How to back up enough server space for the backup

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How do I back up my Cpanel, or at least a wordpress site on it, if there isn’t enough space on the server for the backup?

Normally I use WPVivid to backup individual sites on my server and backup to my Google Drive. But it seems like every backup I can find backs up to the server first. Which would crash the server. Including Backup and Backup Wizard in Cpanel.

Looking for a way to save a backup to preferably directly to my computer, but to my Google Drive would probably work too.

Secondary, is there any way to learn what size a website’s backup would be zipped too before I start?

I am not a developer.

Edit: Just in case others see this thread with the same problem, I found a solution:

It's going to create small zip files (400m, but you can change that) at a time, export to your cloud storage and then delete the zip from your server right away.

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/space-on-server-for-backup/

Use Updraft plugin

Basically I went into my cpanel and then to my website's "wp-config.php" (Just search for this )

Then edit: and at the bottom of the code, add: "define('UPDRAFTPLUS_UPLOAD_AFTER_CREATE', true);" (Copy this from the link above though, not from here.) Then save edits.

Then you have to select which external storage to save the files too. I used Google Drive.

Then just to be sure, I opened two additional windows. One was my Google Drive folders (It will automatically create a folder called "Updraft" once you start, click on that at that time and you will see it start adding zip file backups. I also opened my host to see my storage in real time. Just to make sure it wasn't increasing. It didn't much at all.

Then backup and watch the screens to be sure it's transferring without raising your Server storage.

in Wordpressby Due-Tip-4022

50%

17d

15d

retr00ne

17d

https://developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/security/backup/

good, old way

awelevated

Developer/Designer

17d

Updraft would backup to Google Drive or to another linked service of your choosing. There are many backup plugins that you can choose to backup the website to an external service.

Due-Tip-4022

17d

I'll check updraft. It seems most do that, including WPVivid. Just it has to first process that backup on your server until it's done. Then it transfers to your external location. It's that first processing step that's my issue.

faheem334

Developer/Designer

17d

WPVivid also have option to either backup on server + download files in your PC easily,

I am using pro version of it, maybe some features are not available in free ones.

Due-Tip-4022

17d

Maybe the pro version then. The free version does that, just not directly. It processes on your server first. Then it must transfer to external after and then delete off the server. I know because I can watch my server storage volume slowly increase during a backup even wen backing up to Google Drive.

MishraWeb

Jack of All Trades

16d

No, any WordPress backup plugin would first create a backup on your server itself then once finished would send it to the remote location (Google Drive) and then delete the local copy.

There might be a few exceptions like blogvault (I am not sure though, they are too expensive for me).

So, think about cleaning up some space in your hosting or upgrading your hosting

Due-Tip-4022

16d

I actually just did upgrade my server. Hate to have to get to a larger one yet for essentially no other reason than temporary staging backups before they get exported to the cloud. Server is getting kind of spendy.

I wonder if I can just compress folders on my cpanel one at a time and download them, then delete the zip file from Cpanel before proceeding to the next. That way I do it in bite size chunks.

ivicad

Blogger/Designer

16d

We primarily use All in one WP Migration plugin on majority of sites, but on the biggest ones (or "problematic" ones), we do use BlogVault SaaS, which saves backups directly on their servers. As they are not so cheap, maybe you could try their free backup/migration plugin, this one: https://wordpress.org/plugins/migrate-guru/, so you could backup it to another hosting, and then backup & download it on your computer? I know, a few additional steps, but maybe you could do it this way... or directly via BlogVault, that would work for sure.