# Backup

A backup is a saved copy of your website or data, which can be restored if something is deleted, damaged or hacked.

Source: https://ibenta.no/en/glossary/backup
Publisher: Ibenta (https://ibenta.no)
Updated: 2026-09-27

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A backup is the insurance you do not think about until you need it. An update goes wrong, someone deletes the wrong page, or the site gets hacked. With a fresh copy, it is an annoyance. Without one, it is a new project.

## A copy in the same place is no copy

If the backup sits on the same server as the website, it can disappear along with it. A good setup takes copies automatically and regularly, and stores them somewhere else. It must also include the [database](/en/glossary/database), not just the files, because that is often where orders, posts and customer details live.

Websites built from version-controlled code also have their whole history stored. Any earlier version can be brought back from there.

## A copy nobody has tried

You only know a backup works once someone has restored from it. The files may be incomplete, or nobody remembers how to put them back. A copy that has never been tested is a hope, not a plan.

## Three questions to send today

Send an email to whoever runs your website, or to your [hosting provider](/en/glossary/hosting): Where are the copies kept, on the same server or somewhere else? Is the database included? When was a restore last tested? At the same time, export the customer list and the images you are responsible for yourself, and put them on a drive you own.