Backup Restoration — Simple & Complete Guide

Backup Restoration — Simple & Complete Guide

Backup Restoration — Simple & Complete Guide

Use this interface to restore one or more hosting accounts from system backups. You can filter by backup date and type, preview what’s available, choose what to restore (files, databases, mail, DNS, SSL, and more), and then run the restore with safety checks.

Important: Restores overwrite data for selected items. Make sure you have enough free disk space and that you’ve chosen the correct date and account(s) before proceeding.

Before You Begin

  • Only administrative users can perform restorations.
  • Backups must already exist on the server (for example, under /backup/) or on a mounted destination.
  • Plan a maintenance window for busy sites—restores may temporarily affect availability.

1) Find Available Backups

  1. Select the Backup Type:
    • Compressed — saves space; slower to restore.
    • Uncompressed — faster restore; uses more space.
    • Incremental — restores from an incremental tree (requires the path to be mounted and intact).
  2. Choose the Date you want to restore from (backups are listed by snapshot date).
  3. (Optional) Choose the Location if multiple backup mounts are available.
  4. Search by username or primary domain and click Show.

A results table lists matching accounts with details (user, domain, size, backup status). Use View/Inspect to see what’s included before restoring.

2) Choose What to Restore

For each selected account, you can enable or disable parts of the restore. Common options include:

  • Home directory files (website content, user files)
  • Databases & grants (MySQL/MariaDB users and privileges)
  • Mail configuration & mailboxes (addresses, forwarders, filters, maildir)
  • DNS zone (recreate/replace zone records as needed)
  • SSL/TLS material (certificates, keys, CABundles)
  • Account metadata (package, feature list, quotas, shell, locale, contact)
  • Addon/parked/subdomains (restore related domains and mappings)
  • Reseller settings (if the account is/was a reseller)
  • IP assignment (shared/dedicated as stored in the backup)
Recommendation: Keep Restricted Restore enabled (if available). It validates archive contents and skips unsafe items. Use a standard restore only if you fully trust the backup’s origin.

3) Run the Restore

  1. Tick the checkbox(es) for the account(s) you want to restore.
  2. Review your selected components (files, DB, mail, DNS, SSL, etc.).
  3. Click Restore and confirm.

The system extracts data, recreates users and services as needed, and applies configuration. Large accounts can take a while—wait for completion messages per account.

4) Verify the Result

  • Check websites and applications (logins, forms, background jobs).
  • Confirm databases and users are present and connected.
  • Verify email accounts and delivery (send/receive tests).
  • Review DNS records and propagation if zones were replaced.
  • Confirm SSL certificate/chain is applied correctly.

Where to See Logs

Use the interface link to open the restore log for each account. On many systems, logs are also stored under a path like:

/usr/local/cpanel/logs/restore_account/USERNAME/

Command-Line (Optional)

Advanced users can restore from shell. Examples (adjust to your environment):

# Restore a single account (example)
# Run as root; the tool locates a valid backup/cpmove for the user
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/restorepkg USERNAME

# Or, with more control via API (example)
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/whmapi1 restoreacct username=USERNAME \
  ip=shared restorehomedir=1 restoredns=1 restoremail=1 \
  restoredatabases=1 restoressl=1

# List likely backup snapshots (example paths)
ls -l /backup/2025-04-01/accounts/

Troubleshooting

  • Account exists: If overwrite is blocked, remove the existing account first or choose an option that allows replacing selected components.
  • Incremental not found: Ensure the incremental tree is mounted and intact; verify permissions.
  • Database restore failed: Check service status and credentials; review the log for the failing DB and restore it again.
  • Mail missing: Confirm maildir paths and ownership; re-run the mail component if needed.
  • DNS conflicts: If zones already exist, decide whether to replace them or merge records manually.
  • Not enough space: Free disk space on the destination partition and retry.

Summary

  • Pick the backup type and snapshot date, then locate accounts.
  • Choose which components to restore (files, DB, mail, DNS, SSL, metadata).
  • Enable Restricted Restore for safety, then run the job.
  • Verify websites, databases, email, DNS, and SSL after completion.
  • Review logs and rerun individual components if needed.
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