Backup and recovery for Web Hosting-Cloud Web Hosting(CWH)-阿里云帮助中心

Web Hosting allows you to back up and restore site data, which includes database data and website data. Back up your site data before you perform a site migration, change the data center, or change the host's operating system to prevent data loss. If your database or website data becomes corrupted, you can use a previous backup to restore your database or website. This helps prevent critical data loss, mitigate security risks, and avoid issues during site migration. This topic describes the limitations and procedures for backing up and restoring data.

Limitations

Data backup

You can perform a manual backup or retrieve an automatic backup up to six times per day for each. After reaching the daily limit for an operation, you cannot perform it again that day.
If a website on an Exclusive Web Hosting instance is under a DDoS attack, you can only back up database data in the Web Hosting console. In this scenario, you cannot back up website data, either manually or automatically.
The total number of manual backups and retrieved automatic backups cannot exceed six. This is the combined limit for both database and website data backups. If you reach this six-backup limit and need to create a new backup, you must delete existing backups to bring the total count below six.
Automatic backups may be temporarily suspended for various reasons, such as data center maintenance or migration. As a result, automatic backup data for one or more days may not be available.
The Web Hosting console supports backing up website data up to 20 GB in size. If your website data exceeds 20 GB, the backup operation will fail. In this case, submit a ticket to retrieve your backup data from the backend.

Only some Web Hosting instances support the automatic backup feature:

Host type

Description

Exclusive Web Hosting

All Exclusive Web Hosting instances support the automatic backup feature.

Shared Web Hosting

Only the following Shared Web Hosting instances support the automatic backup feature:

Shared Web Hosting Economy
Shared Web Hosting Economy Plus
Shared Entry Channel
Shared Entry Plus Channel
Shared Economy Channel
Shared Basic Channel
Shared Basic Plus Channel
Shared Economy Plus Channel
Shared Junior Plus Channel
Shared Junior Channel

Automatic backups retain only data from the last three days. Data older than three days is automatically overwritten on a rolling basis.
The system does not support querying or restoring automatic backup data older than three days. For example, you cannot retrieve backups from a month ago or from a date more than three days in the past.
If the latest backup time displayed in the backup list appears to be a very long time ago (for example, last year), this is typically because the host type does not support automatic backup or no valid backup has been generated recently. The display reflects historical residual data rather than an active backup.
Web Hosting instances that have been released or expired cannot have their historical backup data viewed or recovered.

Data restoration
After changing the data center for your host, you cannot directly restore data from previous backups. You must download the historical backup data to your local machine and then restore it manually.

Back up data

Web Hosting supports two backup methods: manual backup and automatic backup. Backup data is stored in a separate storage space provided by the system and does not consume your host's database or web space.

Important

Some Shared Web Hosting instances only support manual backups. For specific capabilities, refer to the information displayed in the Web Hosting console.

Log on to the Cloud Web Hosting management page.
Find the Web Hosting instance for which you want to back up data and click Manage in the Actions column.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Tools > Backup and Recovery.
On the Backup and Recovery page, back up your database data and website data by using your preferred method.
Manual backup
A manual backup is one that you initiate from the Web Hosting console. After completion, the system does not automatically delete the backup file. You can restore, download, or delete it at any time.
- Back up database data
  On the Database Backup tab, click Backup Database.
  In the Backup Database dialog box, enter a note for the current backup, such as test_backup, select the data you want to back up, and then click OK.
  After you submit the backup request, the system automatically redirects you to the My Tasks page, where you can see the backup status is Backing up.
  Important
  The backup process takes some time. When the status changes to Backup Succeeded, the manual backup is complete.
  After the backup is successful, click the Database Backup tab. Find the backup file in the list. You can then restore, download, or delete it as needed.
- Back up website data
  Click the Website Backup tab.
  On the Website Backup tab, click Backup Website.
  In the Backup Website dialog box, enter a note for the current backup, such as back_net_0422, select Backup web files, and then click OK.
  After you submit the backup request, the system automatically redirects you to the My Tasks page, where you can see the backup status is Backing up.
  Important
  The backup process takes some time. When the status changes to Backup Succeeded, the manual backup is complete.
  After the backup is successful, click the Website Backup tab. Find the backup file in the list. You can then restore, download, or delete it as needed.
Automatic backup
Web Hosting creates an automatic backup daily after midnight from an automatic snapshot. You must first retrieve the backup data before you can restore, download, or delete it. Before you use automatic backups, note the following:
- By default, backups of database data and website data are retained for three days. The data is saved on a rolling basis.
- You cannot query backup data that is more than three days old.
For example, if backups are created daily at 03:00, the system maintains a three-day rolling window. On Thursday, backups from Monday are automatically deleted, and only backups from Tuesday, Wednesday, and early Thursday morning are available. You cannot query or retrieve the deleted backup data from Monday.
- Back up database data
  On the Database Backup tab, find the database backup you want to retrieve and click Retrieve in the Actions column.
  In the Retrieve Backup dialog box, click OK.
  After you submit the retrieval request, the system automatically redirects you to the My Tasks tab, where you can see the retrieval status is Retrieving.
  Important
  The data retrieval process takes some time. When the retrieval status changes to Retrieval Succeeded, the task is complete.
  After the backup is successfully retrieved, it appears in the backup list on the Database Backup tab. You can then Restore, Download, or Delete it. Backup records show information such as size, type, and time. For automatic backups that have not yet been retrieved, only the Retrieve option is available in the Actions column.
- Back up website data
  On the Backup and Recovery page, click the Website Backup tab.
  In the backup list, find the website backup you want to retrieve and click Retrieve in the Actions column.
  In the Retrieve Backup dialog box, click OK.
  After you submit the retrieval request, the system automatically redirects you to the My Tasks tab, where you can see the retrieval status is Retrieving.
  Important
  The data retrieval process takes some time. When the retrieval status changes to Retrieval Succeeded, the task is complete.
  After the backup is successfully retrieved, it appears in the backup list on the Website Backup tab. You can then Restore, Download, or Delete it. Backup records show information such as size, type, and time. For automatic backups that have not yet been retrieved, only the Retrieve option is available in the Actions column.

Restore data

Restoring a database is similar to restoring a website. This section uses database restoration as an example.

Warning

Restoring data overwrites all existing data in your database or on your website. Before you proceed, make sure you have backed up any current data that you want to keep.

Log on to the Cloud Web Hosting management page.
Find the Web Hosting instance for which you want to restore data and click Manage in the Actions column.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Tools > Backup and Recovery.
The restoration steps vary depending on the backup source.
- If you are restoring from a manual backup, you can restore it directly.
- If you are restoring from an automatic backup, you must retrieve the backup first and then restore the data.
Manual backup
Before you restore the database, make sure you have successfully created a manual backup. For more information, see Back up data.
1. On the Database Backup tab, find the manual backup you want to use and click Restore in the Actions column.
2. In the Restore Site dialog box, select the data you want to restore and click OK.
  If the database schema has changed, you cannot restore from a backup created before the change. In this case, you can download the backup file and restore it locally.
3. In the confirmation dialog box that appears, click OK.
  After you submit the restore request, the system automatically redirects you to the My Tasks page. Wait until the Status column shows Restore Succeeded, which indicates that the database restoration is complete.
Automatic backup
Before you restore the database, make sure you have successfully retrieved the automatic backup. For more information, see Back up data.
1. On the Database Backup tab, find the retrieved automatic backup you want to use and click Restore in the Actions column.
2. In the Restore Site dialog box, select the data you want to restore and click OK.
  If the database schema has changed, you cannot restore from a backup created before the change. In this case, you can download the backup file and restore it locally.
3. In the confirmation dialog box that appears, click OK.
  The system automatically redirects you to the My Tasks page. Wait until the Status column shows Restore Succeeded, which indicates that the database restoration is complete.

What should I do if the page keeps loading, freezes, or fails during backup or data retrieval?

If you encounter issues such as the page spinning indefinitely, freezing, or the operation failing when backing up data or retrieving an automatic backup, troubleshoot based on the following scenarios:

Browser compatibility: Switch to the latest version of Chrome or Edge and clear the browser cache, then retry the operation.
High resource load: Check the CPU usage of your Web Hosting instance. If the CPU usage is excessively high (for example, above 90%), identify and block abnormal access IPs, optimize your code, or review .htaccess rules. Wait until the CPU load drops before retrying. If you need the data urgently, you can download it manually using an FTP client.
File occupancy or permission issues: If unreadable hidden files (such as SystemProcess.dll) exist on your host, or log files are being actively written to, clear the abnormal files, fix the file permissions, or temporarily shut down the website during off-peak hours, then retry the backup or retrieval.
Website read/write conflicts: If data retrieval fails, it may be because the website is actively reading from or writing to files. Stop the website first, then retry the retrieval.

What should I do if my website cannot be accessed or displays exceptions after data restoration?

If your website cannot be accessed or displays page exceptions after data restoration, troubleshoot based on the following scenarios:

.user.ini file issues: If the website becomes inaccessible after restoration, it is usually caused by permission or configuration issues with the .user.ini file in the root directory. To resolve this, rename the existing .user.ini file or re-upload a correct .user.ini configuration file.
Data overwrite risk: Restoration overwrites all existing data in your database or on your website. Before performing a restore operation, make sure you have backed up your latest data to prevent data loss.
Restoration duration: The time required for restoration depends on the volume of data and network load, and there is no fixed duration. On the My Tasks page in the console, wait until the Status column shows Restore Succeeded, which indicates that the restoration is complete. Note that restoring large amounts of data (such as 20 GB) may carry a risk of timeout.

Can I upload a backup file to the console or force a restore to a specific point in time?

Uploading backups is not supported: The Web Hosting console does not support uploading local backup files for restoration. To restore data from a local backup, upload the files to the website directory using an FTP client.
Forced restoration is not supported: The system does not support forcing a restore to a specific date of automatic backup data from the backend. All restore operations must be initiated by the user in the console.
Download as a package: To download your entire website and database as compressed packages to your local machine, use the Website Backup and Database Backup features to generate two separate compressed packages, then download them individually. Alternatively, you can use the Website Migration feature.

Back up and restore data