The beginning of this process is much like connecting Amazon S3. From the Destinations tab, click the Add Destination button and select Amazon S3 from the available options.
Click Next to proceed to the next screen.
Now, you can select your preferred S3 Compatible Storage option from the dropdown menu.
The available storage options are:
Backblaze
Once you have selected Backblaze from the dropdown menu, you will see a set of credential fields that are needed to connect Backblaze. The required credentials are:
- keyID
- applicationKey
- Region
Either expand the How to get Backblaze credentials bar or see the section below for a guide to finding those credentials. Enter your credentials and click Next. You can now choose your bucket, directory path, and storage limit, as shown in the Amazon S3 section. Give your destination a name and save it to complete the setup.
How to Get Backblaze Credentials
- Visit the Backblaze sign-in page and log in as usual.
- Navigate to the buckets page and create a bucket if you haven’t already created one.
Take note of the region as this is something you will need later to connect. Your region can also be viewed in the Buckets section and is specified in the Endpoint. In this example, the region is us-west-00.
- Go to App Keys and click Generate New Master Application Key.
You will then be asked if you are sure you want to generate a new key. Click Yes! Generate Master Key.
This will generate your credentials. Use the keyID and applicationKey to connect your Backblaze destination.
DigitalOcean Spaces
Once you have selected DigitalOcean Spaces from the dropdown menu, you will see a set of credentials that you need to provide. The required credentials are:
- Access Key ID
- Secret Access Key
- Region
Either expand the How to get DigitalOcean credentials bar or see the section below for a guide to finding those credentials. After entering your credentials in the fields, click Next. You can now choose your bucket, directory path, and storage limit, as shown in the Amazon S3 section. Give your destination a name and save it to complete the setup.
How to Get DigitalOcean Spaces Credentials
- Visit the DigitalOcean login page and log into your account.
- If you don’t already have an existing space, click Create and select Spaces from the dropdown menu.
Take note of the region chosen for the space, as this is an important credential to successfully connect DigitalOcean Spaces as a new destination. You can always view your region at a later stage by viewing your Endpoint in your Space Settings section. The region appears before .digitaloceanspaces.com; in the example below, this would be nyc3.
Furthermore, the region can be viewed by hovering over your space under the main Projects tab.
- Navigate to the API section and under Spaces access keys, click Generate New Key.
Once you have named your key and have clicked Generate Key, you will see the Test key (access key) and Secret (secret key) appear. These are the credentials you can use to connect your DigitalOcean Space.
Wasabi
If you have selected Wasabi from the dropdown menu, you will see a set of credential fields that you need to fill in to connect. The required credentials for Wasabi are:
- Access Key ID
- Secret Access Key
- Region
Either expand the How to get Wasabi credentials bar or see the section below for a guide to finding those credentials. Once you have entered your credentials, you can click Next. You can now choose your bucket, directory path, and storage limit, as shown in the Amazon S3 section. Give your destination a name and save it to complete the setup.
How to Get Wasabi Credentials
- Go to the Wasabi sign-in screen and log into your account.
- If you haven’t created a bucket yet, you can create one by clicking on Create Bucket.
Remember the region you have chosen here since this is an important piece of information needed to successfully connect Wasabi.
- Next, go to the Access Keys tab on the left sidebar and click Create New Access Key.
Select Root User and click Create.
This will generate your access key and secret key credentials. Be sure to download the key file now because you will not be able to retrieve your access key again.
Google Cloud
If you have selected Google Cloud from the dropdown menu, you will see a set of credential fields that you need to fill in to connect successfully. The required credentials for Google Cloud are:
- Access Key
- Secret
- Region
Either expand the How to get Google Cloud credentials bar or see the section below for a guide to finding those credentials. After providing your credentials, click Next. You can now choose your bucket, directory path, and storage limit, as shown in the Amazon S3 section. Give your destination a name and save it to complete the setup.
How to Get Google Cloud Credentials
- Navigate to the Google Cloud Platform page and log into your account.
- Once you have logged in, you need to navigate to your Storage page from the sidebar on the left.
- Next, go to Settings>Interoperability, which is where you can create a new HMAC key.
- A little further down that page, you can click Create a key for a service account.
- Now choose the service account that you want your HMAC key to be associated with and click Create key. A key module will pop up where you can copy your Access key and Secret. Make sure to copy the key’s secret at this point because once you close the module, you won’t be able to view it again.
- The last piece of the puzzle to connect everything is the Region which can be found on your Storage page. If you look under the Location column, you will be able to see the region for that bucket. In the example below, the region is us-east1.
Other
Selecting Other from the S3 Compatible options allows you to add a destination that may not be listed. To connect to this destination, you will need to provide the following credentials:
- Access Key ID
- Secret Access Key
- Endpoint
Once you have filled in these credentials, click Next.
Choose the bucket for your destination by using the dropdown field. You can also provide a Directory Folder Path if you wish, but this is not essential, as well as adjust your Backup Storage Limit. Click Next when you’re done.
Lastly, give your destination a name to distinguish it from your other destinations and click Save Destination.
13.5.3 Google Drive
Link to chapter 5Once you have clicked Add Destination from your Destinations tab, you will need to select Google Drive in the destination modal and then click Next.
From here, all you need to do is click Connect with Google to connect Snapshot with your Google Drive. For more information on the use of our Google Drive authorization, read our Privacy Policy.
Select which Google account you want to connect to Snapshot.
Click Allow so that Snapshot can access your Google Drive to store copies of your backups. You can always de-authorize your Google Drive connection with Snapshot by following the steps in De-authorize Google Drive account.
Once the connection has been established, you will see a confirmation modal where you can click Next to continue setting up your destination.
All that is required now is for you to provide your Directory ID. If you are unsure of where to find your Directory ID, you can refer to our guide on How to find your Directory ID. You can also adjust your Storage Limit, which will set the maximum number of backups that will be stored before new backups start replacing older ones. When you’re ready, click Next.
The last step is to give your destination a name to help you identify it among your other destinations. When you’re done, click Save Destination to complete the process.
At the moment, there is no option to edit a Google Drive destination. If you need to change your destination, with the same Google account, you will need to remove the existing destination and add a new one.
How to find your Directory ID
- Visit Google Drive and sign in to your account.
- Snapshot will send your backup copies to a folder of your choice which means that if you don’t already have a folder for this, you will need to create one. You can create one by clicking New in the top left-hand corner and selecting Folder.
Name the folder and click Create.
- Navigate to your folder and copy the Directory ID from the URL. This is the path at the end of the URL. In the example below, the full URL is https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IUupJopejLS4Piauv9yB_p9nz3ZK0ggy which means that the Directory ID would be 1IUupJopejLS4Piauv9yB_p9nz3ZK0ggy.
This is the Directory ID that you can use to complete your Google Drive destination setup.
Snapshot will create a child-folder inside your destination folder with the name of the site you connect, and store that site’s backups in that folder. Do not use any such auto-created child-folder as the Destination ID for a different site’s backups, because the API will overwrite the contents inside with new backups from the site it was created for. Also, do not delete or rename these auto-created child-folders as that will cause subsequent backups to fail.
De-authorize Google Drive Account
If you decide at any point that you no longer want WPMU DEV to be linked to your Google Drive, you can choose to de-authorize the account. This is stipulated in our Privacy Policy document, which you may want to read through if you have any questions regarding the use of your data with Snapshot.
De-authorizing your Google Drive account will mean that any Google Drive destinations on all of your sites will no longer work. For this reason, we advise that you only de-authorize your account if you are sure that you do not want Google Drive to be connected to Snapshot.
To remove WPMU DEV access, follow these steps:
- Go to your Google Account and navigate to the Security section.
- Scroll down to Third-party apps with account access and click Manage third-party access.
- Select Snapshot from your list of third-party apps and click Remove Access.
You will then be asked to confirm the removal of access. Click Ok to proceed or click Cancel to exit without making any changes.
13.6 Settings
Copy chapter anchor to clipboardThe Settings screen is where you will find your Snapshot API Key, Site ID, options to manage what happens to content if Snapshot is deleted, and gives you the ability to reset your plugin settings.
13.6.1 General
Link to chapter 6The General tab is basic information about your Snapshot connection, including your Snapshot API Key that connects to your cloud storage and your website ID.
Snapshot API Key
This unique key is used to connect Snapshot on your site with WPMU DEV cloud storage. Click the copy button to copy the Snapshot API key to your clipboard if needed.
Site ID
This is your website’s WPMU DEV ID. Click the copy button to copy the Snapshot API key to your clipboard if needed.
13.6.2 Data & Settings
Link to chapter 6The Data & Settings tab is where you manage how Snapshot stores and handles information created by the plugin.
Uninstall
The Uninstall module allows you to configure what you do with backups when Snapshot is uninstalled. You can choose to either Keep or Remove backups.
Be sure and click the “Save Changes” button after making changes.
Reset Settings
Use the Reset button in the Reset Settings module to roll back to default Snapshot settings.
The Reset Settings option will instantly reset all settings back to their defaults, and remove any destinations you have active. It will not delete existing backups though.
13.7 Special Notes about Snapshot 4.0
Copy chapter anchor to clipboard- For Snapshot 4.0 to work, your site needs to be connected to the Hub via WPMU DEV Dashboard.
Keeping your site fully backed up and secure has never been easier with The Hub and Snapshot working together. For more information, check out our blog on Keeping Your WordPress Sites Fully Backed-up with Snapshot and The Hub.
- Version 4 requires your website to be publicly accessible on the internet. Snapshot version 4 will not have a backup to local feature. This is by design, and there is not a plan to add this feature.
- Integration of third-party storage destinations is in active development. Currently, Google Drive & Amazon S3 (and S3 Compatible providers like Backblaze) are included, with more on the way (Dropbox, FTP, etc).
- Partial backups (i.e. your theme only) are planned for a later release.
- Snapshot begins iterating files at the WP root. Everything at that level and beyond, is iterated and included in the backup. Example: If your website has an abc/public_html/wp-config.php, an abc/public_html/exampleA path will be included in the backup. An abc/exampleB file path will not be included the backup.
- Snapshot will backup any file added to your filesystem no matter how it was added – whether uploaded through the WP admin page, FTP/SFTP, SSH, or another method. If a file exists on the server, it will be iterated and included in the backup.
- Snapshot does not currently have support for websites on a host using the Windows operating system.
- PHP version requirement: 7.0 or above.
13.8 Incremental backups
Copy chapter anchor to clipboardSnapshot cloud backups are incremental. This means the only time Snapshot iterates over all files and db tables is the very first backup (unless a site is changed drastically between backups). The first backup in each site (manual or scheduled) is a full-site backup. We call that the base backup. Note that if an existing backup schedule is modified, a new base backup will be taken. All later backups — both scheduled and manual — are incremental backups, and understanding what that means is important.
In simplest terms, an incremental backup copies and stores only data that has been changed since the last backup. When you look at your backup list and see multiple backups created during the past several days, you are not looking at multiple copies of your full site, but rather the incremental changes that have been backed up since the last full backup.
Incremental backups are superior to traditional backups in a number of ways; perhaps most importantly, they are small and fast. This allows you to backup your site more frequently.
Example: A 500MB site was backed up last night and today you added 5MB of data. You want to protect the new data, but why backup the entire site when 99% of its data hasn’t changed? An incremental backup only includes the new data, will have the smallest possible impact on your storage capacity, has a lower impact on server load, and is much faster.
When a backup is restored or downloaded, these incremental backups are merged with the full backup (base backup) to produce an up-to-date copy of the site. You can download the exported up-to-date backup from the Backups page and also from the Hub.
As noted above, Snapshot has a 30-day backup rotation schedule and a 50-day time to expiry. When the oldest backup is removed from our storage, Snapshot automatically converts the next oldest backup to the new base backup. No action is required on your part.
13.9 FAQ
Copy chapter anchor to clipboardWhat will happen to my current backups?
Managed backups
Upgrading to Snapshot 4.0 will have no impact on the managed backups we automatically create for our members. However, upgrading to Snapshot 4.0 will impact any additional backups members may have created with previous versions of Snapshot, as noted below.
Snapshot backups
Snapshot 4.0 is not simply an update of the current version, but an entirely new and improved plugin, so installing 4.0 will not replace a previous version currently active on a site. In fact, both versions can be active on the same site at the same time, with the following caveats:
- Snapshot 4.0 cannot be used to restore backups created with a previous version and vice versa.
- Snapshot backups stored locally–on your site’s WPMU DEV server–are not deleted when 4.0 is installed, but are deleted and unrecoverable when v3 is uninstalled. If a site has no locally-stored Snapshot backups, v3 will be automatically uninstalled when v4 is activated. If local Snapshot backups do exist, members will be given the option to leave v3 installed and active.
- For the time being, v3 will continue to work independently of v4.0, but at some point in the future, this may cease to be true.
- Snapshots created with v3 then uploaded to a third-party provider or downloaded to your computer cannot be uploaded and restored with v4.0. Once v3 has been uninstalled, these backups can only be restored manually. See our Manual Restore Instructions for guidance.
Are destinations still available?
Destinations are not available with the initial Snapshot 4.0 release, although third-party destinations will be added in subsequent releases. Backups that have been uploaded to third party providers will not be affected by installing v4.0 and should still be available in those third-party accounts. However, backups created with previous versions cannot be restored with v4.0. Once v3 has been uninstalled, these backups can only be restored manually. See our Manual Restore Instructions for guidance.
Does Snapshot 4.0 support partial backups?
The initial release of Snapshot 4.0 does not support partial backups, although this feature is slated for a future release.
Does Snapshot 4.0 support subsite backups?
The initial release of Snapshot 4.0 does not support subsite backups, although this feature will be considered for future releases.
Do I have to update to PHP 7.0 or higher?
Yes. Snapshot 4.0 requires PHP 7.0 or higher. If you are running an earlier version of PHP and do not wish to update to 7.0 or higher, you should not upgrade to Snapshot 4.0.
Does Snapshot 4.0 support white-label?
Snapshot 4.0 does support WPMU DEV Dashboard’s white-label feature.
Can I download backups directly?
Yes, after you click “Download” we’ll send you a secure download link via email to your WPMU DEV account email address.
Can I change the email where backups are sent?
Snapshot 4.0 does not currently support the option to change the email account your backups will be sent to – but rest assured this feature is coming in a future release.
Is Snapshot 4.0 compatible with WordPress multisite?
Yes! Snapshot 4.0 is completely compatible with WordPress multisite installations, so you can be sure your entire network is covered.
Can I store my backups locally?
Snapshot 4.0 does not currently store backup files on a local server. We instead upload the files to a secure data center located in a region of your choice.
Where are my backups specifically stored?
Snapshot 4.0 lets you choose between two data centers located in the United States (east N. Virginia) or in Europe (Ireland).
Can I use Snapshot 4.0 to migrate my site?
Snapshot 4.0 was specifically created to be a backup plugin. For site migration we’d highly recommend checking out our Shipper Pro plugin.
How are my Snapshot backups secured?
The WPMU DEV Cloud Backups are protected by server-side encryption. When a backup file is saved, it is encrypted at the object level and decrypted for you when you access it through the Hub or via the plugin’s back end.
13.10 Troubleshoot
Copy chapter anchor to clipboardOur awesome support team is always on call, should you need any help. However, sometimes it is helpful to troubleshoot issues yourself first. Below is a list of some known troubleshooting cases and their appropriate responses to help you along.
If you require any assistance, or if the issue you’re having is not covered here, don’t hesitate to contact our 24/7 live support.
Many of the solutions to the issues mentioned in this section will require you to access your wp-config or .htaccess file. If you are new to making adjustments to these files, we recommend reading Editing Your WordPress wp-config File and Editing Your .htaccess File for more information.
13.10.1 Backup Failed
Link to chapter 10Possible Issue – Out of Storage
Message in Snapshot log: snapshot_failed_storage_limit
If you receive the snapshot_failed_storage_limit message, you may be out of storage on the WPMU DEV Cloud. In these cases, try to free up some space for the new backup or consider upgrading your WPMU DEV Cloud storage.
Possible Issue – File Error
Message in Snapshot log: snapshot_failed_FetchFileslist
Another possible issue for a failed backup is the snapshot_failed_FetchFileslist error. To fix this, follow these steps:
Step 1: Add define('SNAPSHOT4_FILELIST_LOG_VERBOSE', true);
to the wp-config.php file right above the *That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing*
line.
Step 2: Run a manual backup and check the log file to see where the backup failed. Exclude the reported file or folder.
You may also need to increase the memory limit and execution time to these values:
max_execution_time = 600
memory_limit = 512M
This can be added to your php.ini.
Sometimes the standard WordPress configuration doesn’t meet the standards required by your site. With a few tweaks, you could aid some of the errors that you may be experiencing. Read our blog on how to Increase the Maximum Upload and PHP Memory Limit for more information.
Possible Issue – Large File
Message in Snapshot log: snapshot_failed_SiteNotRespondedZipstreamError
If you receive the snapshot_failed_SiteNotRespondedZipstreamError error, try the following options to resolve the issue.
Option 1
Try increasing the memory limit and execution time to these values:
max_execution_time = 600
memory_limit = 512M
This can be added to your php.ini.
Option 2
Step 1: Add define( 'SNAPSHOT4_CHUNKED_ZIPSTREAMING_LARGE', true );
to the wp-config.php file right above the *That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing*
line.
Step 2: Run a new backup.
Option 3
Step 1: Add define('SNAPSHOT4_FILE_ZIPSTREAM_LOG_VERBOSE', true);
to the wp-config.php file right above the *That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing*
line.
Step 2: Run a manual backup and check the log file to see where the backup fails. Exclude the reported file or folder and run a new backup.
Possible Issue – Resource Limit
Message in Snapshot log: snapshot_failed_SiteNotRespondedError
If your backup fails with the snapshot_failed_SiteNotRespondedError error, it could be because you have reached your resources limit. The solution to this is to increase the memory limit and execution time, as seen below:
max_execution_time = 600
memory_limit = 512M
This can be added to your php.ini.
Possible Issue – Output Buffer Stuck
On some hosts, with the default configuration, you may experience a <code>snapshot_failed_SiteNotRespondedError</code> error. In this case, it may be due to a problem with the output buffer which can be fixed by switching the configuration to flush the output buffer after each zipstream write. Do this by following these steps:
Step 1: Add define('SNAPSHOT4_ZIPSTREAM_FLUSH_BUFFER', true);
to the wp-config.php file right above the *That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing*
line.
Step 2: Run the backup again.
13.10.2 Backup Stuck
Link to chapter 10Possible Issue – IP Not Allowlisted
If you experience your backup being stuck at 0% with no log, it could be because our IPs are not allowlisted on your site. This can be addressed by adding our IPs to your allowlist:
35.157.144.199
34.196.51.17
18.204.159.253
Alternatively, if you are a member on our hosting, there could be a large queue and your backup will process ASAP.
Possible Issue – Number of Files Too Large
If your backup is getting stuck at 13-14%, it could be related to having too many large files. These are often cached files and backup files from 3rd party plugins. To fix this, use your preferred FTP client to find your cache folder. Add this folder URL to your Global file exclusions field in the Snapshot Pro>Backups>Settings tab. Once this has been added, you can rerun the manual backup.
Did you know that our hosting tools include a quick-access File Manager, straight from the Hub? No need for 3rd party FTP clients, just open the File Manager and start editing.
Possible Issue – Zipstream Stuck
Backups that get stuck at 25% could be because of the zipstream getting stuck for small chunks of a large number of files. This can be helped by using your preferred FTP client to find your cache folder. Add this folder URL to your Global file exclusions field in the Snapshot Pro>Backups>Settings tab. Once this has been added, you can rerun the manual backup.
Possible Issue – Large Files
Another reason that a backup may get stuck is because of large files. In this case, you can follow these steps:
Step 1: Add define( 'SNAPSHOT4_CHUNKED_ZIPSTREAMING_LARGE', true );
to the wp-config.php file right above the *That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing*
line.
Step 2: Run the backup again
13.10.3 Backup Email Not Received
Link to chapter 10Possible Issue – WordPress Failed to Send Email
When the download backup email is not received, it is likely because your WordPress setup failed to send the email. This can usually be solved by installing and setting up an SMTP plugin.
13.10.4 API Connection Not Established
Link to chapter 10Possible Issue – IP Not Allowlisted
If you are struggling to establish a connection with the API, it may be an issue with our IPs. In a case like this, allowlist our IPs below and retry the connection.
35.157.144.199
34.196.51.17
18.204.159.253
Possible Issue – Inactive Membership
Issues with establishing a connection with the API could be due to a problem with your membership status in the Hub. Be sure to verify your membership and ensure that it is active. If issues persist, contact our Support team who can check if there are any problems with your account.