Manage Backups

MainWP integrates with popular backup solutions through extensions and API-based backups. Use backup extensions for plugin-based solutions, or API Backups to trigger backups directly through your hosting provider or cloud manager.

What You’ll Accomplish

Configure backup extensions for plugin-based backups
Set up API Backups with your hosting provider
Create and restore backups from your Dashboard
Troubleshoot common backup issues

Prerequisites

MainWP Dashboard installed and activated
Child sites connected to your Dashboard
Backup extension installed, or API credentials from your hosting provider

Video Tutorial

Backup Extensions

MainWP integrates with popular backup plugins through dedicated extensions:

Extension	Plugin
BackWPup	BackWPup
BackupBuddy	BackupBuddy
Time Capsule	Time Capsule
UpdraftPlus	UpdraftPlus
WPVivid	WPVivid

API Backups

API Backups lets you create backups directly through your hosting provider, cloud manager, or VPS without installing backup plugins on your sites.

Supported Providers

Provider	Notes
cPanel	Native and WP Toolkit backups
Plesk	WP Toolkit backups
Kinsta	Full API integration
Cloudways	Automatic site assignment
GridPane	Requires Owner Account with Developer Plan or higher
Vultr	Full API integration
Akamai (Linode)	Full API integration
DigitalOcean	Full API integration

Connect API Backups

Each provider requires an API key from their platform. Obtain your API key and enter it in the MainWP settings.

Animation showing API Backups settings with API key entry fields for cloud providers

Assign Provider to Child Sites

Cloudways and GridPane automatically detect sites. For all other providers, assign the VPS provider to each child site manually.

Open site settings

Go to the Child Site Overview > Edit page.

Configure backup provider

Locate the Backup API Provider Settings section, select your VPS provider from the dropdown, and enter the Instance ID.

Child Site Edit page showing Backup API Provider Settings

Save settings

Click Save Settings.

Per-Site Configuration

For all providers except Cloudways and GridPane, you can enter hosting information per site. This allows you to use multiple accounts from the same provider across your child sites.

cPanel Backups

New cPanel installations have backups disabled by default. Contact your hosting support to enable backups, or follow these steps if you have WHM access.

Check Backup Status

The system displays a red notification on the File and Directory Restoration interfaces when backups are unavailable:

cPanel: Home > Files > File and Directory Restoration
WHM: Home > Backups > File and Directory Restoration

Enable Backups via Terminal

If the red notification appears, run these commands to enable backups:

Step	Command	Documentation
Force initial backup	`backup --force`	cPanel backup timing
Generate metadata	`backups_create_metadata`	Metadata script

cPanel automatic backups run on a cron schedule. You may need to manually trigger the first backup via terminal if no automatic backups exist yet. See metadata management for details.

Multi-Site Environment Configuration

For cPanel accounts with multiple WordPress sites, install each site in its own folder. Site paths are case sensitive. Multi-site example:

URL	Site Path
`https://your-site.com/Child-1/`	`/public_html/Child-1/`
`https://child-2.your-site.com/`	`/public_html/child-2/`

Single-site example:

URL	Site Path
`https://your-site.com`	`/public_html/`

Connect DigitalOcean

Create a DigitalOcean account

Generate a Personal Access Token

Visit Apps & API > Tokens in your DigitalOcean control panel.

DigitalOcean Personal Access Tokens page

Enter a token name, set expiration to No expire, and select Full Access.

DigitalOcean New Personal Access Token form

Enter the token in MainWP

Paste your Personal Access Token in the API Backups settings and click Save Settings.

Configure child sites

Go to each site’s Edit page and set the correct Provider and Instance ID. Find the Instance ID in the Droplet URL or through droplet metadata.

Connect Kinsta

Find Your Kinsta Credentials

Credential	Location
Account Email	The email address used to log into Kinsta (usually the main account)
API Key	Company Settings > API Keys > Create API Key
Environment ID	In the browser address bar when viewing site Info
Company ID	In the browser address bar when viewing site Info

Create an API Key

Navigate to Company Settings > API Keys and click Create API Key.

Find Environment and Company IDs

Click on a site, go to Info, and locate both IDs in the browser address bar.

Configure Global Settings

Open API Backups settings

Navigate to Sites > Backups > API Backups > Manage API Settings > Kinsta.

Enable and save

Turn on Enable Kinsta API, enter your API Key, and click Save.

Configure Individual Sites

Navigate to each child site’s Edit page and scroll to the bottom. Select Kinsta from the provider dropdown and enter your Account Email, Company ID, and Environment ID. For sites using a different Kinsta account, enable Overwrite Global Settings and enter the alternate API Key.

Use Kinsta Backups

After configuration, the API Backups tab displays available backups for the selected account. Click Refresh Available Backups to update the list, or Backup Now to create a new backup.

Create Backups

Individual Site Backup

Navigate to API Backups

Go to MainWP > Sites > API Backups.

Create backup

Locate the site and click Backup from the ellipsis menu.

Backup duration depends on site size and host speed.

Multiple Sites Backup

Navigate to API Backups

Go to MainWP > Sites > API Backups.

Select and backup

Check the boxes next to desired sites and click Backup Selected Sites.

Restore Backups

Navigate to API Backups

Go to MainWP > Sites > API Backups.

Manage backups

Locate the site and click Manage Backups from the ellipsis menu.

Restore

Find the desired backup and click Restore Backup from the ellipsis menu.

Restore duration depends on site size and host speed.

Backup Storage Location

MainWP API Backups triggers backups through provider APIs. Your hosting provider handles storage according to their configured settings.

MainWP API Backups does not use custom storage locations. Backups are stored wherever your host or cloud manager has configured.

Provider	Documentation
GridPane	Backup configuration
Cloudways	Download backups
Vultr	Automatic backups
DigitalOcean	Backups product
Akamai (Linode)	Backup service
cPanel	System backups
Plesk	WP Toolkit backups

cPanel DB Backups: Manual database backups are created via MySQLdump on the child site server and placed in /wp-content/uploads/mainwp/api_db_backups/.

Troubleshooting

Kinsta 404 Errors

If Kinsta API Backups fail to load or show a 404 error, the problem is usually an incorrect Environment ID or a temporary API issue. Example error from Custom Event Monitor:

API Backups :: [Status] 404 :: [Action] kinsta_action_refresh_available_backups
API Backups :: [Response] {"status":404,"message":"The requested environment was not found!"}

Verify Environment ID

The Environment ID appears in the URL of the container package, not elsewhere in the interface.

Check all credentials

Confirm your Account Email, Company ID, and API Key are entered correctly.

Save and refresh

Save settings and click Refresh Available Backups.

If the error persists with correct data, try again later as it may be a temporary Kinsta API issue.

Plesk ID Confusion

Plesk API Backups may fail if you use the wrong ID during setup. Each WordPress installation in Plesk WP Toolkit has three IDs:

ID Type	Description
Site ID	Main identifier for the WordPress installation
Domain ID	Appears in Plesk URL (not correct for backups)
Owner ID	Account owner identifier

Solution: Use the Main Site ID instead of the Domain ID when configuring your Plesk connection in MainWP. Re-save settings and retry the backup.

Self-Check Checklist

API credentials are entered and saved
Child sites are assigned to the correct provider
Test backup completes successfully
Backups appear in the Manage Backups list
Test restore works (on a staging site if possible)

Why doesn’t MainWP include backups - Backup philosophy explained
Backup Extensions - All backup extensions

Getting Started

Understanding MainWP

Dashboard

Sites

Clients

Troubleshooting

Customization

Advanced

API Reference

Resources

What You’ll Accomplish

Prerequisites

Video Tutorial

Backup Extensions